Kenneth Joensen takes office on 1 January 2024 as the new director of the Danish Fisheries Agency. He replaces Nanna Møller, who becomes the new director of the Danish Transport Agency.
Joensen, age 50, has a degree in law and has held a series of senior positions in government, most recently as director for business taxation at the Danish Tax Agency, where he headed a department with about 950 employees. Before that he was legal director at Finans Danmark from 2015 to 2018.
While industry reaction is still being formed, Joensen’s appointment has been welcomed in government circles. Jacob Jensen, Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, stated that he was very pleased that Kenneth Joensen had agreed to become the new director of the Fisheries Agency. “Fishing is one of the oldest professions in Denmark, which is currently in a period of upheaval with fewer quotas and declining fish stocks in our waters. At the same time, the agency is working on recommendations for the future of Danish fisheries. So, there is plenty to be done, and Kenneth Joensen is the right person to continue and strengthen the important work that the agency must deliver every day.”
The Danish Fisheries Agency operates within the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and has headquarters in both Copenhagen and Southern Jutland, and regional offices around the country. It operates three fisheries control vessels, implements the government’s fisheries policy, and is responsible for rule and policy preparation, case processing, and participation in international cooperation. The agency is EU-accredited as a paying body for EU support schemes and thus has responsibility both for the areas of control and of subsidies. A forerunner in devising simple digital solutions for the sectors it manages, the agency is characterised by its professional support for sustainable commercial and recreational fishing.