NOAA taps fishery scientist to lead its Pacific Marine Environmental Lab

Michelle McClure, director of the Fishery Resource Analysis and Monitoring Division at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center, began work Monday, February 4, 2019,  as the new director of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle.

McClure brings to the laboratory 20 years of research and leadership experience with NOAA Fisheries where she made significant contributions to fisheries science for sustainable fisheries and protected resources. Under her direction, McClure expanded collaboration and research while supporting the core services NOAA provides to the West Coast fisheries industry and the Pacific Fisheries Management Council.

“We are very excited to have Dr. McClure lead the Pacific Marine Environmental Lab,” said Craig McLean, NOAA Assistant Administrator for Research. “Dr. McClure is a blue sky thinker and coalition builder who has a deep understanding of the importance of research to advancing NOAA’s mission and public service.”

McClure, an evolutionary ecologist by training, joined NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center in 1999 as the Columbia River Salmon Science Coordinator. Her research has focused on conservation, population ecology, and ecosystem management. She has been a leader in the development of recovery plans for salmon and steelhead, iconic West Coast fish species. She served as a representative to the United Nations-sponsored Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Project and helped develop scientific guidance on climate change and the Endangered Species Act.

McClure holds a bachelor of science in interdisciplinary studies (ecology) from Evergreen State College and a doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology from Cornell University.

For more information, please contact Monica Allen, NOAA Communications, at 301-734-1123 and monica.allen@noaa.gov