Crew deploying a new trawl net from the back deck of the NOAA Ship Rueben Lasker.
Photo: NOAA Fisheries
The USA's national marine fisheries service NOAA Fisheries has a new head, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced, with the appointment of Eugenio Piñeiro Soler as NOAA Assistant Administrator, who now takes over from Acting Assistant Administrator Emily Menashes.
Originally from Puerto Rico, Piñeiro Soler has over 30 years of experience in fisheries and marine policy, NOAA said via a news announcement. His background includes work as a commercial fisherman, fisheries captain, and business owner.
He has also held a number of leadership roles in federal and international marine organizations, including serving as Chair of the Caribbean Fishery Management Council from 2001 to 2010. During the first Trump administration, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.
Piñeiro Soler has also participated in conservation organizations including the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the International Whaling Commission, and the Marine Protected Area Federal Advisory Committee.
Future of NOAA Fisheries in doubt, according to US media reports
However, the new Assistant Administrator's tenure may be shortlived. NOAA's announcement of Piñeiro's Soler's appointment is overshadowed by the news that the Trump administration is considering slashing NOAA'S funding, eliminating its climate research, defunding NOAA Fisheries and moving oversight of marine fisheries management to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), according to widespread US media reports.
