Chris McCaffity asked Dr Brian Rothschild what his focus would be as NOAA Administrator.
Dr. Brian Rothschild is a world-renown fisheries researcher and author, Dean Emeritus of Marine Fisheries Institute, Dean of the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) of the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, has been presented with the 2011 Oscar Elton Sette Award.
"I have had the distinct privilege of knowing Dr. Rothschild as a friend and colleague since we were fisheries students at the U of Maine. Brian was and is one of the brightest scientists I have known. He has a questioning mind and cares passionately about the “truth”. In that regard he is unwilling to accept scientific conclusions just because that is what the analysis suggests, particularly if he feels the underlying assumptions are in error or without foundation." Dr. Wally Pereyra.
Chris McCaffity
A message from Dr. Rothschild regarding what he would do as NOAA administrator.
As you know, a NOAA administrator has many different tasks.
Some are well known, but others seem to come from nowhere. The BP spill is a good example. Because of this an Administrator needs to work on a set of principles. Here are some examples.
1. Follow the letter of the law(it seems almost unnecessary to say this, but the past administration would have done a better job if they had studied the laws that govern fisheries management).
2. Focus the scientific effort on critical issues and base management decisions on science.
3. Listen to the folks that are most effected by management decisions.
4. Promote cooperative research.
5. Be transparent and operate in the sunshine.
6. Provide incentives to employees to follow principals.
7.Integrate elements of NOAA to be more cost effective(e.g. Sea Grant and NMFS).
Brian J. Rothschild Montgomery Charter Professor of Marine Science and Technology School for Marine Science and Technology University of Massachusetts Dartmouth 706 South Rodney French Boulevard New Bedford, MA 02744-1221 USA
Please sign the petition asking President Obama to appoint Dr. Rothschild as the new NOAA administrator. http://wh.gov/RucH