September 2, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : Contact David Witherell at 907-271-2809 or Diana Evans at 907-271-2815
Council Executive Director David Witherell Announces Retirement
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council announces that Executive Director David Witherell, the longest-serving NPFMC staff to date (33 years), has decided to retire at the end of October.
He joined the Council staff in 1992, coming from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries where he was a resource assessment biologist. Says David: “I loved that job – great colleagues, going to sea regularly on fishing boats and research surveys, analyzing data, preparing stock assessments, and publishing scientific papers – but when I saw a job vacancy with the North Pacific Council, which had a great reputation for management based on science, I applied immediately”
David was hired by then Council Executive Director Clarence Pautzke to serve as the GOA Groundfish Plan Coordinator and spent the next 10 years as an analyst working on plan and regulatory amendments covering bycatch reduction, habitat conservation, Steller sea lion protection, and ecosystem-based management issues. In this position, he also served as a plan coordinator for the BSAI Groundfish, Crab, and Scallop FMPs, and served as staff to the Council’s Ecosystem committee, Crab Rebuilding committee, Steller Sea Lion Mitigation committee, Essential Fish Habitat, and other committees.
He was promoted to Deputy Director in 2002. In that role, he provided day-to-day supervision of staff, reviewed analytical documents, and coordinated agendas and schedules with SSC, AP, and Council leadership and NMFS staff. He assisted in the planning and implementation of the first two Managing Our Nation’s Fisheries conferences, and served as editor for the proceedings. He also initiated, planned and coordinated the first two national meetings of regional council SSCs, and prepared the proceedings from those meetings.
David was named Executive Director in June 2017, following the departure of Chris Oliver to become the Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries. In this position, David served as the chief executive officer and has been responsible for overseeing all operations of the Council, including all associated fishery management, fiscal, and administrative responsibilities. Under his leadership, he initiated a relocation of the Council office and oversaw changes in Council operations necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic. He participated in the Council Coordination Committee, which includes leadership from all eight of the nation’s regional fishery management councils, and served as staff for the Council’s Executive/Finance and Legislative Committees.
“The great reputation and success of the North Pacific Council is due in many ways to its dedicated, responsible, intelligent, and hard-working staff that have been employed by the Council through the years. I now leave the Council with a top-notch staff, and I am very confident that the Council will continue to develop cutting-edge approaches to fisheries management.” says Witherell. He added, “Working for the Council has been an extremely rewarding experience for me. It’s been an honor and privilege to work with members of the Council and its advisory bodies, Council staff, agency staff, and the public to find scientifically informed, balanced solutions to problems in the fisheries. I am truly grateful to have been part of it.”
Angel Drobnica, the current Council Chair, noted, “The North Pacific Council has been very fortunate to have David serve as its Executive Director, where he provided excellent leadership for staff, and for our region in national level discussions. His depth of knowledge and experience has been invaluable in addressing the various and unprecedented challenges faced by the Council.”
During his career, Witherell published over 20 peer reviewed scientific articles, and dozens of glossy informational summaries and brochures to assist the public in understanding the overall status of North Pacific fisheries and the Council’s management programs. He is a Certified Fisheries Professional by the American Fisheries Society.
The Council will be going through the process of filling the Executive Director position over the next two months.
North Pacific Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1976 (MSA) to manage fisheries in the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone, 3 miles off the coast of Alaska. Per the MSA, the 11 voting members serving on the Council are made of up people appointed by the Secretary of Commerce, and the state marine fisheries commissioners from Alaska, Washington, and Oregon as well as the Regional Director of the National Marine Fisheries Service. Federal fisheries decisions must be consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act and other federal laws. The Council, along with the advisory bodies, were formed so federal fishery management decisions could be made at a regional level, emphasizing public input.