A Seabird’s Eye View of NOAA Fisheries
Having grown up with a deep love for the ocean and a background in aquaculture, I’ve long known about NOAA Fisheries and its role in stewarding ocean resources and habitats. But what exactly does that mean, and what does the work behind the scenes look like?
I’m fortunate to have been placed in the NOAA Fisheries Front Office for the Office of the Assistant Administrator (OAA) during my 2025 Knauss Fellowship. As some would call the “central nervous system” of NOAA Fisheries, the OAA serves as the conduit among the 25+ Fisheries programs both in NOAA headquarters located in Silver Spring, Maryland, and in regions across the country, the Department of Commerce, and Congress. My role primarily involved serving as a coordinator for various incoming requests, like those from the International Affairs Council, legislative referral memoranda, and external meeting requests for the NOAA Fisheries (NMFS) Assistant Administrator, Eugenio Piñero Soler. Another neat opportunity in this role was to serve as acting senior advisors as needed. There are three Deputy Assistant Administrators (DAAs) within NMFS, and each one oversees Operations, Regulatory Programs, and Science Programs within the line office. I supported the DAAs as needed by sitting in high-level meetings, taking notes, and providing a debrief to the rest of the front office team.
When juggling different “taskers” (i.e., requests) from different groups, it’s vital to stay organized, be clear and concise in messaging, and send out requests in a timely fashion, especially for those that have a deadline at 5 pm the same day! Moreover, the process to get taskers “cleared” also requires a sense of urgency and finesse. From requesting updates on a grant, approving an article for publication, or providing an official statement on behalf of NOAA as an agency, taskers require different levels of approval before it can be made public. Generally, most taskers are given to program offices, which then require approval from regional leadership before going to the DAAs for final clearance. More sensitive information will need to get additional clearance from the NMFS Assistant Administrator and/or the NOAA Policy team (the politically-appointed members of the Administration who oversee NOAA) before release. Quite a lengthy process on top of all the other action items, meetings, and events federal employees go through on a daily basis, right?
Despite the bureaucratic process, it’s important that information goes through the proper channels. Like a marine ecosystem, a marine mammal, or any other well-functioning system, each part plays an important role in achieving its intended purpose. Bypassing proper channels leads to miscommunication, confusion, and ultimately more inefficiency than the process itself.
After spending the first several months adjusting to my role, I began planning my goals for the year. One goal I had set for myself led to several of my favorite memories – to visit each of the regions that NOAA Fisheries works in (sadly, I was unable to get to the Alaska region). It was a great opportunity to meet NOAA Fisheries regional staff and see how requests from HQ trickle down. Here’s a glimpse of where I’ve been over the past year:
Northeast
In May, I attended the Council Coordination Committee meeting in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where NOAA Fisheries leadership and members of the regional fishery management councils convened to discuss current projects, priorities, and needs in each region. The meeting took place at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, so of course I had to get a selfie by the whale skeleton with my mentor and former Knauss fellow, Spencer Showalter, who’s now the Advisor to the DAA for Operations (top left). I also met members of the Western Pacific Council with the DAA for Regulatory Programs, Sam Rauch (bottom left).
Later in the year, I had the chance to join the Fall Bottom Trawl Survey on the Henry B. Bigelow (top right) departing from New York City. 10 days out at sea with a great group of scientists, saw some whales, and caught some neat marine life like these lobsters (bottom right). 10/10 would recommend going on a NOAA research cruise to future Knauss fellows!
Southeast
In June, I went down to Florida to attend a national youth climate conference and thought of doing a little road trip to visit NOAA Fisheries equities. I started in St. Petersburg, where I met folks from the Southeast Regional Office (top left), visited the Mote Marine Aquaculture lab, and was able to get a special sneak peek into the recently built Mote Marine Aquarium (bottom left)!
I then drove over to Miami, where I visited the Southeast Fisheries Science Center, toured the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, and saw some of their coral restoration work (bottom right), and saw some of the finfish and seaweed aquaculture research projects at the University of Miami (top right).
West Coast
I kicked off my trip to the West Coast with shadowing staff at the West Coast Regional Office and meeting regional leadership. Later in the week, I joined my USC Sea Grant to take a trip to the Wrigley Institute for Science and Sustainability on Catalina Island. I was joined by the one and only Karla Heidelberg, Director of the USC Sea Grant, and fellow Knauss Fellow, Michelle Shaeffer (top left). It was a great day learning about USC Sea Grant’s work and snorkeling along the shore by the giant kelp forests, sea bass, and baby stingrays! I also got to feed some of the red and white abalone that were part of a restorative aquaculture project (top right) – hungry lil’ mollusks!
About a month later, I attended the 2nd Annual Pacific Northwest Indigenous Aquaculture Summit hosted by the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe in Sequim, Washington. The event focused on tribal efforts in aquaculture, current projects, successes, and needs. It was a humbling and eye-opening experience, especially when listening to Loni Grinnell-Greninger, Tribal Council Vice Chair for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, and Ron Allen, Chairman for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe (bottom left), as they shared the stories, language, and images of their tribe’s history during the conference’s opening. Big thanks to Teri King, Pacific Northwest Regional Aquaculture Coordinator, and Laleña Amiotte, West Coast Region Tribal Liaison, (bottom right) for the invitation to such an amazing event!
Pacific Islands
I had a special opportunity to join the NMFS Assistant Administrator, Eugenio Piñero Soler, and senior advisors Katie Dziedzic and Maureen Trnka on their trip to the Hawaiian Islands. We first stopped on the Big Island where we visited an ancient Hawaiian fish pond. It was a very grounding experience, taking time to truly be aware of our surroundings and to give thanks to mother nature for all she provides. Afterward, we visited two other sites: the Ke Kai Ola Marine Mammal Center, where they were caring for two baby Hawaiian monk seals, and the offshore net pens at Blue Ocean Mariculture, where they raise Hawaiian kanpachi (top left).
We then flew to Oahu and met with NOAA Fisheries staff and regional leadership at the Pacific Islands Regional Office and Science Center. Staff prepared immersive meetings for Eugenio so that he could have a more tangible sense of the types of work they do, such as sea turtle tagging, fish identification, and fisheries assessments (bottom left), and coral reef restoration. We also visited the only tuna auction in the United States (top right) followed by a walkthrough of how law enforcement boards commercial fishing vessels to ensure compliance with commercial fishing standards.
This year truly has been eye-opening, and I’m proud of all that I’ve been able to accomplish. I saw firsthand how teams worked across offices and disciplines, staying focused on the bigger picture: protecting our fisheries and supporting coastal communities. Through the ups and downs of the year, one theme stood out — the federal employees at NOAA are truly resilient. Their dedication to science-based decision-making — even when things felt uncertain or complicated — deepened my appreciation for public service. It was a powerful reminder of why this work matters so much.
I want to express my thanks and gratitude to the UCSC Coastal Science & Policy Program, USC Sea Grant, the National Sea Grant team, the NOAA Fisheries front office team, and the 2025 Knauss cohort for their unconditional support. The memories made and lessons learned will stick with me as I continue to work at the intersection of science, policy, and people.