THE WHITE HOUSE

                       Office of the Press Secretary
                    (San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                   October 17, 1997

       PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES WILL MARTIN AND J. MICHAEL NUSSMAN 
               AS U.S. COMMISSIONERS TO THE INTERNATIONAL 
            COMMISSION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF ATLANTIC TUNAS

The President today announced his intent to appoint Will Martin and J. Michael Nussman as United States Commissioners to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.

Mr. Martin, of Washington, D.C., is currently Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for International Affairs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at the U.S. Department of Commerce. He is highly regarded in the marine fisheries community. He has more than four years of direct involvement with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, serving as U.S. Commissioner in 1994, 1995 and 1996. Mr. Martin has a diverse background in coordinating the development of international policy within various international organizations including the United Nations Conference on High Seas Fisheries, the International Whaling Commission, North Atlantic Fisheries Organization, North Atlantic Salmon Commission, and the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development. Before serving at NOAA, Mr. Martin was an attorney, practicing corporate law as a partner at two law firms in Nashville, Tennessee, one of which he founded in 1975. Mr. Martin earned his undergraduate degree and his law degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Mr. Nussman, of Glen Dale, Maryland, is currently Vice President of the American Sportfishing Association. He is highly regarded in the marine angling community. He has more than 18 years of direct involvement with marine fishery management and has served as the U.S. Sportfishing Commissioner to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas since 1994. Mr. Nussman has a diverse background in marine affairs. Before representing the American Sportfishing Association on legislative and regulatory issues, he served on the staff of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which provided oversight for all ocean-related issues. Mr. Nussman earned his undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University, and his master's degree in zoology and M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina.

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas was established in 1966 to coordinate international research on tuna and tuna-like species. The Commission also makes regulatory proposals to conserve the species in a manner which allow a maximum sustainable catch.

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