On March 10, 2009, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin “forwarded her nominations of Robert “Ed” Dersham and Dan Hull to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce for appointment to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Dersham currently serves on the council and is being nominated for a second term. Hull has been an active public participant at council meetings and has served on council committees” (Fishery, 2009, ¶1).
What the North Pacific Fishery Management Council Does
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional councils established by the 1976 Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act, later renamed the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, to oversee management of the nation’s marine fisheries. The council has jurisdiction over 900,000 square miles of ocean from three to 200 miles off Alaska’s shores, and has primary responsibility for managing pollock, cod, halibut, sole and other groundfish (Fishery, 2009, ¶3).
The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires governors of specific coastal states to provide a preferred candidate for each vacancy as well as two alternate nominees. In addition to Dersham and Hull, Governor Palin named Mike Heimbuch and Gale Vick as alternate nominees (Fishery, 2009, ¶4).
Biographies of the Nominees and Alternates
Dersham, of Anchor Point, is a 23-year charter boat operator in Lower Cook Inlet who has served on the Alaska Board of Fisheries for more than eight years, including three years as chair and two years as vice-chair. He was involved in developing and chairing the joint protocol committee for coordination between the fisheries board and the North Pacific council. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Oregon and is retired from a career as a special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (Fishery, 2009, ¶5).
Hull, of Anchorage, has been an active fisherman and vessel owner for more than 25 years, fishing for salmon and halibut out of Cordova. He holds a master’s degree in marine affairs from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College. Hull is currently a board member of Cordova District Fishermen United and is a member of the Alaska Sea Grant Advisory Committee (Fishery, 2009, ¶6).
Heimbuch, of Homer, is a lifelong Alaskan and commercial fisherman who has fished for halibut, herring, cod, shrimp and salmon around the state since 1963. He has served on a variety of civic and local government commissions, including his local fish and game advisory committee, the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Association, and the Homer City Council. Heimbuch is a political columnist for the Homer Tribune. He majored in music and education at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (Fishery, 2009, ¶7).
Vick, of Anchorage, is the executive director of the Gulf of Alaska Coastal Communities Coalition, a non-profit organization that represents the fisheries interests of Gulf of Alaska communities. She is a Prince William Sound drift crewmember and serves on the steering committee for the Alaska King Crab Research, Rehabilitation and Biology (AKCRRAB) Program. Vick serves on the board for the Prince William Sound Science Center and is chair of the North Pacific Research Board Advisory Panel (Fishery, 2009, ¶8).
Commentary
These nominations bring to 28, the total number of appointments Governor Palin has made this year, not counting judicial appointments. Notice the pattern as with others. The Governor seeks people who have extensive operational knowledge and subject matter expertise for the boards they serve on. Governor Palin has a knack for making these hiring decisions quickly and effectively, choosing the best people for the job — the mark of a skilled executive.
References
Governor Names Fishery Council Nominees. (2009, March 10). State of Alaska, Governor. Retrieved March 11, 2009 from: http://www.gov.state.ak.us/news.php?id=1698>
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