Our Commissioners
The Commission was formed in 1942 by the 15 member states for the purpose of protecting and managing marine fisheries within the states’ jurisdiction. The states recognized that they could accomplish far more through cooperation than through their individual efforts.
Maine
Administrator
Carl Wilson
ME Dept. of Marine Resources
PO Box 8
West Boothbay Harbor, ME 04575
Tel: 207.633.9538
Ongoing Proxy: Megan Ware
Legislator
Representative Allison Hepler
417 Montsweag Road
Woolrich, Maine 04579
Tel: 207.319.4396
Onging Proxy: Senator Cameron Reny
New Hampshire
Administrator
Cheri Patterson
NH Fish and Game Dept. Marine Fisheries
225 Main Street
Durham, NH 03824‐4732
Tel: 603.868.1095
Ongoing Proxy: Renee Zobel
Governor’s Appointee
Doug Grout
369 Edgemont Road
Sunapee, NH 03782
Tel: 603.266.8800
Ongoing Proxy: Ritche White
Legislator
Sen. David H. Watters
19 Maple Street
Dover, NH 03820
Tel: 603.271.8567
Ongoing Proxy: Dennis Abbott
Massachusetts
Administrator
Dan McKiernan
ASMFC Vice-Chair
MA Division of Marine Fisheries
251 Causeway Street, #400
Boston, MA 02114‐2119
Tel: 617.626.1536
Ongoing Proxy: Nichola Merserve
Legislator
Representative Jennifer Armini
State House
24 Beacon Street, Room 21
Boston, Massachusetts 02133
Tel: 617.645.0166
Ongoing Proxy: Sarah Ferrara
Rhode Island
Administrator
Jason McNamee, Ph.D
RI Dept. of Environmental Management
235 Promenade Street
Providence, RI 02908
Tel: 401.222.4700
Legislator
Sen. Susan Sosnowski
RI Legislature
680 Glen Rock Road
W. Kingston, RI 02892
Tel: 401.222.4200
Ongoing Proxy: Eric Reid
Connecticut
Administrator
Justin Davis, Ph.D.
CT Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection Fisheries Division
333 Ferry Road
P.O. Box 719
Old Lyme CT 06371
Tel: 860.447.4322
Ongoing Proxy: Matt Gates
Governor’s Appointee
William Hyatt
42 Kenneth Drive
Glastonbury, CT 06033
Tel: 860.402.6947
Ongoing Proxy: Robert Lafrance
Legislator
Representative Joseph P. Gresko
Legislative Office Building Room 3201
Hartford, CT 06106-1591
Tel: 860.240.0363
Ongoing Proxy: Craig Miner
New York
Administrator
Martin L. Gary
Director, Division of Marine Resources
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
123 Kings Park Boulevard
Kings Park, NY 11754
Tel: 631.444.0430
Ongoing Proxy: John Maniscalco
Governor’s Appointee
Emerson C. Hasbrouck, Jr.
Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program
423 Griffing Avenue, #100
Riverhead, New York 11901-3071
Ongoing Proxy: Scott Curatolo-Wagemann
Legislator
Vacant
New Jersey
Administrator
Joseph Cimino
ASMFC Chair
NJ DEP, Marine Resources Administration
P.O. Box 418
Port Republic, NJ 08241-0418
Tel: 609.748.2020
Ongoing Proxy: Jeff Brust
Governor’s Appointee
Jeff Kaelin
Lunds Fisheries
997 Ocean Drive
Cape May, NJ 08204
Tel: 207.266.0440
Legislator
Senator Vin Gopal
802 West Park Avenue, Suite 302
Ocean Tonwship, NJ 07712
Tel: 732.695.3371
Ongoing Proxy: Adam Nowalsky
Pennsylvania
Administrator
Timothy D. Schaeffer, Ph.D.
PA Fish & Boat Commission
PO BOX 67000
1601 Elmerton Avenue Harrisburg, PA 17106-7000
Tel: 717.705.7801
Ongoing Proxy: Kris Kuhn
Legislator
Representative Anita Astorino Kulik
101 Irvis Office Building
P.O. Box 202045
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2045
Tel: 717.783.3780
Ongoing Proxy: David Michael
Delaware
Administrator
John Clark
DE Division of Fish and Wildlife
89 Kings Highway
Dover, DE 19901
Tel: 302.739.9910
Legislator
Representative William J. Carson
411 Legislative Avenue
Dover, DE 19901
Tel: 302.744.4113
Ongoing Proxy: Craig D. Pugh
Maryland
Administrator
Lynn Waller Fegley
Director, Fishing and Boating Services
MD Department of Natural Resources
580 Taylor Avenue B-2
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Tel: 410.260.8285
Ongoing Proxy: Michael Luisi
Governor’s Appointee
H. Russell Dize
P.O. Box 165
5423 Rude Avenue
Tilghman, Maryland 21671-0165
Tel: 410.886.2249
Ongoing Proxy: Robert T. Brown, Sr.
