Juneau, Alaska – Governor Sean Parnell nominated Robert “Ed” Dersham and Howard “Dan” Hull for consideration by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce for continued service on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC). The governor also named Timothy Evers and Julianne Curry as alternate nominees.

“The fisheries resources in the North Pacific are of vital importance to Alaska, and each of these nominees possesses excellent management and conservation skills,” Governor Parnell said. “Mr. Dersham and Mr. Hull have served effectively on the council, and Alaska’s interests will continue to be well-served by these nominees.”

Dersham, of Anchorage, is completing his first full term on the NPFMC, having served a partial term immediately prior. An active charter boat operator and lodge owner in Lower Cook Inlet for more than 25 years, Dersham retired from a career as a special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. He also served for nine years on the Alaska Board of Fisheries, worked as a consultant for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and served as a coordinating liaison between the Board of Fisheries and the NPFMC. Dersham earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Oregon.

Hull, of Anchorage, is completing his first term on the NPFMC. He is the owner of Hull Fisheries LLC, fishing for halibut and salmon out of Cordova. He is currently a member of the Alaska Sea Grant Advisory Committee and a former member of the Cordova District Fishermen United Board of Directors, Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council Public Advisory Group, Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation Board of Directors, Prince William Sound Fisheries Ecosystem Research Planning Group, and United Fishermen of Alaska Board of Directors. In addition to his 30 year career in commercial fishing, Hull also worked as a research associate for the Institute of Social and Economic Research. He earned a master’s degree in marine affairs from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Dartmouth College.

Evers, of Ninilchik, is currently a member of the Advisory Panel to the NPFMC. A longtime charter operator, Evers owned Deep Creek Sport Shop, Big Valley Lodge and Cabin Rentals, and Fishward Bound Adventures. Evers is the founder and former president of the Deep Creek Charterboat Association, and served on the Central Peninsula Fish and Game Advisory Committee. In addition, he served five terms on the National Association of Charterboat Operators.

Curry, of Petersburg, is the executive director of the Petersburg Vessel Owners Association and a member of the advisory panel to the NPFMC. Curry participates in the commercial fishery of halibut, sablefish, salmon, herring, and crab. She is a member of the board of directors and executive committee of the United Fishermen of Alaska, and is the chair of the Petersburg Commercial Fishing Committee. A member of the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center Board of Directors, Curry earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northern Arizona University.

With jurisdiction over the one million square mile Exclusive Economic Zone off the coast of Alaska, the NPFMC has primary responsibility for groundfish management in the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and Aleutian Islands, including cod, pollock, flatfish, mackerel, sablefish, and rockfish species harvested mainly by trawlers, hook and line longliners, and pot fishermen. Established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act, the council is one of eight regional councils dedicated to the oversight of the nation’s fisheries. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act, which was originally signed into law in 1976, empowers the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to choose the final appointees from applicants nominated by governors of coastal states.

Source: Office of Governor Parnell