Deputy Secretary of Commerce, Robert L. Mallett, announced the appointment of 32 members to eight regional fishery management councils. Four new members were appointed to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) and one incumbent member was reappointed. The five appointed members will fill the New Jersey and Virginia state-specific obligatory seats, two regular term at-large seats, and one out-of-cycle at-large seat. They will begin their three-year terms effective August 10, 2000. The state of North Carolina effectively gained an at-large seat from the state of Delaware.
Gary A. Caputi was reappointed to serve another three-year term as the obligatory representative from the state of New Jersey. He has served on the Council since 1994. He is currently assigned to six Council committees and serves as Chair for two of those committees. Caputi is Advertising Director/Conservation Editor for the Big Game Fishing Journal magazine and has been involved in the recreational fishing industry for more than 25 years. He is an active freelance outdoor writer and is a member of the Outdoor Writer's Association of America.
Dennis L. Spitsbergen, a former North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries Executive Assistant for Councils, will fill the regular at-large seat gained by North Carolina. Dennis served as agency representative and South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) liaison to the MAFMC for 12 years. He also served as a member of the MAFMC's Demersal, Coastal Migratory and Comprehensive Management Committees. In 1988-1990, he was Vice Chair and Chairman to the SAFMC. He was assigned to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Fishery Management Boards and the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program. He was also a member of the New England Fishery Management Council's Sea Scallop committee and the Marine Fisheries Initiative panel from 1993-1997.
Laurie A. Nolan, a life-long resident of New York and fishermen since 1978, will occupy the other regular at-large seat. Laurie presently serves as a tilefish advisor to the MAFMC and works as an onshore manager for two tilefish fishing vessels in New York. In the past, Laurie participated in the design and construction of steel and aluminum longline fishing boats. She also handled the unloading, cooking, freezing and selling of fish landed in Montauk from Long Island Sound.
Robert H. Pride, III, was appointed to fill Virginia's obligatory seat on the Council. Since the late 1980's, Bob has been a member of recreational fishing clubs in Virginia. In 1991, he joined the Coastal Conservation Association and has served over the years as a committee volunteer, state chairman, acting executive director, paid consultant and board member. As a member of the Recreational Fishing Alliance since 1995, he has served as state chairman and advisor. He is currently a summer flounder advisor to the MAFMC and a weakfish advisor to the ASMFC. Recently, he was appointed as a highly migratory species advisor to the National Marine Fisheries Service.
James R. Lovgren, a third generation commercial fisherman, will occupy the out-of-cycle at-large seat that replaces New Jersey's former Council member (Charlie Bergmann). Jim, a New Jersey resident, has been commercial fishing in Mid-Atlantic and New England waters for more than 25 years. In 1995 during its fiftieth anniversary, the National Marine Fisheries Institute honored Jim for his work representing the commercial industry. In 1985, Jim was appointed as a representative to the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Development Foundation. Over the years, he has served on advisory panels to the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council, the ASMFC, the New England Fishery Management Council, and New Jersey Sea Grant. He was a founding director for both the New Jersey Seafood Harvesters Association and the Garden State Seafood Association.
Nancy Targett, Jim Douglas and Bob Hamilton will be leaving the Council in August. Their expertise and valuable contributions to the Council's fisheries management process has been appreciated by other members, organizations, and agencies, as well as the fishing community at large. Their departure will be evident to all involved with the MAFMC.
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