Cerne, a retired Coast Guard captain, will begin working in the ASMI Juneau office in September to allow for several months of overlap before Mr. Riutta retires in December.
" While it will be difficult to replace someone the caliber of Ray Riutta, Im very happy with the decision and we are quite confident that Mr. Cerne will be an effective leader at ASMI for years to come," said Joe Bundrant of Trident Seafoods, who is chairman of ASMI's board of directors.
Cerne, who is currently completing a project with the United Nations to improve the management of global tuna fisheries,served in the US Coast Guard for 31 years before retiring in 2011 with the rank of Captain. During that career he served on five Coast Guard cutters, three of which were based in Alaska.
The incoming ASMI executive director is a graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy with a degree in Marine Science. He also has a Master of Marine Affairs degree from the University of Rhode Island.
