Meet the NPFMC Council Members
Standing Left to Right: John Moller, Nate Pamplin, Jamie Goen (former member), Gretchen Harrington, Rudy Tsukada (former member), Barry Thom, Anne Vanderhoeven, John Seabourne, Rachel Baker, Molly Watson (NOAA GC), Nicole Kimball, LCDR Jed Raskie, Brian Ritchie.
Sitting Left to Right: Karla Bush, Angel Drobnica, Jon Kurland, and Bruce McIntosh.
Not Pictured: Boyd Blihovde, Forrest Bowers, RADM Bob Little, Chad See, and Dimitri Varmazis.
Italics = a non-voting member, or alternate.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The following information is provided as a public service and is intended for general communication purposes. If you wish to submit comments on an Agenda item to be made available to the Council family as part of the record, they must be submitted to meetings.npfmc.org and must be received by the deadline date noticed in that meeting’s agenda. Related Documents
NPFMC Council Members
Angel Drobnica
Chair
VOTING
APICDA
302 Gold Street
Juneau, AK 99801
907-586-0161
Email
Financial Disclosure
Ms. Angel Drobnica is Director of Fisheries and Government Affairs for Aleutian-Pribilof Island Community Development Association, or APICDA. The group represents six communities: Akutan, Atka, False Pass, Nelson Lagoon, Nikolski and St. George Island. Angel has been chair of the Council since 2023.
Ms. Rachel Baker represents the State of Alaska’s interests in federal fisheries management issues, including participation on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council for the Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Mr. Doug Vincent Lang. Ms. Baker has over 20 years of experience working to develop and implement fisheries policy and management programs for commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries off Alaska. Prior to joining the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in early 2019, she worked for the National Marine Fisheries Service in Juneau, Alaska, as an analyst and regulatory specialist for Alaska’s federal halibut, groundfish, and crab fisheries. Ms. Baker began her fisheries career as an economist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and later worked as an analyst and fishery manager for the New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries and for the National Marine Fisheries Service headquarters office in Washington, DC area.
Alternate: Ms. Karla Bush
Forrest Bowers
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Appointed Council Member
VOTING
ADF&G
PO Box 11526
Juneau, AK 99811
907-465-6139
Email
Financial Disclosure
Mr. Forrest Bowers has served with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game since 1992 and is currently Acting Director of the Division of Commercial Fisheries. Mr. Bowers spent nearly a decade on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Crab Plan Team, including a stint as Plan Team Chair, and has extensive experience with state and federal fishery management programs in Alaska. In addition to his other duties, Forrest represents Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang on the North Pacific Research Board. Mr. Bowers was raised in Kodiak, Alaska, where he gained an appreciation for the importance of sustainable fishery management, and holds a BS in Fisheries Science from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Forrest resides in Juneau, Alaska and is an avid fly fisherman and fly tyer and enjoys harvesting wild game and fish throughout Alaska.
Karla Bush
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
VOTING (alternate)
ADF&G
PO Box 11526
Juneau, AK 99811
907-465-6153
Email
Ms. Karla Bush is the Extended Jurisdiction Program Manager and serves as an alternate representing the Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G). She has worked for the Division of Commercial Fisheries since 2001, serving as a shellfish fishery manager in the BSAI and Southeast Alaska areas, as a Fishery Biologist in the Extended Jurisdiction Section, and as the Southeast Alaska shellfish/groundfish program coordinator. Ms. Bush was a member and vice-chair of the Council’s BSAI Crab Plan Team from 2010-2016, serves as an alternate on the Pacific Fishery Management Council, and is the Alaska coordinator for the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. Ms. Bush has a MS degree in fisheries from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and resides in Juneau, Alaska.
Gretchen Harrington
NMFS Alaska Regional Administrator Assistant
VOTING (alternate)
NOAA Fisheries
PO Box 21668
Juneau, AK 99802
907-586-7221
Email
Ms. Harrington is the head of the Sustainable Fisheries Division in the Alaska Region. She has been with the Alaska Region since 1998 and has previously worked as the head of the Habitat Division and in the Sustainable Fisheries Division as a Fishery Management Plan Coordinator. She also served as the Alaska Region National Environmental Policy Act Coordinator. Gretchen received her Master’s from the School of Marine Affairs at the University of Washington and her Bachelor’s from Rutgers University.
RADM Bob Little
US Coast Guard
NON-VOTING
NOAA Fisheries
Arctic Coast Guard District, MPO
PO Box 25517
Juneau, AK 99802
907-463-2025
Email
Rear Admiral Little is responsible for Coast Guard operations throughout Alaska, the North Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, and the Bering Sea. These operations include protecting life and property, ensuring marine safety, enforcing federal laws and treaties, protecting the marine environment, preserving living marine resources, and promoting national security. RADM Little is most frequently represented on the Council by LCDR Jed Raskie.
