Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAA Fisheries Service
- Office for Law Enforcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 07, 2006

NOAA OFFICE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT APPOINTS SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE OF THE SOUTHWEST ENFORCEMENT DIVISION

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service announced today the appointment of Donald W. Masters as Special Agent in Charge of the Southwest Enforcement Division. As SAC, Masters will oversee special agents, enforcement officers and support personnel in all seven California field offices.

Major issues of concern for the division include: enforcing the Marine Sanctuaries Act in California’s four sanctuaries; intercepting illegal imports from Mexico and Southeast Asia; providing enforcement measures to protect Endangered Species Act listed salmon in the northern part of the state; and educating the public of the dangers of harassing harbor seals at San Diego’s Children’s Pool — a small beach partially protected by a seawall.

Masters has served as a special agent with the U.S. Secret Service for the past 22 years prior to joining NOAA Fisheries Service Office for Law Enforcement on March 5, 2006. For the past two years he has served as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles field office, following four- and-a-half years as the Assistant to the Special Agent in Charge for the Los Angeles field office.

During the 1990’s he served with the Secret Service’s Counterfeit and Protection Squad in Los Angeles, and their Intelligence Division in Washington, D.C. Through his work and training, Masters has attained extensive experience in electronic crimes, fraud, and counterfeiting.

Prior to the Secret Service, he received a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Alvernia College in Reading, Pa., in 1976.

“The NOAA Office for Law Enforcement is pleased to have Don Masters as a member of its management group,” said Dale Jones, Director of Enforcement for NOAA Fisheries Service OLE. “The experience and expertise that Don brings to the agency makes him a strong fit for his new position as the Special Agent in Charge of the Southwest Division and as a member of OLE's National Leadership Team."

NOAA Fisheries Service is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation’s living marine resources and their habitats through scientific research, management and enforcement. NOAA Fisheries Service provides effective stewardship of these resources for the benefit of the nation, supporting coastal communities that depend upon them, and helping to provide safe and healthy seafood to consumers and recreational opportunities for the American public.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners and nearly 60 countries to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes.

On the Web:
NOAA Fisheries Service: www.nmfs.noaa.gov
NOAA: www.noaa.gov