Rita Merritt N.C. Obligatory Seat 38 Pelican Drive Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480 910/256-3197 (ph) miridonCo@aol.com

Appointed to serve as a North Carolina representative beginning in August 2004, Rita Merritt of Wrightsville Beach, N.C., brings a diverse background to her position on the Council. She has been a business partner in her family’s commercial fishing business for the past 18 years. Rita has been actively involved with the business, not only from the administrative perspective, but also earlier as a crew member aboard with husband Mike Merritt, fishing for mackerel, tuna, snapper/grouper, and other species.

Rita has also been active over the years in the fishery management process. She served on the Council’s King and Spanish Mackerel Advisory Panel beginning in 1996 and was also a member of the Marine Protected Area Advisory Panel. She has been an integral part of the highly successful Wrightsville Beach King Mackerel Tournament since its inception in 1980 and is also an avid recreational fisherman. She serves as a member of the Onslow Bay Artificial Reef Association and works closely with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisherie's Artificial Reef Program. "I believe in using common sense along with good scientific input to maintain and preserve the marine resources without harming the culture and livelyhood of those dependent upon it."