A week before the Inspector General's report was released, Southwest Division Special Agent in Charge Don Masters sent an email to colleagues stating "[NOAA Law Enforcement Spokesperson] Lesli [Bales-Sherrod] has been tasked with finding 'three or four people in the industry' who would be willing to say that enforcement matters to them." He continued "We want to be able to point reporters toward people in the industry who support what we do so that they can get another side of the story."
The email was sent to:
Special Agent Dan Torquemada
Deputy Special Agent in Charge Martina Sagapolu
Asst. Special Agent in Charge Marc Cline
Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ho Vinh Truong
Special Agent Dan Torquemada
West Coast Enforcement Coordinator Dayna Matthews
Contacted by Saving Seafood today, Ms. Bales-Sherrod said that she wanted to assemble contacts on all sides in preparation for possible questions that might arise from the release of the Inspector General's report. She asked the regional offices to assist her in assembling such a list. Ms. Bales-Sherrod said that her office does not intend to comment further on the report, and she noted that Dr. Lubchenco has issued a release on the matter.
The text of the email follows…
Lesli has been tasked with finding "three or four people in the industry" who would be willing to say that enforcement matters to them. These should be supporters who would be willing to be contacted by media, should we get media inquiries after the OIG report is released. We want to be able to point reporters toward people in the industry who support what we do so that they can get another side of the story. That doesn't mean these folks have to agree with us all the time.
They would not be quoted in our materials, but could end up quoted in the press, so they need to be people who would be willing to go on the record (no anonymous sources, obviously).
If you have any ideas please send them to me ASAP.