Today, NOAA Fisheries announced the appointment of Dr. Richard Cody as the head of the Office of Science and Technology’s Fisheries Statistics Division. In this role, Dr. Cody will oversee the strategic coordination and tactical implementation of commercial and recreational fisheries:
- Commercial and recreational fisheries data collection, reporting, and analysis.
- Fisheries information management.
- Research in sampling statistics and survey methods.
The Fisheries Statistics Division supports NOAA Fisheries’ science-based stewardship of marine resources. The division includes the Fisheries Information System Program, which supports broad access to comprehensive, high quality, and timely fisheries information, and the Marine Recreational Information Program, which administers a suite of surveys that measure recreational catch and effort. Each year, the division produces the Fisheries of the United States report: a national summary of domestic recreational and commercial fisheries. This information allows NOAA Fisheries to track changes in seafood consumption, the productivity of top fishing ports, and other important industry indicators.
“The Fisheries Statistics Division continuously strives to make scientific integrity the standard by which the information we share and the knowledge we impart are judged,” Dr. Cody said. “Through engagement with our partners and stakeholders, we are provided not only a mechanism by which we can share information, but opportunities to demonstrate our continuing dedication to the principle of scientific integrity, while increasing awareness of the work we do.”
Dr. Cody comes to this position after serving several years in a senior-level role supporting the management of the Marine Recreational Information Program. Previously, he served in various research and administrative capacities with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s commercial and recreational fisheries-dependent data collection programs. His working relationship with the Fisheries Statistics Division dates back to 1998, and he has participated as a partner in the division’s work to develop, test, and implement recreational fishing surveys.
Dr. Cody was born in Ireland, and completed his undergraduate training at University College Dublin. He received his Master’s Degree in Biology from the University of West Florida and his Doctorate in Zoology-Marine Ecology, minoring in experimental statistics, from Louisiana State University.
Dr. Cody succeeds Dr. Dave Van Voorhees, who oversaw the creation of both the Fisheries Information System and Marine Recreational Information Programs. Dr Voorhees retired in September 2019 after almost 30 years with NOAA Fisheries. Dr. Alan Lowther, Commercial Fisheries Statistics Branch Chief, and Mr. John Foster, Recreational Fisheries Statistics Branch Chief, have served as acting division chief in the interim.
