Daniel M. Ashe

{{short description|American wildlife politician}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Daniel M. Ashe | image = Daniel M Ashe, the 16th Director of the USFWS.jpg | alt = Daniel M. Ashe, the 16th Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | caption = Ashe in 2014 | employer = | education = [[University of Washington]] | office = President and CEO of the [[Association of Zoos and Aquariums]] | term_start = 2017 | term_end = | office1 = 16th Director of the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]] | term_start1 = February 2011 | term_end1 = January 2017 | predecessor = | successor = | office2 = Deputy Director for Policy of the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]] | term_start2 = | term_end2 = | office3 = Science Advisor to the Director of the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]] | term_start3 = 2003 | term_end3 = 2003 | office4 = Chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System | term_start4 = 1998 | term_end4 = 2003 }}

'''Daniel M. Ashe''' is an American wildlife conservationist. He is the President and CEO of the [[Association of Zoos and Aquariums]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aza.org/staff|title=Our Staff: Association of Zoos & Aquariums|website=www.aza.org|language=en-us|access-date=March 6, 2017}}</ref>

==Education== Ashe graduated from the [[University of Washington]] with a degree in Marine Affairs, and also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biological science from [[Florida State University]]. He wrote his master's thesis on wetland mitigation, and it was published in the Coastal Zone Management Journal in 1982.<ref name=BIO/>

==Political positions== Ashe was the 16th Director of the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]] (USFWS) from February 2011 to January 2017. The [[United States Senate]] held a hearing on his nomination on February 15, 2011<ref>[https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo46026 Nomination of Daniel M. Ashe to be Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Hearing Before the Committee on Environment and Public Works, United States Senate, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, First Session, February 15, 2011]</ref> and confirmed him to the post by [[unanimous consent]] on June 30, 2011.<ref name="S4303">{{cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/2011/6/30/senate-section/article/s4303-4?resultIndex=2 |title=EXECUTIVE SESSION |work=[[Congressional Record]] online |author=U.S. Senate |author-link=United States Senate |publisher=[[Government Publishing Office]] |date=June 30, 2011 |page=S4303 |accessdate=August 17, 2015}}</ref> Ashe used to be Deputy Director for Policy of the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]] (USFWS). His prior positions included being a member of the staff of the [[Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries]] (1982–95), Chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System (1998-2003), and Science Advisor to the Director of the USFWS (2003).<ref name="BIO">{{cite web|url=http://www.fws.gov/offices/biodanielash.html|title=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Deputy Director: Daniel M. Ashe|date=September 1, 2009|accessdate=February 25, 2011|publisher=[[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]]}}</ref>

==Controversies== Ashe has stated that 80 percent of animals acquired for AZA-accredited zoos are taken from the wild and that he has a "fundamental disagreement" with people who have issues with animals in states of confinement. He claimed that "we are all captive in some regards to social and ethical and religious and other constraints on our life and our activities." His comments have given validation to the idea that animals are for entertainment and profit.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23914885/zoo-animals-conservation-endangered-threatened-species-sanctuaries|title=Zoos aren't for animals. They're for us.|publisher=Vox}}</ref>

He invited a speaker from [[The Humane Society of the United States]] (HSUS) to give a keynote address at the AZA's annual meeting and allowed [[People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals]] (PETA) to have a booth, both of which were criticized by AZA members for Ashe's alignment with organizations that campaign to close zoos.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://humanewatch.org/aza-ceo-humiliated-by-ny-times/|title=AZA CEO Humiliated by NY Times|publisher=Humane Watch}}</ref>

==Personal life== He lives in Maryland with his family.<ref name=BIO/>

== References == {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashe, Daniel A.}} [[Category:Florida State University alumni]] [[Category:United States Fish and Wildlife Service personnel]] [[Category:University of Washington College of the Environment alumni]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] [[Category:American nonprofit chief executives]] [[Category:People from Maryland]]