June 5, 2023 — Catherine “Cate” O’Keefe, a scientist with more than 20 years of experience in Northeast fisheries research and management, was named executive director of the New England Fisheries Management Council to replace the retiring Thomas Nies.
A resident of South Dartmouth, Mass., O’Keefe has a deep resume reflecting two decades of working with the fishing industry on and off the water. She is the owner and principal consultant of Fishery Applications Consulting Team, a firm that has provided technical, research, and facilitation services to a wide range of clients, including the New England council for scallop and monkfish projects.
O’Keefe’s work in recent years included studies of the socioeconomic impact of offshore wind power development on the fishing industry, and compensatory mitigation for the scallop fleet and other fisheries that will be affected. Fisheries Applications has also has provided services to offshore wind energy companies, fishing industry organizations, global consulting firms, academic institutions, and research organizations. O’Keefe currently serves as vice chair of the council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee.
O’Keefe earned her doctoral degree at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST). Her dissertation was titled: “An incentive-based, collaborative approach to maximize yield by avoiding bycatch in the U.S. sea scallop fishery.” She earned a master’s degree through the Boston University Marine Program in Woods Hole and a bachelor of arts in biology and fisheries from Hampshire College.
O’Keefe replaces longtime executive director Thomas Nies, a 26-year veteran of the council staff who rose to the director’s position in 2013. With Nies announcing his retirement in January 2023, the council initiated a nationwide search for a new executive.