Fox heads National Marine Fisheries Service – William W. Fox, Jr
Fox Heads National Marine Fisheries Service
Under Secretary of commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere John A. Knauss announced on 7 February 1990 the appointment of William W. Fox, Jr., a marine biologist with broad experience in fishereies management and research, to lead the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Fox will serve as Assistant Administrator for the National Oceanic and atmospheric Administration (NOA) division responsible for managing, conserving, and protecting living marine resources, including shellfish and mammals, within waters 200 miles from the U.S. coastline.
“Bill Fox brings to NMFS the unique qualities of fisheries expertise combined with a family background in the practicalities and problems of the seafood industry,” Knauss said. “With experience that includes 10 years’ previous NOAA service, he is well-versed in the seriuos challges posed by overfishing and environmental degradation.”
Before taking the NOAA post, Fox was a professor for 7 years at the University of Miami, Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, where he directed a joint NOAA/University research institute. He administered programs emphasizing research on the ocean-related aspects of climate change and the fisheries aspects of ocean eco-systems dynamics, and coordinate the NOAA Sea Grant program.
“The increasing demand on our fish stocks for recreational use and seafood is a concern for everyone,” Fox said. “Since replacing the foreign fleets, our fishermen have been competing among themselves for an ever-shrinking supply of finfish and shellfish in a marine environment acutely susceptible to man-made abuse and pollution. Commercial and recreational fisherman must share in the task of conserving fish stocks so they can be replenished and maintained at healthy levels, and in preserving their estuarine and ocean habitat.
“Government and industry must be prepared to make tough choices in the new decade if we are to bequeath a legacy of wise and prudent use of our marine resources to future generations,” Fox added.
Fox said his interest in fisheries management was sparked by a an uncle, Arthur B. Jarrell, founder of Jarrell and Read, a seafood wholesealer who urged him to work to conserve fisheries resources in order to ensure a stable supply for the future. Enrolling in the University of Miami, Fox earned his B.S. degree and in 1970 his M.S in marine science. Two years later he received his doctorate in fisheries science from the University of Washington.
During his NOAA service starting in 1972, Fox served as chief of the Oceanic Fisheries Resources Division, LaJolla, Calif., from 1975 to 1978. For the next 4 years, he was director of NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Center, Miami, where he administered seven Federal fishery research laboratories before joining the University of Miami faculty. Fox is the author of more than 50 professional publications, reports and book reviews, and serves on a number of major scientific and public service committees. He was appointed to the Florida Marine Fisheries Commission in 1983, serving as chairman for the last 3 years, and the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission in 1987. He also has served as chairman of the U.S. Commission for the past 2 years. Fox is a member of the American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists, the American Fisheries Society, the American Geophysical Union, and Sigma Xi, the research society. He is married to the former Soleded Milord Loaiya of Panama City, Panama, and is the father of a son and a daughter.
COPYRIGHT 1990 U.S. Department of Commerce
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
