New Head of National Marine Fisheries Service

NMFS has a new leader as of June 19. Chris Oliver of Anchorage, Alaska, was named assistant administrator for the service, leaving his 16-year post as executive director of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Oliver will take the reins from interim director Sam Rauch. “I look forward to leading NOAA Fisheries and working with our partners to rebuild U.S. fisheries and conserve and recover protected resources where necessary, promote domestic marine aquaculture production where appropriate, maintain our reputation for world-renowned science and analysis, and do so while maximizing fishing opportunities for the benefit of recreational and commercial fishermen, processors, and the coastal communities which depend on them for generations to come,” said Oliver in a press release. Oliver will oversee the management and conservation of recreational and commercial fisheries, the protection of marine mammals, marine protected species, and coastal fisheries habitat within the U.S. exclusive economic zone. He will also manage an agency with with 3,200 people in five regional offices, six science centers, and 24 labs and fish stations in 15 states and U.S. territories.

Oliver has worked for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council since 1990. During his tenure as executive director, he led the way on several management initiatives, including development of limited access privilege programs and fishery cooperatives, catch share programs, the North Pacific’s comprehensive onboard observer program, and many other programs focused on bycatch reduction, allocation and coastal communities. As the agency’s new assistant administrator, Oliver will manage 3,200 people in five regional offices, six science centers, and 24 labs and fish stations in 15 states and U.S. territories.Originally from Rockport, Texas, Oliver was a research associate at Texas A&M University from 1987 to 1990, working with federal and state agencies on management issues associated with Gulf of Mexico shrimp fisheries. He holds a BBA in business management and a master’s degree in fisheries science, both from Texas A&M.