 Today, NOAA Fisheries announced that Mr. Michael
Pentony is the new Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic
Regional Fisheries Office in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He will assume his new
duties on January 22, 2018. Mr. Pentony has been with the agency since 2002,
serving in a series of positions including as the Assistant Regional
Administrator for the Sustainable Fisheries Division since 2014. He succeeds
retiring Regional Administrator John Bullard who had been in the position since
2012.
“I am extremely pleased to announce this
appointment,” said NOAA Fisheries’ director Chris Oliver. “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.”
In his new role, Mr. Pentony will head the
agency’s regional office, which has responsibility for managing approximately
100,000 square miles of the Northwest Atlantic, the large marine ecosystem from
Maine to Cape Hatteras and the Great Lakes. To do that, the office works
closely with two fishery management councils, the states, the fishing
industry, and other stakeholders to manage federal commercial and recreational
fisheries, marine mammals, habitat, and much more. As Administrator, he will
also oversee critical aspects of international fisheries conservation and
management in the region.
Mr. Pentony has extensive experience leading the
development and implementation of the fishery management plans and regulations
established by the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils and
the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. In his role as the region’s
lead for sustainable fisheries management, he oversaw all aspects of 14 management
plans targeting 42 species valued at nearly $1.6 billion annually. Prior to taking
the Assistant Regional Administrator position in 2014, Mr. Pentony served for
12 years as a team supervisor in the sustainable fisheries division.
“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. 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,” said
Oliver.
Before joining NOAA Fisheries in 2002, Mr. 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 of Science in Engineering from
Duke University in North Carolina, and a Master’s of Environmental Management
from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. Between college
and graduate school, Mr. Pentony served for 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.
Michael grew up in the town of Point Pleasant, New
Jersey, where he spent his summers fishing for bluefish and fluke at the
Manasquan Inlet. He currently lives in New Hampshire with his family including
his wife and daughter. In his free time he enjoys traveling with his family,
cheering on his daughter at swim meets, cycling the back roads of New
Hampshire, and trying to learn to play the bass guitar.
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