ABSC’s Goen Appointed to Fishery Management Council

Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers Executive Director Jamie Goen has been appointed to a Washington State seat on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to serve the remaining two-year term vacated by the May 5 death of Kenny Down, who had been a voting member of the council since 2015.

The appointment was announced Aug. 21 by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The crab sector of the commercial fisheries industry heralded Goen’s appointment as a positive step for the crab fishery.

While employed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for 15 years, she focused on fishing quote programs, including implementation of the Trawl Rationalization Program. Before going to work for ABSC, Goen worked with the International Pacific Halibut Commission, overseeing the commission’s fisheries data collection programs.

ABSC welcomed Goen’s appointment, writing on its social media page that Goen would carry on Down’s legacy as a “fair and just voice in the council process for crab fishermen across the board, Alaska communities and the environment.”

Goen holds a master’s degree in marine policy from the University of Washington. He’s one of two council members from Washington; the other is Anne Vanderhoeven, a Seattle-based trawl lobbyist based who was recently reappointed to the council.