Since leaving Maryland government to become federal fisheries chief two months ago, Eric Schwaab has been besieged by unhappy recreational anglers, called ineffective by commercial fishermen and labeled an unknown, know-nothing by New England editorial writers.
But that was just a warm up for the Catonsville resident's latest turn in the hot seat as point man for federal efforts to protect and save fish and shellfish in the path of the Gulf oil spill.
"The biggest challenge in this case is that it's still a developing event," said Schwaab, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service. "There's still oil spilling into the Gulf at a fairly substantial rate. We're still very much in an adaptive posture, trying to use different tools to deal with the leak."
Wednesday, he was on a conference call with more than 100 stakeholders, ranging from Louisiana shrimpers and Florida red snapper fishermen to environmental groups and recreational tournament directors. Thursday, it was a second conference call and a tour of the Mississippi coast to make sure programs to sample pre-spill conditions are adequate to provide a baseline for restoration efforts.
Read the complete story at The Baltimore Sun.