Q&A: NOAA Fisheries chief on the federal law in need of an update

By Daniel Cusick | 01/17/2025 01:47 PM EST

Janet Coit talks about how climate change has complicated fisheries management.

Janet Coit (left) looks at the camera and Martha Williams (right), who does not.

NOAA Fisheries chief Janet Coit (left) and Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams testifying at a hearing on Capitol Hill. Francis Chung/POLITICO

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.

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Coit has made climate impacts on ocean ecosystems and economic activity a centerpiece of her tenure at NOAA.

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