In an announcement to all NOAA Fisheries employees, Dr. William Hogarth, NOAA's Assistant Administrator for Fisheries has announced his intention to leave NOAA at the end of December, 2007 and join the University of South Florida where he will serve as the Interim Dean for the College of Marine Science.

Below is an announcement sent out to all NOAA employees from Conrad Lautenbacher, NOAA Administrator.

Today the University of South Florida is announcing that Dr. William Hogarth, NOAA's Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, will become Interim Dean for the College of Marine Science, effective January 15, 2008. Bill had earlier informed me about his intention to accept the position and his plans to leave NOAA at the end of the year. 

After a distinguished career with the State of North Carolina as Director of the Marine Fisheries Program, Bill joined NOAA Fisheries in 1994. He was serving as Deputy Assistant Administrator when, in 2001, he was asked to serve as the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries for President Bush. He has done an outstanding job leading NOAA's domestic and international living marine resource programs.  His management skills and his keen instincts have helped NOAA navigate some rough waters as he has adeptly handled the sensitive issues in his portfolio. Among Bill's many accomplishments is the renewal of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, with its commitment to end the overfishing that threatens livelihoods and a major food source. This year Bill obtained the subsistence bowhead whale quota for the Alaskan tribal community at the International Whaling Commission meeting. He has been at the forefront of the Administration's drive to enact aquaculture legislation that will boost that beneficial industry in the United States. We will miss him, but we wish him the best in his new assignment at the University.   Please join me in thanking Bill for his outstanding and dedicated leadership.  

During his tenure, Dr Hogarth was committed to effective and open communication with constituents that helped lead to the passage of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. This communication also was instrumental in his role as Chair and Commissioner to both the International Whaling Commission and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.