As a Rhode Islander, Janet Coit knows well the difficulties of regulating oceans.
The outgoing NOAA assistant administrator for fisheries and former state regulator and conservation advocate will exit Washington next week with the arrival of the second Trump administration.
Few know what the future holds for U.S. fisheries regulation. The president-elect has not selected a NOAA administrator nominee, but the agency has been identified in conservative policy blueprints as a target for reforms, particularly in its climate science mission.
Coit has made climate impacts on ocean ecosystems and economic activity a centerpiece of her tenure at NOAA.