September 5, 2018 — The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has named Dr. John Froeschke as its new deputy director. Froeschke has worked as a fishery biologist and statistician for the Council since 2009.

The change comes after former Deputy Director Dr. Carrie Simmons was selected in April to lead the Council as its executive director. She took over June 1 for Doug Gregory, who retired after the June Council meeting.

Froeschke earned his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi. There, he worked on developing predictive models used to improve the understanding of environmental factors affecting fish distribution and abundance in the Gulf of Mexico. Prior to this, he completed his Master’s of Science in Biology at California State University, Northridge. He worked as a fish biologist at Occidental College in Los Angeles and as a scientific diver for several years. He currently lives in central Florida and enjoys fishing and camping with his wife and two young children.

“Dr. Froeschke brings a well-rounded perspective to the deputy director position,” Simmons said in a press release. “In his nine years of service for the Council, he has worked on a wide range of topics, including reef fish, coral, and habitat.

“He has a great deal of experience working with fisheries data as well as knowledge of the science and management process. I am positive his experience and expertise will enhance the success of the Council and its staff.”

This story originally appeared on Seafood News, it is republished here with permission.