WASHINGTON – Jan. 17, 2012 – Today, Eric Schwaab, formerly assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries, the top fisheries position at NOAA, assumed a new job as acting assistant secretary of commerce for conservation and management. The assistant secretary of commerce for conservation and management is responsible for ocean resource management, coastal management, and protected resources.
Sam Rauch, who had served as deputy assistant administrator for regulatory programs at NOAA Fisheries, replaced Mr. Schwaab and today became acting assistant administrator for fisheries.
Although the actual position that Mr. Schwaab assumed is an Obama Administration addition to the NOAA Administrators' inner circle, there is precedent for the position. Saving Seafood has examined that history, the positions's opportunities and its potential for positive change.
In light of that, in this Saving Seafood news analysis, we examine the possibilities for Mr. Schwaab in his new role, and what he might do as acting assistant secretary to assist the industry.
When the Obama Administration nominated Terry Garcia to fill the roll of Deputy Secretary of Commerce last May, they did so with consideration for Mr. Garcia’s extensive record of prior experience within the Commerce Department. Under President Clinton, Mr. Garcia served as NOAA’s Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere. Historically, at least one of the officials who reports directly to the NOAA Administrator is charged with focusing on fisheries-related issues from a political and managerial perspective. Mr. Garcia played that role during the late Clinton years.
As Assistant Secretary, and previously as NOAA’s general counsel, Mr. Garcia solidified his reputation as an exemplary leader. So, with this record of past service, it was unsurprising to see Garcia’s name atop the current administration’s list of candidates for Deputy Secretary of Commerce. But despite Mr. Garcia’s seemingly destined future as the next Deputy Secretary, the former Clinton appointee’s expected fate was, quite literally, unable to stand the test of time. Having endured a lengthy confirmation process best characterized by its gruelingly slow pace, and with no apparent end in sight, Mr. Garcia withdrew his name from consideration. Had he taken office, he would have been the Administration’s lead troubleshooter on pressing fishing issues, including New England ground fish.
Dr. Becky Blank ascended to the post once tentatively stamped with Mr. Garcia’s name. Though Dr. Blank also has a record of successful service as both Acting Secretary of Commerce and Acting Deputy Secretary, she does not bring to the Deputy Secretary’s office a background in fisheries management.
Enter former Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, Eric Schwaab, who today moved to one of NOAA’s top positions: acting Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Management. With the prospect of Terry Garcia’s assistance as Deputy Secretary of Commerce now fully extinguished, Mr. Schwaab’s promotion offers the fishing industry its best hope at equitable representation within the current administration. While Mr. Schwaab’s performance as head of NOAA fisheries has not exactly brought on non-stop cheers from the industry, his new position offers him an opportunity to play a major role in continuing NOAA’s efforts to repair what Dr. Lubchenco described during her own confirmation hearing as the “dysfunctional” relationship between NOAA and the New England and Mid-Atlantic fishing industry.
Now removed of his responsibility for the day-to-day activities of NOAA Fisheries, Mr. Schwaab’s time will no longer be stretched between overseeing a budget of nearly $1 billion, myriad regional offices and administrators, thousands of employees and contractors, and numerous programs. Instead, he’ll now work directly with top Commerce Department officials, including NOAA chief Administrator Jane Lubchenco and Deputy Secretary Blank, to address the issues most urgent to NOAA.
Coming from the position of NOAA Fisheries Administrator, Mr. Schwaab could become the senior NOAA leader who acts as the political and managerial point person for fisheries. If he chooses to do that, he can move NOAA forward significantly on the numerous legitimate concerns of the New England and Mid-Atlantic fishing industry.
