Andy Read Confirmed as Commissioner of Federal Marine Mammal Commission

Andrew Read, director of the Duke Marine Lab, was confirmed by voice vote in the Senate on Thursday to be commissioner of the Marine Mammal Commission (MMC). The Marine Mammal Commission is an independent agency established in 1972 to oversee marine mammal policies and programs being carried out by federal regulatory agencies. 

Read is the Stephen A. Toth Professor of Marine Biology at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment. He was nominated by President Joe Biden in May. 

A widely cited expert on marine vertebrates, particularly marine mammals, sea birds and sea turtles, Read served on the Marine Mammal Commission’s Committee of Scientific Advisors on Marine Mammals from 2003 to 2008 and was president of the Society for Marine Mammalogy from 2008 to 2010. He also has served on the editorial boards of Marine Mammal Science, the Journal of Cetacean Research and Management and Endangered Species Research.

He has conducted research on marine species in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Antarctica, and has published more than 200 peer-reviewed studies.

Much of his recent work focuses on documenting the effects of human activities on marine species and developing and applying new conservation tools to resolve such conflicts. He has served on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Cetacean Specialist Group and on the International Whaling Commission’s Scientific Committee.