U.S. Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) sent a letter to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Jane Lubchenco thanking her for the announcement that the agency has replaced the Director of the Office of Fisheries Law Enforcement (OLE), Dale Jones. The announcement came after a Department of Commerce Inspector General investigation found “systemic” problems with NOAA Fisheries Law Enforcement operations, as well as a follow-up IG report on recent revelations that Dale Jones shredded documents sought by the Inspector General. Congressman Jones stressed to the Administrator that yesterday’s announcement was a necessary but not sufficient condition to restore the public trust in OLE actions. He again urged NOAA to suspend all active fisheries prosecutions until questions surrounding the circumstances of Dale Jones’ replacement are answered and the agency completely addresses the systemic issues identified by the IG.
The text of Congressman Jones’ letter to Administrator Lubchenco follows:
“Thank you for Assistant Administrator Eric Schwab’s announcement today that Alan Risenhoover has been reassigned to serve as the interim Director of the Office of Law Enforcement (OLE). This action was necessary in light of the findings of the Department of Commerce Inspector General’s recent investigation into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) fisheries enforcement practices. As you know, that investigation uncovered “systemic” problems with NOAA’s law enforcement operation, and I am grateful you have begun to address those problems.
However, today’s announcement is insufficient. As the IG report made clear, NOAA OLE has a problem with accountability and transparency, and today’s announcement only magnifies those issues. The announcement made no mention of the now former OLE Director, Dale Jones, or the circumstances surrounding his replacement. It also made no mention of the Inspector General’s follow-up investigation into recent revelations that Dale Jones orchestrated the shredding of over 100 files sought by the IG; an investigation I understand was completed in the last few days and which you have publicly stated was a prerequisite for agency action to replace Mr. Jones. This begs the following questions: Why hasn’t the report on the Inspector General’s follow-up investigation been made public? What is Dale Jones’ current status with the agency? If Dale Jones was removed for shredding documents, as appears to be the case, is he being criminally prosecuted for those actions? What documents were shredded, and were they pertinent to any ongoing agency actions against fishermen?
Until these questions are answered and the agency completely addresses the systemic issues identified by the IG, it will continue to be impossible to trust that NOAA enforcement cases are being pursued in a fair and transparent manner. Until then, it is imperative that NOAA immediately suspend all active fisheries prosecutions.”