Governor Lincoln D. Chafee has submitted three Rhode Islanders – Theodore A. Platz, Seth S. Macinko, and Jason D. Jarvis – for nomination to the New England Fisheries Management Council (NEFMC).
The names were submitted for consideration in a letter from Governor Chafee to Eric Schwaab, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at the National Marine Fisheries Service, dated March 14.
Please see the Governor’s letter below:
March 14, 2011
Eric C. Schwaab Assistant Administrator for Fisheries National Marine Fisheries Service 1315 East-West Highway, Room 14636 Silver Spring, MD 20910
Dear Mr. Schwaab:
I write in response to your January 21, 2011 letter requesting submissions of nominees for four New England Fishery Management Council (NFMC) seats, which will become vacant on August 10, 2011. I hereby nominate the following three individuals for one of the at-large seats:
• Theodore Adolph Platz • Seth Stephen Macinko • Jason D. Jarvis
All three nominees are highly qualified candidates with strong backgrounds in marine fisheries. The Council would be well served by the appointment of any one of these three individuals.
Ted Platz is well-known within the Rhode Island and New England marine fisheries community and highly regarded among his peers. He has been a commercial fisherman for 26 years and remains active in the monkfish, skate, and dogfish fisheries. He owns three commercial fishing vessels, operates out of Newport, RI, and also serves as a federal fish dealer. He is a member of the NEFMC’s monkfish and skate advisory panels and regularly attends and participates in meetings of the full Council. He is President of the Rhode Island Monkfish Association, and is also President of the Rhode Island Commercial Fisheries Center. He has a B.A. in Economic Theory from Emory and Henry College. He is also a graduate of MREP, and following graduation he returned to serve as a moderator at the program.
Seth Macinko has a diverse and impressive background in marine fisheries. He has fished commercially in the Alaskan crab fishery, and is preparing to re-enter the industry as a Rhode Island commercial fisherman. Since 1996, he has served on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Science and Statistical Committee.
From 2006-2008, he served on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Science and Statistical Committee, and from 2002-2007, he served on the New England Fishery Management Council’s Social Science Advisory Committee. At the state level, he has been a member of the Rhode Island Fisheries Management Council since 2002, and at the regional level, he has served as a proxy for the Rhode Island legislative seat on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. He has a B.Sc. in Fishery Science from Plymouth University (U.K.), an M.A. in Marine Affairs from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, and he holds a Ph.D. from the University of California’s Berkeley -Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management. Since 2002, Seth has been a Professor with the University of Rhode Island’s graduate program in Marine Affairs.
Jason Jarvis has fished, in varying capacities, for his entire life. He grew up as a recreational fisherman, and continues to enjoy that pastime. Over the past ten years, he has served as a crew member aboard a RI-based commercial gill netter, and a deck hand aboard a RI-based party boat. He holds a RI multispecies commercial fishing license, and has participated in just about every commercial fishery of importance to Rhode Island: monkfish, skate, summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, tautog, cod, dogfish, Atlantic herring, squid, lobster, and crab. For two years, he was also involved in a local aquaculture operation, and during another two-year stretch, he worked with the New England Fisherman magazine. He is an MREP graduate, and holds a 100-ton captain’s license. He is an active participant in the Rhode Island fisheries management process and has attended a number of NEFMC meetings.
Clearly, the three nominees offer a breadth of experience. Just as importantly, the nominees are held in high esteem by the local and regional fishing community. We consulted with several leading fisheries representatives, and all offered their strong support. Our consultations included: Dave Preble (Member, NEFMC), Chris Brown (President, RI Commercial Fishermen’s Association), Allison McHale (NOAA), Rich Fuka (RI Fishermen’s Alliance), Barry Costa-Pierce (RI Sea Grant Program), Susan Farady (Roger Williams University School of Law), Jon Knight (Superior Trawl), and Rusty Benn (Captain, Gail Francis Fleet).
On February 2, 2011, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management issued a solicitation notice, seeking candidates for the NEFMC seats. The notice was distributed broadly throughout Rhode Island’s marine fishing community. The notice prompted responses from the three nominees. No one else sought consideration.
Thank you for your consideration. Please let me know if there is anything more I can do to assist you in this matter.
Sincerely,
Lincoln D. Chafee Governor