Contact: Michael Bailey                         FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE              
         Gordon Helm                            12/3/97

The federal agency responsible for saltwater fish science and management today announced the appointment of C. Michael Bailey as Gulf of Mexico Recreational Fisheries Coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Service, a new position responsible for coordinating and implementing agency recreational fisheries programs for the Gulf of Mexico.

"My job is to open or improve lines of communication with recreational fishers," said Bailey. "It's a high priority for the fisheries service and an opportunity to improve our interactions with the recreational fishing community."

Bailey will concentrate his efforts on building a foundation for increasing partnership opportunities, building on and expanding education and outreach efforts, and increasing recreational fishing opportunities. For the immediate future, Bailey will serve from the fisheries service's headquarters, in Silver Spring, Md., working with other agency recreational fisheries staff to provide input to various recreational management initiatives for the Gulf region.

"Michael's extensive background and experience in marine fisheries issues in general, and specifically in Gulf of Mexico fisheries issues, makes him an ideal choice for the job. I'm pleased that Michael has decided to join our team," said Dick Schaefer, chief of the Intergovernmental & Recreational Fisheries Office of the Fisheries Service.

Bailey will serve in the Office of Intergovernmental and Recreational Fisheries, which is charged with implementing the Recreational Fishery Resources Conservation Plan and developing a stronger link to the recreational fisheries constituency.

Since joining the fisheries service in 1993, Bailey has been involved in state and federal fisheries management issues for the Highly Migratory Species Management Division. He was instrumental in the development of the agency's Integrated Shark Research and Management Program, affecting Atlantic and Gulf shark populations. Bailey is a recognized expert on sharks and serves on the Shark Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union. Previously, Bailey was Curator of the National Aquarium in Washington, DC, and prior to that, he was at Sea-Arama Marineworld in Galveston, Texas.

The National Marine Fisheries Service, a component of the U.S. Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Oceanic Administration, studies, manages, and protects U.S. living marine resources, coastal habitats and endangered species.