CONTACT: Jean Fitch FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
301-713-2370 2/27/95
David Deuel, who developed a legacy by creating a world- class recreational fisheries statistics program and shepherding the comeback of Atlantic coast striped bass, passed away Feb. 17 at age 55. The influence of Deuel's accomplishments in fisheries management will continue to be felt for years to come.
Deuel's commitment to developing the recreational statistics program culminated in the internationally-recognized Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey. Through his leadership and innovation, major advances in survey design were achieved that today set the standard against which all programs are compared. More than a million anglers have been interviewed over the past 17 years as part of the unique survey protocol he developed.
Deuel was a visionary, advocating the need to comprehend and measure the magnitude and impact of recreational fishing at a time when its importance was considered inconsequential. His steadfast and tireless defense of the program is now paying dividends, as the program is integral to the NMFS mission of living marine resource stewardship.
Deuel was a champion for the Atlantic coast striped bass. He dedicated his work on behalf of the species in attempts to reverse a critical stock decline. His efforts have been pivotal in the drafting and implementation of federal regulations related to striped bass conservation and management, including the passage of the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act in 1984 and its spin-off that protects all interjurisdictional Atlantic coast fish stocks, the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act of 1993. In addition, from the early 1980's he was involved in the preparation of the Annual Report to Congress on the Emergency Striped Bass Research Study.
Deuel was recognized as one of the most knowledgeable experts on the biology of the striped bass, and was respected as such by his peers within NMFS - fellow biologists and fishery managers of the Atlantic coastal states - and at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Deuel began his 30-year fisheries career in the early 1960s at the Sandy Hook Marine Laboratory in New Jersey, then a component of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. Through extensive field work, he became an expert on the life history of bluefish and, as a result of implementing a pioneering tagging effort, he contributed significantly to understanding the migratory paths of this species along the coast between New England and Florida.
Eventually, Deuel transferred to the Narragansett Research Laboratory in Rhode Island. During his tenure at this lab, the National Marine Fisheries Service was born as a result of a Presidential Executive Order in 1970 that placed the lab and NMFS under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The remainder of his career was spent immersed in NMFS programs, with the last 17 years of service spent in Washington, D.C.
Deuel, who thoroughly enjoyed fishing, held a world record set in 1983 at Avon, N.C., for red drum weighing 94 lb., 2 oz. He was also an expert craftsman who built custom fishing rods.
Everything that Deuel took on, he did with thoroughness and desire for the best possible product. He is recognized by his peers as an exceptional professional and has received recognition accordingly. For his untiring effort on behalf of "bringing back the striped bass," Deuel received the Chesapeake Bay Program's prestigious Special Achievement Award in 1994, signed by former Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer, chairman of the program's Executive Council.
Deuel is survived by his wife, Nina; his daughter, Rebecca Walden; and his sons, David, Jr. and Peter.