Amongst these critical issues, concerns about the status of Gulf of Maine cod have dominated recent conversations regarding the health of northeast fisheries. Three years ago, this species was declared to be on the road to recovery. Harvest limits were increased, and NOAA took credit for its stewardship of the fishery. But now, a controversial new assessment claims the stock to be in trouble. Twenty two thousand metric tons of spawning fish have allegedly disappeared – a biologically improbably occurrence. Mr. Schwaab has stated that it is possible that both assessments were valid, but also possible that one or both of the assessments were flawed. The questions surrounding the cod assessments have caused observers ranging from laymen to fishermen to scientists to once again question NOAA’s ability to count fish. Mr. Schwaab can be commended for having already demonstrated a dedication to solving the Gulf of Maine cod problem. In a December interview on the Saving Seafood radio program, he made clear that the fishermen did nothing wrong. In fact, as he accurately noted, they did exactly what NOAA and the council process told them to do.
If, now free of the managerial responsibilities of his prior job, Mr. Schwaab focuses on developing an innovative solution to the Gulf of Maine cod conundrum, as well as examining the less-than-credible stock assessments that are the underlying cause of the problem, he could do a great deal to improve NOAA’s credibility in New England and mid-Atlantic fishing communities.
Mr. Schwaab must bring to his new job in the upper reaches of NOAA a focus on a much-overlooked part of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. National standard eight of the act states “Conservation and management measures shall…take into account the importance of fishery resources to fishing communities.” It’s clear that the fishermen and residents of our eastern seaboard fishing communities don’t think that is happening. In fact, one of the most popular bumper stickers on vehicles at working waterfronts in the northeast reads “The National Marine Fisheries Service, Destroying Fishermen and their Communities since 1976.”
Another crucial issue facing NOAA in fisheries is the upcoming selection of two important positions, NOAA’s next Regional Administrator for the Northeast Region and the next Director of the Northeast Science Center. In April of 2011, NOAA released two reports addressing serious management and science problems in the northeast. A management report produced by the Touchstone Group under the leadership of Preston Pate found numerous serious problems both within NOAA and within the New England Council. A science report by Michael Sissenwine and Brian Rothschild similarly found serious issues within NOAA’s science establishment. The new leadership in the Northeast Regional Office and at the Northeast Science Center needs to address these problems. NMFS needs all the problems cited, not just those that are easy to solve or convenient.
Given the New England and Mid-Atlantic’s position at the epicenter of countless fishery-related crises, Mr. Schwaab must ascertain that the right people are chosen for these positions. They must be qualified individuals who will be viewed by industry members as fair, and responsive to both the needs of fishing communities and the preservation of the resource. Once appointed and in place, he should work with these new leaders and their respective offices to develop a new approach by their management and science teams. These must be teams that are more responsive to the needs of industry and willing to take the necessary steps to protect coastal fishing communities.
What he needs to do is both simple and, in terms of affecting change in a complex Federal bureaucracy, difficult. He needs to find a way for NOAA to have more robust engagement with the industry in New England and the Mid-Atlantic.
This theme of finding a way for disparate groups to better work together also aptly characterizes Mr. Schwaab’s responsibilities for oversight over three important line offices within NOAA: NOAA Fisheries, the National Ocean Service, and, under it, the National Marine Sanctuary Program. Though intended by design to work together, these offices have not always coordinated their efforts. One such example unfolded last year when the National Marine Sanctuary Program proposed the creation of the Stellwagen Ecological Research Area (SERA), which would have closed off significant parts of the groundfishery. This occurred with limited input from NOAA Fisheries and no strong leader at NOAA headquarters to look at this issue with a holistic view regarding its impact on fishermen.
Mr. Schwaab has an opportunity to fix this problem. If he can find a way for NOAA Fisheries, the National Ocean Service, and the National Marine Sanctuary Program to function with efficiency, effectiveness, and coordination, that would be another significant accomplishment.
Mr. Schwaab accepts this promotion as the “acting” Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Management. As the “acting” Assistant Secretary, he is effectively on trial to one day become the Senate-confirmed permanent occupant of this sub-Cabinet position. Dr. Blank similarly held her position as “acting” before being nominated to hold the position permanently. If Mr. Schwaab addresses the many legitimate issues facing eastern fisheries, he should be able to count on industry support to become the next Senate-confirmed occupant of this important position.