NOAA Fisheries officials have announced the appointment of industry veteran John Henderschedt to head the merged Office of International Affairs and the Seafood Inspection Program, effective April 6.
Henderschedt has been active in business and policy since 1988, from both the commercial fishing and seafood sections, and more recently from the conservation and management perspective, said Maggie Mooney-Seus, communications program director at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle.
Henderschedt was in the midst of his third term as one of Washington State’s two representatives on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council when word of his appointment came. His resignation from the council is effective Feb. 20.
He has also, since 2011, served as the executive director of the Fisheries Leadership and sustainability forum, a Seattle-based entity that serves as a communications bridge builder for the industry. In his new role, he will lead NOAA’s core stewardship missions in the global economy, which require a more active and strategic engagement by the agency in international markets of conservation policy, seafood production and trade.
Meanwhile Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has submitted to National Marine Fisheries Service as candidates to fill Henderschedt’s position on the council Kenny Down, president and CEO of Blue North Fisheries; Lorrie Swanson of the Groundfish Forum; and Milton Bundy, a past member of the council and currently a senior advisor to Glacier Fish Company.
Henderschedt has spent the past 25 years working in Alaska and West Coast groundfish fisheries, managing seafood harvesting and production for domestic and international markets.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Russian studies from Muhlenberg College and a certificate in Russian language and literature from Moscow’s Pushkin Institute.
Henderschedt will join NOAA Fisheries officials at the North American Seafood Show in Boston in mid-March, where Eileen Sobeck, NMFS Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, will introduce him in his new role to representatives of the domestic seafood industry. He will also meet in coming months with staff, and stakeholder communities to be served by the merged office to help better align services and priorities for fulfilling NOAA’s stewardship missions, Mooney-Seus said.
