Contact: Gordon Helm               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                   6/19/98

U.S. Commerce Secretary William M. Daley today announced the appointment of 19 members to eight regional fishery management councils that work in partnership with the federal government to manage the nation's marine fishery resources.

The councils, established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, prepare fishery management plans for marine fish stocks in their respective geographical areas of responsibility. The management plans are submitted for review by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service, and approved by the Secretary of Commerce.

Council members are appointed to three-year terms and may serve no more than three consecutive terms. Each year about one-third of the 70 voting members appointed to obligatory and at-large seats complete their terms. Selections are made to replace outgoing members from candidates nominated by the governors of the affected states.

The councils represent diverse fisheries interests and are composed of members whose combined knowledge and experience represent a balance of commercial and recreational fisheries interests for each geographical area concerned. The new council members terms (listed below) will begin on Aug. 11, 1998, and will expire Aug. 10, 2001.

Note: * indicates the individual is being re-appointed.

New England Council -- The New England Council includes members from the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. The 1998 appointees are for three seats: New Hampshire's obligatory; 2 at-large:

                      Obligatory seat

Erik S. Anderson*
President
New Hampshire Commercial Fishermen's Association
Portsmouth, N.H.    
                                  
                      At-large seats
                                  
                William H. Amaru*James D. O'Malley*
               South Orleans, Mass.Executive Director
                  East Coast Fisheries Foundation
                         Narragansett, R.I.
                                  
Mid-Atlantic Council -- The Mid-Atlantic Council includes members from the
states of New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Delaware, Pennsylvania,
Maryland and Virginia.  The 1998 appointees are for four seats: Delaware's
obligatory; three at-large: 
  
                       Obligatory seat

Ronal W. Smith
Lewes, Del.
                       At-large seats

William S. Wells, III                   Charles E. Bergmann, II*
Manager, Wells Scallop Company          Cape May, N.J.
Seaford, Va.

James H. Gilford*
Frederick, Md.
            
South Atlantic Council -- The South Atlantic Council includes members from
the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.  The
1998 appointees are for two seats: North Carolina's obligatory and South
Carolina's obligatory: 

                       Obligatory seats

Jodie E. Gay*            Charles W. Stone*
Hampstead, N.C.          Murrells Inlet, S.C.
   
Caribbean Council -- The Caribbean Council includes members from the U.S.
Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.  The 1998 appointee is
for one at-large seat: 

                        At-large seat

Joseph A. LaPlace*
St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.                                               

Gulf of Mexico Council -- The Gulf of Mexico Council includes members from
the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.  The
1998 appointees are for three seats:  Mississippi's obligatory and Texas'
obligatory; 1 at-large seat: 
                                  


                        Obligatory seats
  
Ralph D. Horn            Irby W. Basco*
Vice-President           Nederland, Texas      
Clark Seafood Co., Inc.         
Pascagoula, Miss. 
                                               
                        At-large seat
 
Alex M. Jernigan, P.E.
Yankeetown, FL

Pacific Council -- The Pacific Council includes members from the states of
California, Washington, Oregon and Idaho.  The 1998 appointees are for 2
seats:  Idaho's obligatory; one at-large seat: 

                        Obligatory seat

Jack T. Barraclough
Idaho Falls, Idaho 
      
                        At-large seat  

Roger Thomas
President, Golden Gate
Fishermen's Association
San Francisco, Calif.        
     
North Pacific Council -- The North Pacific Council includes members from
the states of Alaska and Washington.  The 1998 appointees are for Alaska's
two obligatory seats: 
                     
                       Obligatory seats

Linda E. Behnken*             Kevin B. O'Leary*
Sitka, Alaska                 Kodiak, Alaska 

Western Pacific Council -- The Western Pacific Council includes members
from the state of Hawaii, the American-flagged Pacific islands of American
Samoa and Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.  The
1998 appointees are for two at-large seats: 

                       At-large seats

Frank W. McCoy, Sr.      Thomas C. Webster*
Pago, American Samoa     Kaneohe, Hawaii