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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release October 20, 1994
            PRESIDENT NAMES STEVEN PENNOYER OF ALASKA US 
         GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE TO TWO INTERNATIONAL FISH 
                             COMMISSIONS

The President today announced his intention to appoint Steven Pennoyer of Alaska as a U.S. Commissioner of the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC) and as U.S. Commissioner of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). Mr. Pennoyer is the Regional Director in Alaska for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and will serve on each Commission as the U.S. government representative.

In 1959, at the onset of Alaska's statehood, Mr. Pennoyer became employed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He had trained at the University of California at Berkeley in Wildlife Conservation. Over the next twenty nine years, his career led him through a series of duties, including Fisheries Management Biologist; Fisheries Research Supervisor; Chief Research Scientist; Director of Commercial Fisheries; and Deputy Commissioner.

He assumed the NMFS position in 1989. His duties include management of the largest groundfish fishery in the US, accounting for 45% of the total US catch by weight and representing 18.5 % of the value of the catch off US shores. In addition, Mr. Pennoyer oversees the management of marine mammals and habitat protection in Alaska. He serves as a Trustee representative on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council. Married and the father of three children, Mr. Pennoyer has resided in Juneau, Alaska, with his wife Beverly for the past 20 years.

The North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission is an international body composed of representatives of the US, Canada, Japan, and the Russian Federation. It is a forum for promoting the conservation of anadromous stocks and related species, marine mammals and sea birds in the high seas area of the North Pacific Ocean. The term anadromous refers to fish that swim upstream to spawn, which includes many species of salmon.

The International Pacific Halibut Commission was created by convention in 1953 to conserve, manage and rebuild the halibut stocks in the Pacific Northwest area. The US is represented by three commissioners on both the NPAFC and IPHC. In each case, one must be an official of the US government. Mr. Pennoyer is uniquely qualified for both.