Former Massachusetts state fishery scientist Steven Correia received the New England Fishery Management Council’s Janice Plante Award of Excellence for 2016 at its meeting last week.

Correia was employed by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries for over 30 years.

For the last 26 years, Correia served the NEFMC in various ways. He was a member of the technical teams that provide the scientific underpinnings of the council’s management actions, a charter member of the Scallop Plan Development Team and served on the Groundfish PDT from 1994 through 2015, during one of the most challenging periods faced by the New England Council.

He was Chairman of the Multispecies Monitoring Committee from 1997 through 2001 and during other periods was a member of the Atlantic Herring, Monkfish, Red Crab, and Dogfish PDTs, always bringing ideas, analysis, and integrity to the job. He frequently contributed to the stock assessments supporting each fishery management plan.

“He touched nearly every management decision made by the council since at least 1990,” read a NEWFMC press release sent out after the award was given to him. “His hard work and technical skills were valued by every PDT chair and significantly improved the analyses that supported Council actions. During his many years of service Steve Correia was an invaluable asset to both staff and the Council alike.”