Vahdet Ünal is a professor at the Faculty of Aquaculture at Ege University, where he lectures on small-scale fishery management, recreational fishery management, and fishing cooperatives. He also teaches at the International Postgraduate Program for Sustainable Fishery Management at Alicante University in Spain. He is a member of the Mediterranean Development and Social Sciences Sub-Committee at the European Foundation Against Fishing Crimes and the Mediterranean Global Marine Products Commission at the Food and Agriculture Organisation. One of the founding members of the Mediterranean Conservation Society provides expert academic advice in identifying, implementing, and evaluating the Society's marine research activities.