A retired Coast Guard commander who for 26 years oversaw marine law enforcement, search-and-rescue operations, pollution response and maritime security will become NOAA’s next top cop, the agency announced Thursday.
James Binniker, who joined NOAA in 2022 as assistant director of the Office of Law Enforcement, will be responsible for guarding U.S. waters and marine resources across more than 3 million nautical miles of ocean, 95,000 miles of coastline, 16 national marine sanctuaries and five marine national monuments.
The Office of Law Enforcement monitors and responds to violations of dozens of laws and regulations authorized under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, as well as fisheries laws governed by U.S. treaties and international law. In 2019, the office employed 71 enforcement officers, 65 special agents, and 75 mission and investigative support personnel. It has an annual budget of roughly $82 million, according to NOAA’s most recent budget summary.
As a Coast Guard officer, Binniker oversaw the agency’s strategic direction and the establishment of performance measures for units engaged in domestic fisheries enforcement. He has also been instrumental in developing U.S. countermeasures against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, or IUU, both at the Coast Guard and at NOAA, according to a NOAA news release.
