CORVALLIS - A commercial fisherman, a wildlife biologist and a Seaside tourism official have been named to three-year terms on the Oregon Sea Grant Advisory Council.

The 11-member council meets twice each year to help set research, education and outreach priorities for Oregon Sea Grant, which is part of a nationwide consortium of Sea Grant programs organized under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The new members are:

-Ralph Brown, a commercial fisherman from Brookings who serves on the Pacific Fishery Management Council and helped initiate Oregon's innovative Developmental Fisheries Program;

-Willa Nehlsen, a staff biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Portland. Formerly on the staff of the Pacific Rivers Council, Nehlsen has written numerous studies on salmon and salmon habitat, and is a member of the state's Salmon Restoration and Production Task Force.

-Sue Pickell, manager of the Seaside Chamber of Commerce, past president of the Tourism Council of Oregon, and a member of Oregon Tourism Commission.

They join present council members Don Barth of Newport, Kirk Beiningen of Portland, Anne Berblinger of Portland, Jerry Dove of Tillamook, Basil Edmunds of Garibaldi, Russ Heggen of Eugene, Nancy Leonard of Lincoln County and Bob Montgomery of Cascade Locks.

Based at Oregon State University, Oregon Sea Grant supports research in a variety of disciplines on subjects ranging from fisheries to seafood, coastal natural hazards and marine biotechnology.

Source: 

Jay Rasmussen, 541-867-0370

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