Fish (scare)monger vessel gets a new captain

In a bid to rehabilitate its beleaguered image, the Washington, DC environmental group SeaWeb has announced that it is replacing long-time executive director Vikki Spruill with Dr. Will Ferretti.

SeaWeb’s press release notes that Ferretti has spent his entire career running recycling programs, first in New York State, and then on the national level. It fails, however, to include a single word about what qualifications he has to lead an organization that’s supposedly all about oceans and marine wildlife.

On a practical level, SeaWeb’s current leadership pick makes about as much sense as its last one. Prior to joining SeaWeb, Vikki Spruill was in the business of promoting food products to shoppers, restaurants, and grocery chains. Spruill was considered a PR expert, but had absolutely zero qualifications to work in marine biology or oceanography, the two principal fields in which SeaWeb claims expertise.