James Binniker

As the Director of NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement, James is responsible for ensuring compliance with federal laws and regulations covering more than 3 million square miles of ocean. He manages partnership agreements with dozens of states and federal territories to increase compliance with federal rules and regulations. In his acting role, James manages law enforcement personnel and support staff in field offices all along the U.S. coast, as well as Alaska and Hawaii.

James joined the Office of Law Enforcement in December 2022 as the Assistant Director. He led a team of foreign affairs specialists, investigative analysts, and special agents to develop policy and strategic plans to address illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing, foreign partner capacity building, and support to field personnel conducting enforcement operations.

Before joining NOAA, James served for 26 years in the U.S. Coast Guard where he was engaged in law enforcement, search and rescue, environmental pollution response, and maritime security operations on multiple ships and shore-based commands. His last assignment was as the Chief of the Fisheries Enforcement Division, where he oversaw the strategic direction and performance measurement for Coast Guard units conducting domestic fisheries enforcement, marine resource protection, and counter-IUU fishing operations.