Captain David H. Hart Award Archives

Patrick Keliher Named 2025 Captain David H. Hart Award Recipient

February 4, 2026 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

At its Winter Meeting in Arlington, Virginia, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) presented Patrick Keliher, former Commissioner with the Maine Department of Marine Resources (ME DMR), the Captain David H. Hart Award for 2025 for his longstanding contributions to and exceptional leadership towards the sustainable management of marine resources along the Eastern Seaboard.

Since becoming Commissioner with ME DMR and Administrative Commissioner to the ASMFC in 2012, Pat has worked tirelessly to support marine fisheries stakeholders, both in Maine and along the Atlantic coast. His unwavering work ethic extended well beyond the Commission table. He is a consummate professional – always prepared and expertly engaged in every setting with a straightforward, no-nonsense approach. This approach earned him the respect of all those who have worked with him.

From 2017 – 2023, Pat served in a leadership position with the Commission, helping address a wide range of issues. One of the most unique and challenging times during his tenure was guiding the Commission through the pandemic. This was a time that truly reflected Pat’s steady leadership and deep commitment to the Commission. Throughout that period, he stayed closely connected with staff and fellow Commissioners, oversaw a seamless transition to virtual meetings, and consistently made decisions with the safety of Commissioners and staff in mind. Other notable accomplishments during this time include quick action by the states to end overfishing of Atlantic striped bass and implementation of ecological reference points to manage Atlantic menhaden.

On the home front, Pat has been credited with strengthening and sustaining Maine’s commercial fisheries through effective management, responsible policy, and improved enforcement. His collaborative effort to secure a six-year pause on federal whale regulations and to provide millions in federal funds for marine mammal research has benefited both Maine’s lobster industry and the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. During his tenure, DMR implemented enhanced management and enforcement measures to protect Maine’s valuable elver resource and fishery. His work to secure funding and establish strategic partnerships was instrumental in efforts to restore access to habitat for Maine’s sea-run fish species. Pat also oversaw the administration of state funding that has protected many vital working waterfront properties, and federal funds that provided much needed direct relief to industry and investments in critical infrastructure.

“I can’t think of a more deserving recipient of this honor,” said Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Carl Wilson. “Throughout his career, Pat has demonstrated a dedication to science-based decisions, effective policy, and strong enforcement necessary to protect our valuable marine resources and industries.”

“Pat’s strong advocacy for Maine’s marine resources and fisheries was exceeded only by his commitment to the people who make their living on the water,” said Maine Governor Janet Mills. “Maine’s coastal economy, environment, and communities are stronger because of his leadership, and this award reflects his many career accomplishments.”

Prior to joining DMR, Pat served as Executive Director of the Atlantic Salmon Commission and Executive Director of the New England States of the Coastal Conservation Association, Greater New England.

The Commission instituted the Hart Award in 1991 to recognize individuals who have made outstanding efforts to improve Atlantic coast marine fisheries. The Hart Award is named for one of the Commission’s longest serving members, who dedicated himself to the advancement and protection of marine fishery resources, Captain David H. Hart, from the State of New Jersey.

ASMFC 79th Annual Meeting Webinar Preliminary Agenda and Public Comment Guidelines

September 18, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Usually, this time of year we are in the final stages of preparing for our Annual Meeting, which is hosted by one of our 15 member states. It is a special meeting, where our Commissioners and federal partners come together to not only conduct important fisheries management business, but also celebrate our collective and, in the case of the Captain David H. Hart Award recipient, individual contributions to the sustainable and cooperative management of Atlantic coastal fisheries. This year, the Annual Meeting was scheduled to be held in New Jersey but continuing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and prohibitions on large gatherings resulted in us making the difficult choice of postponing the in-person meeting until next year and shifting to a virtual meeting this year. Notably, this is the first time since 1942 that the Commission will not meet in-person for an Annual Meeting.

In light of this, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Annual Meeting Webinar will be held October 19-22, 2020. The preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines, which follow, are also available on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-annual-meeting-webinar. The final agenda, meeting materials and webinar details will be available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-annual-meeting-webinar by October 7^th.

We look forward to meeting with you at the 79^th Annual Meeting Webinar.

ASMFC Presents Paul J. Doidati Prestigious Captain David H. Hart Award

October 19, 2017 — NORFOLK, Virginia — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented Paul J. Diodati, former Director of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF), the Captain David H. Hart Award, its highest annual award, at the Commission’s 76th Annual Meeting in Norfolk, Virginia. For over four decades, Mr. Diodati has been a prominent figure in the marine fisheries management community throughout New England and along the Atlantic coast. While now retired, the impact of his accomplishments to Atlantic coast fisheries conservation and management will be felt for much longer.

