Contact: Ginny Fay                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                   
         Scott Smullen               7/1/97

The federal saltwater fish science and management agency today announced the appointment of Ginny Fay as Atlantic Recreational Fisheries Coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Service, a new position responsible for coordinating and implementing agency recreational fisheries programs for East Coast states and the Caribbean.

"The agency is building upon and strengthening its commitment to increasing marine recreational fishing opportunities nationwide and creating constructive dialogue with anglers," said Fay. "I look forward to working on improving the agency's focus and communication with the recreational fishing community."

Fay will concentrate her efforts on building a foundation that NMFS will follow for increasing its partnership opportunities, building on and expanding education and outreach efforts, and increasing recreational fishing opportunities. Fay will serve from the NMFS headquarters office in Silver Spring, Md., working with other agency recreational fisheries staff to provide input to various recreational management initiatives.

"Ginny's extensive background and experience in marine recreational fisheries at both the state and regional levels make her ideal for the job. I'm pleased Ginny's joining the team," said Dick Schaefer, chief of the Intergovernmental & Recreational Fisheries Office of the fisheries service.

Fay, a biologist with the fisheries service, will serve in the Office of Intergovernmental and Recreational Fisheries, which was recently established to implement the NMFS Recreational Fisheries Resources Conservation Plan and develop a stronger link to the recreational fisheries constituency.

Since joining the fisheries service in 1990, Fay has been involved in state and federal fisheries management issues and financial assistance to state agencies, universities, and both profit and non-profit entities in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico regions. Previously, Fay was a fisheries biologist with the state of Massachusetts working with recreational fisheries communities on Cape Cod, and prior to that, she was with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

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.