The Biden administration has appointed Janet Coit as the new assistant administrator for NOAA. She will be responsible for leading NOAA Fisheries, the federal agency responsible for managing the nation's marine fisheries.
She will also serve as acting assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator, for which she will support and manage NOAA's coastal and marine programs, according to NOAA.
Her appointment is effective immediately, and she succeeds Paul Doremus, who has been acting NOAA Fisheries assistant administrator since January of this year.
Coit directed the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management for over 10 years where she focused on improving natural resource conservation, promoting locally grown food, including seafood, and addressing the climate crisis.
She worked to improve a new infrastructure for commercial and recreational fisheries and promote sustainable management of fisheries, including a new shellfish initiative.
Coit also chaired Rhode Island’s Seafood Marketing Collaborative, and worked with stakeholders to promote supplying seafood locally and abroad.
Oliver had a long career in fisheries. In 2017, he was designated by presidential appointment as Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at NOAA, where he was responsible for the management of commercial and recreational marine fisheries and protected species throughout the US Exclusive Economic Zone, which encompasses the Alaska pollock fishing grounds.