Mr. Diodati’s career in marine fisheries began at MA DMF in 1975 as a contracted sea sampler for northern shrimp. Over the years, he worked his way up through the ranks to Division Director, a position he served in for his final 15 years at DMF. In between, Mr. Diodati served as technical and policy advisor for striped bass and northern shrimp, Sportfish Program Director, and co-creator and co-Chair of the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Institute. Understanding the need to address user conflicts before they begin, he was heavily involved in the development of the Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan and the Federal Ocean Management Plan. Mr. Diodati closed major data gaps by requiring comprehensive reporting from dealers in 2005 and all commercial harvesters in 2010. In 2009, he was instrumental in establishing the state’s saltwater fishing license.

As Massachusetts’ Administrative Commissioner since 2000, Mr. Diodati chaired numerous management boards, overseeing the development and implementation of interstate management plans for species such as striped bass, shad and river herring. From 2010 – 2013, he provided leadership to the Commission serving as Vice-chair and Chair and worked tirelessly to raise the Commission’s profile both on Capitol Hill and within the Administration – ensuring the 15 Atlantic states were well equipped to tackle both current and emerging issues.

Mr. Diodati’s outsized role at the Commission is not limited to his term as Chair. He also helped to improve coordination and the sharing of information between the states and their federal partners. He had impeccable foresight, as evidenced by his role as a principal supporter of the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program; a Program he would later Chair.

Mr. Diodati’s lifetime has been marked by a commitment to science and sound management and his efforts have been instrumental in improving fisheries programs both in Massachusetts and along the coast. But his legacy is more than scientific papers, surveys conducted, and recovered species; Mr. Diodati will be remembered for his extraordinary way with people. From recreational and commercial fishermen to his peers at the Commission and New England Fishery Management Council, he was well known and trusted as a coalition builder and deal maker.

In honor of Mr. Diodati’s lifelong dedication to the conservation of Atlantic striped bass, his innate ability to sense and adapt to changing winds, and the unerring guidance and direction he provided throughout his long career, Mr. Diodati will receive a striped bass weathervane. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Mr. Diodati was not able to attend the award ceremony. Dr. David Pierce, current MA DMF Director and lifelong friend and colleague of Mr. Diodati accepted the award on his behalf.

The Commission instituted the Award in 1991 to recognize individuals who have made outstanding efforts to improve Atlantic coast marine fisheries. The Hart Award is named for one of the Commission’s longest serving members, who dedicated himself to the advancement and protection of marine fishery resources.

ASMFC Presents William Goldsborough Prestigious Captain David H. Hart Award

October 28th, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented William “Bill” Goldsborough of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation the Captain David H. Hart Award, its highest annual award, at the Commission’s 75^thAnnual Meeting in Bar Harbor, Maine. Bill is the first person to receive all three Commission awards, having previously received an Annual Award of Excellence for Management & Policy Contributions and the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP) Melissa Laser Fish Habitat Conservation Award.

Throughout his 30 years on the front lines of fisheries management and conservation, Bill has remained a thoughtful and persistent voice of reason in his commitment to science-based decision making. A senior scientist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation since 1988, Bill has provided an independent, conservation-oriented voice to the fisheries discussion. Bill joined the Commission in 1995 after having served as a member of the Commission’s Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Transition Team. From 1995 through 2004 he was the Maryland Governor’s Appointee and again from 2007 until this year.

During his career, Bill has made significant contributions to the protection and recovery of several key Chesapeake Bay fishery species. He played a central role in the striped bass recovery, beginning with the implementation of the Maryland moratorium in 1985 and continuing through to the reopening the fishery in 1990, having achieved consensus among diverse stakeholders to move towards a conservation-based approach to striped bass management. He also led a public blue crab conservation campaign that resulted in a broad commitment to cap effort in the fishery and led to the adoption of bay-wide fishery management plans under the Chesapeake Bay Agreement.

A passionate advocate for aquatic habitat, Bill made habitat protection and restoration a topic of critical and common concern among fishermen. Regionally, he brought together a diverse group of commercial and recreational fishermen to adopt codes for protecting the Chesapeake Bay. Coastwide, he has left an indelible mark on the Commission’s Habitat Program as one of the earliest members of the Habitat Committee and its longest serving Chair, having serving in that position for 10 years. Thanks to his leadership and participation, the Committee has developed habitat sections for many of the Commission’s fishery management plans and released numerous publications – all of which have elevated our understanding that healthy aquatic habitats are the foundation of abundant fisheries. As a Steering Committee member, Bill also played an important role in the development and launching of the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership.

