Michael Pentony has been named the new Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, located in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Pentony will replace John Bullard on 22 January. Bullard, who held the position since 2012, announced his plan to retire in July 2017.
“I am extremely pleased to announce this appointment,” NOAA Fisheries Director Chris Oliver said in a press release. “Michael’s deep experience in every aspect of sustainable fisheries management, both commercial and recreational, positions him perfectly for this job. He is going to hit the ground running.”
Pentony has worked at NOAA since 2002, serving in a series of positions, including for 12 years as team supervisor in the sustainable fisheries division and, since 2014, as the assistant regional administrator for the division. In that role, he oversaw all aspects of 14 management plans targeting 42 species valued at nearly USD 1.6 billion annually (EUR 1.3 billion).
Pentony’s new role makes him one of NOAA’s five regional administrators, in charge of managing an area of approximately 100,000 square miles stretching from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to Lubec, Maine. As administrator, he will also oversee critical aspects of international fisheries conservation and management in the region, working with two fishery management councils, more than a dozen U.S. states, the fishing industry, and environmental groups, among others.
“Under Michael’s leadership, the region’s sustainable fisheries team worked hard to meet the needs of fishermen and fishing communities from Maine to North Carolina,” Oliver said. “In doing so, they have implemented successful, innovative approaches to protecting and restoring stocks, habitat, and marine mammals. They also paved the way for an expansion of the aquaculture industry in the region by working hard to break through barriers to that industry.”
Before joining NOAA Fisheries in 2002, Pentony worked for five years as a policy analyst for the New England Fishery Management Council, primarily on issues related to habitat, marine protected areas, and the deep-sea red crab fishery.
He has a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree in environmental management from Duke University. He also served six years as an officer in the United States Air Force as an engineering project manager on a variety of military satellite and launch vehicle programs.
