Before Eric Schwaab of Maryland was appointed to head the National Marine Fisheries Services, Mr. Fuglvog and UMass Professor Brian Rothschild had been considered the top two contenders for the position.  At the time, unconfirmed rumors suggested that Mr. Fuglvog was passed over as a result of fishing violations that came to light during the selection process. 

A statement released by Sen. Murkowski's office said that the reason for the resignation was that Mr. Fuglvog had admitted to a fisheries violation, committed in 2006, before joining her staff.

Sen. Murkowski said in a statement "Prior to joining my staff, Arne Fuglvog violated a fishing regulation by misstating the location where he caught sablefish. I accepted his resignation Sunday, and he will plead guilty to this charge as part of a plea agreement."

"Arne served Alaskans for the past 5 years on my staff and for over a decade before that in his public service work in fisheries. I thank him for his years of service, but he knows the importance and value of our fisheries, and he also knows what all fishermen understand: fishing laws and regulations must be followed."

"Arne has cooperated fully with the authorities, taken responsibility for his actions, and accepted the consequences."  

Fuglvog, 47, replaced Bill Woolf as Murkowski's chief fisheries aid in July 2006. He resigned from the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council to take the post in Washington D.C. Fuglvog, born in Petersburg, was a successful commercial fisherman and served on the council's advisory panel before his first appointment to the council by Gov. Frank Murkowski in 2003. 

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