NEW BEDFORD — The much-criticized former head of law enforcement for NOAA fisheries, Dale Jones, has been assigned to head a major effort to organize, streamline and standardize data management within the agency, according to an internal email.
Jones gained infamy for shredding most of his office documents during an ongoing investigation by the NOAA inspector general. Jones was also heavily criticized for condoning and even encouraging over-the-top prosecution of violations in the Northeast fishery.
Civil service rules made it difficult to terminate Jones, however, and he was reassigned out of law enforcement to the NOAA Office of Science and Technology as a fisheries program specialist, working on the BP Gulf oil spill.
Connie Barclay, a spokeswoman for NOAA, said Tuesday that Jones has not been promoted or given a pay increase. He makes six figures in his current job, about what he made in law enforcement.
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