Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office

Conserving and managing sustainable fisheries and protected marine resources in the Greater Atlantic Region.

Our Location

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The Greater Atlantic Region covers approximately 100,000 square miles of the Northwest Atlantic. This vast area includes the temperate, complex large marine ecosystems from Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, as well as the Great Lakes and  rivers and estuaries within this range. 

While our main Regional Office is in Gloucester, Massachusetts, we also have four field offices and numerous port agents located throughout the region to serve you.

Our Locations

  • Regional Office

    • Gloucester, MA

  • Field Offices

    • Orono, Maine
    • Sandy Hook, New Jersey
    • Annapolis, Maryland
    • Gloucester Point, Virginia

  • Port Agent Locations

    • Sedgewick, Maine
    • Portland, Maine
    • Gloucester, Massachusetts
    • New Bedford, Massachusetts
    • Point Judith, Rhode Island
    • Saunderstown, Rhode Island
    • East Hampton, New York
    • Toms River, New Jersey
    • Northfield, New Jersey
    • Belle Haven, Virginia
    • Hampton, Virginia.

What We Do

Our Mission

To protect and manage our living marine and diadromous (fish that migrate between fresh and salt water) resources through science-based conservation and management.

Our Vision:

A healthy ocean and coastal ecosystems in the Greater Atlantic Region, ensuring American people continue to benefit from them for generations to come.

Located in Gloucester, Massachusetts, the nation’s oldest fishing port, the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office collaborates with various partners— including agencies, the fishing industry, international groups, non-governmental organizations, tribal nations, and the public. Our goal is to achieve sustainable use of marine resources, conserve essential habitats, and protect endangered and threatened species, as well as marine mammals.

We work closely with our NOAA Fisheries counterpart, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, to make informed management decisions based on solid scientific data.

Our Key Programs:

Promote and Preserve Sustainable Fisheries

  • We strive to maintain healthy fish stocks vital for commercial and recreational fishing. Our aim is  to increase long-term economic and social benefits to our region. We also enhance fishing community resilience by providing information and resources to help communities reduce their vulnerability and improve their adaptability to environmental changes and other impacts.

  • We collaborate with two regional fishery management councils (New England and Mid-Atlantic), as well as with coastal states through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to manage marine fisheries in federal waters from Maine through Virginia.
  • Together, with our partners, we manage over 42 fish stocks and 14 fishery management plans, with New England landings revenue totaling $1.2 billion and Mid-Atlantic landings revenue totaling $512 million in 2015.
  • We also manage recreational fisheries, which contribute $4.3 billion to our regional economy each year ($1.7 billion across New England and $3.5 billion across the mid-Atlantic in 2015). For-hire vessels, private vessels, and shore-based anglers harvest more than 75 million pounds of fish.

Protect Marine Wildlife

We work to protect marine animals listed under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act, ensuring their survival for future generations. This work is carried out through three main programs:

  • Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Program: We protect whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and five species of sea turtles from human-caused harm, fulfilling the mandates of both the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. This includes ongoing work on the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan.
  • Endangered Species Consultations: We assess how proposed actions by other federal agencies might affect endangered species, as required by Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.
  • Endangered Species Act Listed Fish Programs, Partnerships, and Ecosystem Protection: We partner with local and regional groups to develop and implement recovery plans for endangered Atlantic salmon, Atlantic sturgeon, and shortnose sturgeon. We also promote the conservation of habitats essential for these species' recovery.

Protect and Restore Important Fish Habitat

We are dedicated to protecting, restoring, and promoting stewardship of marine, estuarine, and riverine habitats to support our nation’s fisheries for future generations. Our work focuses on three primary activities:

  • Identifying and Conserving Essential Fish Habitat (EFH): We identify EFH for each fish species managed in our region and incorporate measures to  minimize habitat impacts into fisheries management plans.
  • Consulting with Federal Agencies: We consult with federal agencies on proposed projects that may negatively impact EFH and other living marine resources, recommending ways to mitigate these impacts.
  • Habitat Restoration:  We restore habitats by removing dams and other barriers in rivers (important spawning and nursery grounds), installing living shorelines to reduce erosion and provide habitat, and restoring salt marsh beds to improve tidal flow in coastal wetlands.

More Information

Contact Us

Our Leadership

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Michael Pentony

Regional Administrator

Mike stepped into the position of Regional Administrator on January 22, 2018. Mike has been with the agency since 2002, and served as Assistant Regional Administrator for the Sustainable Fisheries Division since 2014. Prior to joining NOAA Fisheries, he worked at the New England Fisheries Management Council. Mike has a B.S. in engineering and an M.S in environmental management from Duke University. He spent 6 years in the U.S. Air Force between earning his college and graduate degrees.

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Sarah Bland

Deputy Regional Administrator

Sarah began her career with NOAA Fisheries in 2009 and has worked on a variety of issues, including Mid-Atlantic and recreational fisheries issues, cooperative research, and groundfish. Sarah stepped into the role of Deputy Regional Administrator in December 2022.

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Management Team

Habitat and Ecosystem Services Division

Lou Chiarella

Assistant Regional Administrator for Habitat and Ecosystem Services Division
    • Mid-Atlantic Habitat Conservation Branch
      Karen Greene, Mid-Atlantic Branch Chief and EFH Regional Coordinator
    • New England Habitat Conservation Branch
      Chris Boelke, Chief, New England Branch

Analysis and Program Support Division

David Gouveia

Assistant Regional Administrator for Analysis and Program Support
    • Permits and Limited Access Programs Branch
      Ted Hawes, Permits and Limited Access Programs Branch Chief
    • Data Processing and Quality Branch
      Barry Clifford, Data Processing and Quality Branch Chief

Protected Resources Division

VACANT

Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources
    • ESA Fish, Ecosystems and Energy Branch
      Julie Crocker, Acting Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources Division
    • Protected Species Conservation Branch
      Jean Higgins, Protected Species Conservation Branch Chief
    • ESA Section 7 Consultation Branch
      Chris Vaccaro, ESA Section 7 Branch Chief

Sustainable Fisheries Division

Moira Kelly

Assistant Regional Administrator
    • Scallop, Herring, Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish, and Small-Mesh Multispecies Branch
      Emily Bryant, Scallop, Herring, Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish, and Small-Mesh Multispecies Branch Chief
    • Atlantic States Commission, Mid-Atlantic Council and Ecosystems Branch
      Jerome Hermsen, Atlantic States Commission, Mid-Atlantic Council and Ecosystems Branch Chief

Technology and Data Management Division

Peter Couture

Assistant Regional Administrator for Technology and Data Management
    • Software and Database Development Branch
      Torey Adler, Software and Database and Development Branch Chief

Operations and Management Division

Shannon Dionne

Assistant Regional Administrator
    • Grants, Facilities, and FOIA Branch
      Cheryl Corbett, Branch Chief, Grants, Facilities, and FOIA

Communications & Internal Affairs

VACANT

Supervisory Communications Specialist

National Environmental Policy Act Office

Tim Cardiasmenos

Regional NEPA Coordinator