April 25, 2019 — The USA Today editorial board asked Saving Seafood Executive Director Robert Vanasse to participate in an editorial debate on the nomination of Barry Myers as head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The following is an excerpt from that op-ed:
Our members view Barry Myers’ experience at a family-based business as an asset. Many American seafood companies are multigenerational, family businesses, and his understanding of them is unique.
Myers has managerial skills that NOAA needs. NOAA already has top-notch scientists on staff, but it has been plagued by mismanagement.
It was managerial failure, not scientific lapses, that: created a law enforcement program found to have “overstepped the bounds of propriety and fairness,” resulting in a 2011 Cabinet-level apology to fishermen and a return of $649,527 in fines; allowed the destruction of more than 100 files while abuses were under investigation; and built research vessels too large to survey near-shore fish populations.
NOAA needs a strong manager. Barry Myers can do the job.