NOAA appointed Danielle Blacklock as the agency’s new director for the Office of Aquaculture. In that role, Blacklock will oversee the aquaculture component of NOAA’s sustainable seafood portfolio. She will also be responsible for providing the strategic vision for developing a strong marine aquaculture industry in the U.S. Specifically, she will lead the office’s work on several distinct priority areas including regulation and policy, science, outreach, and international activities in support of U.S. aquaculture. She will assume her new duties on March 16, 2020.

Blacklock said her vision for the office is “to help the United States move even more decisively toward becoming a global leader in sustainable seafood production. Wild capture fisheries and farmed seafood are intertwined, and both are critical to our nation’s future food supply.” She added, “I plan to work inclusively and transparently to guide the development of sustainable farms in federal waters while supporting additional development in state waters and associated land-based facilities.”

Blacklock comes to this position after serving in various roles within the agency for the past ten years. She succeeds Michael Rubino, who was appointed as the agency’s first director of the Office of Aquaculture.