Alternates: LCDR Jed Raskie and CAPT Ryan Waters
Nicole Kimball
Appointed Council Member
VOTING
Pacific Seafood Processors Assoc.
721 W. 1st Ave, Ste. 100
Anchorage, AK 99501
907-223-1648
Email
Financial Disclosure
Ms. Kimball has more than 25 years of experience in Alaska fisheries management and works for the Pacific Seafood Processors Association, a non-profit trade association comprised of motherships and shore-based seafood processors that operate in state and federal fisheries across Alaska. Prior to this, she was the Federal Fisheries Coordinator for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and served as the alternate to the Commissioner on the Council. Nicole also worked as a fishery analyst on the Council staff for 12 years. Nicole received a BS in natural resource management at the University of Maine, and a master’s in environmental policy and renewable resource management from Tufts University. Nicole currently serves on the board of the Alaska SeaLife Center, the Maritime Works Leadership Council, the Alaska Sea Grant Advisory Committee, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute’s Communications Committee, and the North Pacific Research Board. Born in Ketchikan, she lives in Anchorage.
Jon Kurland
NMFS Alaska Regional Administrator
VOTING
NOAA Fisheries
PO Box 21668
Juneau, AK 99802
907-586-7221
Email
Mr. Jon Kurland became NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Regional Administrator in March 2022. He previously served in three other senior leadership roles in the agency’s Alaska Region: Assistant Regional Administrator for Habitat Conservation, Acting Deputy Regional Administrator, and Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources. Before moving to Alaska in 2002 he was the national Essential Fish Habitat Coordinator based at NOAA Fisheries’ headquarters office, and prior to that he worked in the habitat program in NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Region (now called the Greater Atlantic Region).
Alternates:
Gretchen Harrington
Alicia Miller
Bruce McIntosh
Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
VOTING (alternate)
Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
4034 Fairview Industrial Dr SE
Salem, OR 97302
503-947-6044
Email
Financial Disclosure
Dr. Bruce McIntosh retired from state service in 2020 after a long and distinguished career with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, where he served from 1999 to 2020. He held numerous leadership roles, including 13 years as Deputy Chief of Fisheries, overseeing inland fisheries. In his tenure, he led the state’s efforts to develop and implement ESA recovery plans for listed salmon and steelhead. His work contributed to the successful delisting of the first four fish species under the Endangered Species Act. Prior to his state service, Bruce was a Research Assistant Professor at Oregon State University, focusing on stream habitat for native fish and remote sensing for environmental management. Since retiring, he has consulted on innovative approaches to addressing aquatic invasive species. He holds a BS in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana and an MS and Ph.D. in Forest Ecology from Oregon State University. Bruce enjoys the outdoors, Beaver sports, and spending time with his twin daughters. Bruce is a lifelong sailor, and when he is not living in Oregon, he can be
found sailing the Sea of Cortez on his boat.
Alternate:
John Seabourne
John Moller
Appointed Council Member
VOTING
MoFish
P.O. Box 32425
Juneau, AK 99803
Email
Financial Disclosure
Mr. John Moller is a life-long Alaskan and Alaska Native originally from Unalaska, with deep roots in subsistence and commercial fishing. John has over four decades of commercial fishing experience and currently owns and operates a commercial fishing vessel in Southeast Alaska. John has also managed a fish processing plant in Adak and was the general manager of a Western Alaska Community Development Quota Organization where he oversaw fish plants and vessels. John served six years on the Advisory Panel to the NPFMC. In addition to commercial fishing, John owns a consulting firm advising clients on a broad array of topics.
Nate Pamplin
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
VOTING
WDFW
P.O. Box 43200
Olympia, WA 98504
360-584-7033
Email
Mr. Nate Pamplin is the Director of External Affairs and serves on the Council for the Director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). He has worked for WDFW since 2006 in various roles, including leading the agency’s Wildlife Program and serving as the Policy Director. In his current position, Nate represents the Director on numerous intergovernmental forums. He has a BS in Zoology and an MS in Wildlife Science from Oregon State University (OSU). He also conducted graduate studies in Biological Oceanography at OSU. Before joining WDFW, Nate worked as a wildlife biologist for the San Carlos Apache Tribe in Arizona and a marine mammal biologist for the Makah Tribe in Washington state. He was born and raised in Alaska and resides in Olympia, WA.
