NOAA appoints new fisheries head

US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, under direction from the White House, has named Eugenio Piñeiro Soler as Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries.

Piñeiro Soler has assumed his new position, taking the helm from Acting Assistant Administrator Emily Menashes, who will return to her previous position as Deputy Assistant Administrator for Operations.

As assistant administrator, Piñeiro Soler will oversee the federal agency responsible for managing marine fisheries and conserving protected marine species.

In a career that has spanned over 30 years, Eugenio Piñeiro Soler has been a successful commercial fisherman, fisheries captain, and entrepreneur in his home island of Puerto Rico and throughout the Caribbean.

Mr. Piñeiro Soler has been part of multiple oceanic conservation and administrative organizations, including the Caribbean Fishery Management Council, for which he served as Chair from 2001 to 2010, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the International Whaling Commission, and the Marine Protected Area Federal Advisory Committee.

"In the first Trump Administration, Mr. Piñeiro Soler served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. He brings a wealth of experience to this new role," said NOAA.