Four Members Newly Appointed to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
By Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
Published: June 29, 2009
Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke announced the appointment of four new members to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). Two of the newly appointed members, representing the states of Virginia and New Jersey will fill their states obligatory seats. The new members appointed from New York and North Carolina will fill At-large seats. Council members, nominated by the governors of their respective states, are appointed to serve three-year terms and may not serve more than three consecutive terms. The newly appointed members officially begin their terms on August 11, 2009 and will serve on the Council through August 10, 2012. The newly appointed members will be sworn in at the October 13-15, 2009 Council meeting in Ocean City, Maryland.
Dr. Peter L. deFur, of Richmond, will fill the obligatory seat for the state of Virginia which will be vacated by Jeffrey Deem. He is president of Environmental Stewardship Concepts, which is an independent, private consulting firm in Richmond and is also a part-time Affiliate Associate Professor in the Center for Environmental Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. deFur has extensive experience in aquatic and marine biology as they are impacted by human activities. He is also a recreational fisherman. Dr. deFur serves as a technical advisor for remediation efforts on a number of riverine areas. He has also served on numerous state and federal advisory committees.
Christopher J. Zeman, of River Vale, will fill the obligatory seat for the state of New Jersey which will be vacated by Edward Goldman. He is an attorney for Zurich North America, Specialty Claims Counsel. He has worked with leading environmental organizations such as Ocean Law Project, American Oceans Campaign and Oceana. He has also worked for American Oceans Campaign, National Resources Defense Council, Earth-justice Legal Defense Fund, and the US Environmental Protection Agency. He is a recreational fisherman and an environmentalist. Mr. Zeman was also an advisory panel member for sea scallops and served on the Essential Fish Habitat advisory panel to the New England Fishery Management Council from 2000-2006.
Steven F. Schaefer, of New York City, will fill the At-large seat currently held by the state of New York which will be vacated by Laurie Nolan. Mr. Schaefer is the Director of Retail Operations for Wild Edibles in New York. Mr. Schaefer has also worked with the non-profit organization SeaWeb, to help launch its KidSafe Seafood Program and the non-profit organization Blue Ocean Institute. He is a processor, buyer/broker, retailer and supplier of many seafood products who likes to educate consumers about sustainability.
Preston P. Pate, Jr., of Newport, will fill the At-large seat currently held by the state of North Carolina which will be vacated by Dennis Spitsbergen. Mr. Pate is currently a subcontractor with Oak Management providing support to NMFS in developing the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP). He is a former Director of the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. He also served as a member of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) from 1996-2007. He served as ASMFC Chairman from 2004-2006. He served as chairman and vice-chairman of the ASMFC Management Boards for striped bass, summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and weakfish. Mr. Pate received the David H. Hart Award in 2007 which is given by the ASMFC to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the betterment of marine fisheries on the Atlantic Coast.
The Council looks forward to working with each new member and is grateful for the many contributions outgoing members Laurie Nolan, Dennis Spitsbergen, Jeff Deem, and Ed Goldman have made during their tenures.