Secretary Don Evans Announces Key Posts at the National Marine Fisheries Service

Washington, DC - U.S. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans today reaffirmed the Bush Administration's commitment to effective natural resources management and environmental stewardship, announcing the appointment of two well-respected experts to key leadership positions at the Department's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

Evans named Dr. William T. Hogarth, a veteran with 16 years of experience in fisheries and natural resources management, to the top leadership post at NMFS. To direct NMFS in the Northwest, where marine and fisheries management has a particularly profound impact on the region's residents, Evans appointed D. Robert Lohn, a leader with a proven track record of success in meeting challenges relating to natural resources management in the Northwest region.

"Nothing is more important than the responsible and effective management of our natural resources, and we have taken great care to ensure that we recruited the absolute cream of the crop to lead our fisheries management team both nationally and in the Northwest," Evans said.

"Bill Hogarth is a true expert who brings a broad perspective to the job. Bill's keen understanding of the differing concerns and needs of the people whose lives are impacted by fisheries management, as well as his reasoned approach to decision-making based on the facts and sound science, will be critically important to our natural resources management team," he said.

"Likewise, having lived and worked in the natural resources management field in the Northwest, Bob Lohn brings a native's understanding to his new position. The people of the region will quickly see that Bob is committed to working with them, to help the Administration create policies that bring people together on often thorny issues presented by fisheries management," Evans said.

Hogarth's transition to the new job will be seamless, as he has served as the deputy assistant administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service since July of 2000 and as acting assistant administrator since January, 2001. Before joining the NMFS leadership team at the national level, Hogarth directed NMFS' Southeast and Southwest regional operations. Prior to that, he was Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries within North Carolina's Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources from 1986 to 1994.

Lohn also brings years of experience to his new post, having developed a unique understanding of the issues surrounding hydropower facilities, fish and farmers while serving as the director of the Fish and Wildlife Division for the Northwest Power Planning Council in Portland, Ore., from 1999 to the present. Lohn currently resides in Vancouver, Wash.

The National Marine Fisheries Service provides services and products to support domestic and international fisheries management operations, fisheries development, trade and industry assistance activities, enforcement, protected species and habitat conservation operations and the scientific and technical aspects of NOAA's marine fisheries programs. NMFS oversees two million square miles of ocean where 300 species are harvested, and implements the 42 federal fishery management plans, covering more than 535 species. NMFS also seeks to protect coastal habitats, marine mammals and threatened and endangered species and helps restore fishery habitats.