June 27, 2012 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Tuesday appointed Dr. William Karp as the next science and research director at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole
The NEFSC is the research arm of the National Marine Fisheries Service in federal waters from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras, N.C. Karp has served as acting director since January.
The fishing industry has long complained about the accuracy of fish stock assessments produced by NOAA's survey vessels and Dr. Brian Rothschild of UMass Dartmouth's School for Marine Science and Technology said Karp's appointment might signal a new beginning.
"This is a pivotal event in New England fishery management," he said. "We look forward to working with him and are hoping that now we can straighten out some of these contentious issues."
Karp, who was attending a fishing symposium in New Bedford on Tuesday when the news broke, previously worked at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, based in Seattle, for 25 years. "It's much more complicated in the Northeast," he said. "More people to get to know and many more interests."
Karp said he was certainly aware of the controversy surrounding NOAA's trawl surveys but was ready to take up the challenge.
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