Perhaps one of Bill’s most notable and lasting endeavors is his commitment to ecological fisheries management, which the Atlantic Menhaden Board is now pursuing through Amendment 3. In 2005 and 2006, he was instrumental in developing the Chesapeake Bay reduction cap for menhaden and prompting a five-year Chesapeake Bay population research program. Throughout the oftentimes contentious deliberations, Bill’s was the calm voice reminding us to stay the course.

His contributions and composure in the face of challenging decision-making negotiations undoubtedly spring from his concurrent participation in other fisheries management fora, including his work with the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program where he serves on the Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team, and his tenures as a member of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Fishery Management Workgroup (1987-2001), Aquatic Reef Habitat Workgroup (1993-2000), Fish Passage Workgroup (1987-2000), and the Fishery Management Plan Review Taskforce (1993). From 1996 through 2003, he was a member of NOAA’s Bi-State Blue Crab Advisory Committee. For eight years (2002-2010), he was the NGO representative on NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Fisheries Steering Committee.

These are only some of the highlights in the remarkable career of an exceptional ecologist who has found ways to bridge gaps between stakeholders and the environment while deftly negotiating the terrain between what could be ideal and what is humanly possible.

ASMFC Presents Willard Cole Prestigious Captain David H. Hart Award

November 4, 2015 — ST. AUGUSTINE, Fl. – The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented Willard “Bill” Cole, formerly with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Captain David H. Hart Award, its highest annual award, at the Commission’s 74^th Annual Meeting in St. Augustine, FL.

Throughout his nearly 40-year career as a state, university, and federal fishery manager and scientist, Bill Cole worked to protect, restore, and conserve fisheries resources and their habitats along the Atlantic coast. Bill graduated from North Carolina State University in 1966, and moved to Lake City, Florida, where he began his career with the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission. Shortly after, he joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), where he stayed for the remainder of his career. At USFWS, Bill served in different capacities and numerous offices from North Carolina, to New York, DC, Texas and even New Mexico. In each place he left an indelible mark; serving on review teams for the first Everglades study, developing the Navigable Waters Handbook; protecting riverine, wetland, and coastal habitats in Long Island Sound, the Hudson River and St. Lawrence Seaway; and establishing what ultimately would become the USFWS South Atlantic Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office. While with the South Atlantic Office, he worked closely with the State of North Carolina to restore anadromous fishery resources throughout the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, once the site of the largest commercial American shad and river herring fisheries on the entire East Coast.

With his customary vision, Bill understood early on that management of fishery resources in North Carolina required participation in regional fishery management institutions as well. As such, he became involved with both the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Commission, as the Southeast Regional Director’s designee for both institutions. He served in that capacity continuously for 19 years. Bill served on numerous committees and management boards for both groups, and prior to his retirement served as Chair of the Commission’s South Atlantic State-Federal Fisheries Management Board.

Along with several colleagues, Bill conceived the Cooperative Winter Tagging Cruise off North Carolina and Virginia. The Cruise was designed to tag striped bass in a mixed stock of migratory fish wintering off the North Carolina Outer Banks and southern Virginia as a part of the Commission’s Atlantic migratory striped bass management program. The Cruise began in 1988 and has been conducted annually with few interruptions. It is one of the longest time series of any such coastal tagging program, as well as one of the most effective federal, state, and academic partnerships. Bill served as Chief Scientist on all but two of the cruises during an 18 year period, and annually coordinated scheduling, equipment acquisition, and recruitment of all Scientific Party members. Through the years, tagging of additional ASMFC- and Council-managed species was added to the Cruise protocol. To date, the Cruise has tagged 252 Atlantic sturgeon and over 47,000 striped bass, with a tag return rate approaching 20 percent.

Bill is a charter member of the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program Operations Committee, and has been an ardent supporter of the Program since its inception, providing staff to serve as the initial Program Coordinator, and working tirelessly with federal and state partners to move the program forward.

Finally, during his last year with USFWS, Bill was detailed to the National Marine Fisheries Service, where he served as Special Assistant to the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, Dr. William Hogarth. Bill was a key element in the planning of several national-level meetings that brought together fisheries professionals from Regional Fishery Management Councils and Interstate Fisheries Management Commissions to consider the future directions of fisheries management.

Bill has characterized himself as a “biopolitician,” but his contribution to the management of U.S. East Coast fisheries goes well beyond his many notable accomplishments. Bill has been a true friend and mentor to many in our fisheries management family and we are deeply indebted to him. Since Bill was unable to attend the Hart Award ceremony, Dr. Wilson Laney, a longtime colleague and friend, accepted the award on Bill’s behalf.