Manuel Barange, a national of South Africa and Spain, is Assistant Director General in addition to being Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division.

Professor Barange has a BSc in Biology from the University of Barcelona, Spain, and a PhD in Marine Ecology. Before joining FAO he was Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Science at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (UK) and Chair of the Science Committee of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). He is an Honorary Professor at the College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter (UK). He is a recognized expert on climate and anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems and on the role of aquatic foods in ending hunger and poverty. He has over 130 academic publications, and in 2010 he was awarded the UNESCO-IOC Roger Revelle Medal for his contributions to ocean science.