Brian Ritchie
Appointed Council Member
VOTING
Solstice Charters, LLC
P.O. Box 939
Homer, AK 99603
907-299-5273
Email
Financial Disclosure
Mr. Brian Ritchie is a charter fisherman from Homer, Alaska where he was born and raised. In addition to fishing, Mr. Ritchie holds a Masters Degree in Environmental Science and his studies are focused on fisheries science. Prior to serving on the Council, Mr. Ritchie was a NPFMC Advisory Panel member for 3 years and was the chairman there for 2 years. He also serves on the International Pacific Halibut Commission’s Research Advisory Board and serves on the Conference Board as Vice Chair. Mr. Ritchie also serves on the North Pacific Research Board Advisory Panel.
Chad See
Appointed Council Member
VOTING
Freezer Longline Coalition
2303 W. Commodore Way, Suite 202,
Seattle, WA 98199
206-284-2522
Email
Financial Disclosure
Mr. Chad See is the Executive Director of the Freezer Longline Coalition (FLC), a non-profit trade association representing Washington and Alaska-based participants in the freezer longline sector of the federal Pacific cod fisheries off Alaska. Since joining FLC in 2012, See has been an active participant in the Council process, including serving as a member of the Council’s Fisheries Monitoring Advisory Committee and the Steller Sea Lion Mitigation Committee. See also represents FLC members on the IPHC Conference Board. Prior to FLC, See spent over a decade in Washington, DC as a policy professional in the public and private sectors, including as a staffer in the U.S. Senate. See currently serves on the board for the United Fishermen of Alaska and the Washington Maritime Federation. A graduate of St. Olaf College in Minnesota, See was born and raised in Ballard and still resides in the Seattle-area. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, travelling, crawling on old boats and cheering on the Mariners.
John Seabourne
Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
VOTING (alternate)
4034 Fairview Industrial Drive SE
Salem, Oregon 97302
503-887-2415
Email
Financial Disclosure
Mr. John Seabourne has 3 decades working with the Oregon commercial fishing industry for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. He had served as the South Coast Port Biologist in the Charleston office for the Marine program where he sampled commercial landings and conducted at-sea research on commercial fishing vessels. He moved to ODFW headquarters in 2003 to oversee the collection and dissemination of commercial landing data and worked with Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission PacFIN program. He currently serves as the Fish Division’s Operation Manager where he develops the Division’s biennial budget and oversees the Fisheries Information Systems program, Rule Coordination section, and the daily operations of the Division. John received his Bachelor of Science in Marine Fisheries from Texas A&M University at Galveston.
Barry Thom
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
NON-VOTING
PSMFC
6720 S. Macadam Ave. Suite 200
Portland, OR 97219
503-595-3100
Email
Mr. Barry Thom is the Executive Director of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, where he oversees a large suite of fisheries data collection and management programs
across Alaska, the West Coast, and Hawaii. Prior to coming to the Commission, Barry
worked with NOAA Fisheries for 21 years and for the Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife for seven years. Barry grew up in Alaska and started his fisheries career on the
Yukon River and as an at-sea observer, but now calls Oregon home. He has a Master’s
in Fisheries Science from the University of Washington and a BS in Fisheries Science
from Oregon State.
Alternates:
Dr. Caren Braby
Dr. Scott Rumsey
Anne Vanderhoeven
Appointed Council Member
VOTING
Arctic Storm 2727 Alaskan Way,
Pier 69
Seattle, WA 98121
907 242-1820
Email
Financial Disclosure
With more than 20 years of experience, Ms. Anne Vanderhoeven has worked with nearly every fishing fleet in Alaska. She started her fishery experience as a groundfish observer before expanding into crab and later program management. She has also worked for one of the Community Development Quota groups and she currently works as the Director of Government Affairs for Arctic Storm Management Group. In addition to having served on several Council committees and the Advisory Panel, Ms. Vanderhoeven is an active member of various fishing related organizations such as At-Sea Processors Association, United Catcher Boats, Midwater Trawlers Cooperative, High Seas Catcher Cooperative, and Marine Conservation Alliance amongst others. Having grown up all over California, she now calls Washington state her home.
Dimitri Varmazis
U.S. Dept. of State
Washington D.C.
Email
Dimitri Varmazis is one of the four non-voting members and is a representative of the U.S. Department of State.
- Minutes from the Council meetings
- Fillable Financial Disclosure Form
- A listing of Council Terms of Office
- Statement of Organization Practices and Procedures (Council SOPPs, Approved April 2023)
- Regional Operating Agreement (Revised October 2016)
- Joint Protocol Operating Agreement between NPFMC and State of Alaska Board of Fisheries (December 2009)