Legislator
Delegate Dana Stein
House Office Building, Room 251
6 Bladen Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
Tel: 410.841.3527
Ongoing Proxy: David Sikorski
Virginia
Administrator
Jamie Green
Commissioner
VA Marine Resources Commission
380 Fenwick Road
Building 96
Fort Monroe, VA, 23651-1064
Tel: 757.247.2269
Ongoing Proxy: Pat Geer
North Carolina
Administrator
Kathy Rawls
Director, North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
3441 Arendell Street
P.O. Box 769
Morehead City, NC 28557
Tel: 252.808.8013
Ongoing Proxy: Chris Batsavage
South Carolina
Administrator
Blaik Keppler
SC Dept. of Natural Resources Marine Resources Division
P.O. Box 12559
Charleston, SC 29422-2559
Tel: 843.953.9024
Ongoing Proxy: Ben Dyar
Legislator
Senator Ronnie W. Cromer
SC State Senate, District 18
1101 Pendleton Street
PO Box 142
Columbia, SC 29201
Tel: 803.212.6330
Georgia
Administrator
Doug Haymans
GA Dept. of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division
1 Conservation Way
Suite 300
Brunswick, GA 31520‐8686
Tel: 912.264.7218
Legislator
Representative Trey Rhodes
228-A State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Tel: 404.656.5099
Ongoing Proxy: Carolyn Belcher
Florida
Administrator
Jessica McCawley
FL Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Division of Marine Fisheries Management
2590 Executive Center Circle E, Suite 201
Tallahassee, FL 32301
Tel: 850.487.0554
Ongoing Proxy: Erika Burgess
Governor’s Appointee
Gary Jennings
Director, Keep Florida Fishing Initiative
6514 Sawyer Shores Lane
Windermere, FL 34786
Tel: 407.719.2970
Legislator
Vacant
Commissioners Manual & Materials
This section of the website is designed to equip ASMFC Commissioners—and any interested parties—with the essential knowledge and tools they need to effectively participate in Commission activities. Whether you’re new to the role or looking to refresh your understanding, these resources will help you get started and stay informed on your responsibilities as a Commissioner.
Download a Chapter
Roles and Responsibilities of Commissioners
Overview
ASMFC Proxy Form
Financial Disclosure and Conflict of Interest Policy
Financial Disclosure and Conflict of Interest Form
Action & Strategic Plans
2025 Action Plan
2024 – 2028 Strategic Plan
Financials
Overview
FY25 Budget
Administration
Administrative Guidelines and Policies
Organization Chart Chair Memo and Standing Committees
Staff Organizational Chart and Directory
Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program
Commissioner Biographies
Guiding Legislation
Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act
Striped Bass Conservation Act
Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act
Pending Legislation – H.R. 5103
Pending Legislation – H.R. 3980
Interstate Fisheries Management Program
Overview
Charters
AP Nomination Form
Appeals Process
Commission Policy on Information Requests
Conservation Equivalency
De Minimis Policy
Management, Policy and Science Strategies for Adapting Fisheries Management to Changes in Species Abundance and Distribution Resulting from Climate Change
Work Group SOPPs
Science Program
Overview
Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership
Assessment Science Committee
Committee Economics and Social Sciences
Fishing Gear Technology Work Group
Fish Passage Working Group
Habitat Program — Habitat Committee & Artificial Reef Subcommittee
Interstate Tagging Committee
Management and Science Committee
ERP Working Group
NEAMAP
SEAMAP – South Atlantic
Welcome from the Executive Director
Thank you for your desire and willingness to take on the public trust responsibility of managing and restoring the public’s coastal marine fisheries resources. This manual is designed to support you in this important job by providing the information you need to be an effective Commissioner.
Key topics include:
- How and why the Commission was formed
- Our mission, vision and goals
- How the Commission functions and is organized
- What our major programs, activities, and funding sources are
- Who the people are within the Commission (fellow Commissioners and ASMFC staff).
This manual is a product of the hard work of a special committee of Commissioners (some who have moved on and others who are still serving as Commissioners) – Steve Bowman, Bernie Pankowski, April Price, Malcolm Rhodes and Ritchie White. They worked closely and tirelessly with staff members Laura Leach and Tina Berger to produce this completely revised Commissioner Manual. Their insight, creativity and attention to detail were invaluable. They all deserve our heartfelt thanks for both their efforts and a product that is well done.
I think you will find this manual to be a useful tool in quickly bringing you up to speed on the Commission and your role. We welcome your feedback on its contents and your recommendations for improvements. This is a dynamic document and will be revised as necessary through updates distributed via email and posted to our website, www.asmfc.org. Our website is intended to be a user friendly, one stop source for all critical Commission information, including almost all Commission publications. I suggest you visit it as soon as you can.
Your first opportunity to see what the Commission does, and observe how Commissioners interact, will be at the next quarterly meeting of the Commission. You will be seated with the other two Commissioners from your state. I would encourage you to contact them prior to your first meeting for any advice they might offer. Please contact me if you have any questions that are not readily answered in this manual or on the website – we can be reached at (703) 842-0740.
Our Commission was formed in 1942 by the 15 member states for the purpose of protecting and managing marine fisheries within the states’ jurisdiction. Our states recognized that they could accomplish far more through cooperation than through their individual efforts. That founding principle has been maintained through the years thanks to the selfless dedication of citizens like you who have stepped forward to share their time, expertise, and judgment to advance our vision of sustainably managing Atlantic coastal fisheries!
Welcome aboard!
Robert E. Beal
Status of the Stocks & Benchmark Stock Assessment Overviews
American Croaker
Atlantic Herring
Black Sea Bass
Bluefish
Coastal Sharks
Spanish Mackerel
Spiny Dogfish
Spotted Seatrout
Get Hooked on ASMFC News
Dive into the latest updates and catch all the important news by joining our newsletter mailing list. Stay in the loop with meeting agendas, fisheries management news, and more.