Dersham, Hull council seats confirmed

Here's a press release today from Gov. Sarah Palin regarding federal approval of her two nominees for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Dan Hull, by the way, is replacing Gerry Merrigan of Petersburg.

Sarah Palin
Governor

June 25, 2009

Governor Palin’s Fishery Council Appointments Approved

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Governor Sarah Palin today announced that her two top nominees to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council have been approved by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke.

Robert “Ed” Dersham and Dan Hull will begin their terms in August. Dersham currently serves on the council and has been reappointed. Hull has been an active public participant at council meetings and has served on council committees.

“I’m pleased that Secretary Locke has appointed these two knowledgeable Alaskans,” Governor Palin said. “The fisheries regulated by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council are incredibly important to Alaska’s economy and I have every confidence that Ed and Dan will put the resource first when making difficult decisions.”

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.

Dersham, of Anchor Point, is a 23-year charter boat operator in Lower Cook Inlet who 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. Dersham has served on the council since 2008.

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.