A distinguished scientist and marine expert has been appointed to the Sargasso Sea Commission.

Confirming the appointment, a government spokesman said that Robbie Smith, a curator of the Bermuda Natural History Museum at the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo, will bring a wealth of ecological expertise to the commission, which is charged with protecting the Sargasso Sea ecosystem.

Dr Smith has been involved locally and internationally in various projects relevant to the Sargasso Sea, including assessing the status of reef fish populations within protected areas in Bermuda, reef recovery in Florida and deep ocean biological research in Bermuda with the Nekton Mission.

He is one of the few scientists to have studied the changing community of Sargassum in Bermuda.

Dr Smith was nominated by the Government of Bermuda and will serve in his personal capacity, taking over the reins from Tammy Warren, who reached the end of her third and final term.

Walter Roban, the Minister of Home Affairs, approved of the appointment.

He said: "I have no doubt that Dr Smith will do a brilliant job, though Dr Warren has left big shoes to fill.

“We are happy to say that Dr Warren will continue to engage with the Sargasso Sea Commission from a signatory standpoint.”

In a statement, commissioners thanked Dr Warren for her “incredible commitment” to the project.

A spokesman said: “Her expertise in fisheries has been a great asset to the commission, particularly her unrelenting work with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, a regional fisheries management organisation with competence over the Sargasso Sea.

“Dr Warren has been a consistent force for scientific accuracy and diplomacy on the commission, and it is hoped that the commission will be able to continue to leverage her expertise in the future.”

Wilfred Moore was reappointed to serve his third term as commissioner. Mr Moore represented the province of Nova Scotia as a senator from 1996 until his retirement in 2017.

David Freestone, the executive secretary of the commission, said: “We are very pleased to continue to work with senator Moore, a political stalwart and passionate about the conservation of marine biodiversity, and we are delighted to appoint Dr Robbie Smith, whose expertise on Sargassum around Bermuda will be invaluable to the commission.”