U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has named a new head of NOAA Fisheries, the agency charged with managing the nation’s commercial fisheries, even as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump plans on slashing the regulator’s budget and moving its functions to the U.S. Department of Interior.
On 14 April, the government announced that former commercial fisherman and officeholder Eugenio Piñeiro Soler will serve as assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries.
“Mr. Piñeiro Soler has enjoyed a long and illustrious life in fisheries management,” NOAA Fisheries said in a statement announcing the change. “In a career that has spanned over 30 years, he has been a successful commercial fisherman, fisheries captain, and entrepreneur in his home island of Puerto Rico and throughout the Caribbean.”
Piñeiro Soler chaired the Caribbean Fishery Management Council from 2001 to 2010. He has served on the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the International Whaling Commission, and the Marine Protected Area Federal Advisory Committee. He also served as the deputy assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere during Trump’s first administration.
“Eugenio Piñeiro Soler brings extensive managerial and leadership experience to NOAA Fisheries, having worked at the intersection of policy and science throughout his career,” NOAA Fisheries said. “Mr. Piñeiro Soler’s passion for these issues is evident, and he will work with NOAA Fisheries’ various partners, industries, and constituencies to promote the economic benefits of U.S. fisheries and ensure smart management of our nation’s fisheries and trust resources.”
In a statement, the National Fisheries Institute commended the Trump administration’s selection, highlighting Piñeiro Soler’s experience with the United States’ system of fisheries management.
“The National Fisheries Institute congratulates Eugenio Piñeiro Soler on his appointment to serve as the new Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries,” NFI President and CEO Lisa Wallenda Picard said in a statement. “We commend the administration for working quickly to fill this vital position and for choosing a seasoned veteran of the council management system and Magnuson-based fisheries policy. We look forward to working with him.”
Piñeiro Soler will replace Acting Assistant Administrator Emily Menashes, a longtime NOAA employee who was appointed after the former head of the agency, Janet Coit, stepped down when former President Joe Biden left office. Menashes will continue in her previous position: deputy assistant administrator for operations.
The Trump administration has ...
