Rick E. Marks, Principal

Email: rem@hsgblaw-dc.com | Phone: 703-527-4414

Rick Marks provides comprehensive advocacy services for a variety of clients in the areas of natural resource management, federal appropriations/grants, municipal infrastructure development, and Native American issues.  Prior to joining the firm he served as the Supervisory Marine Fisheries Biologist with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) and as Vice President for Government Affairs and Science for the North Carolina Fisheries Association.  A trained biologist, Mr. Marks provides the firm with scientific as well as political skills with which to serve clients' needs.

Mr. Marks has provided the following services to the firm's clients:

• Negotiated four Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) Take Reduction Team Conservation Plans to reduce fishing gear interactions with marine mammals
• Helped obtain $35million of federal funding for Alaska Steller Sealion Disaster Assistance and represented clients in a complex multi-party negotiation to disburse the funds
• Coordinated three successful joint federal government–fishing industry fisheries research initiatives resulting in improvements to scientific understanding and resource management
• Successfully negotiated ownership transfer of a WWII German Submarine Mark IV Enigma decoding machine with the Federal Republic of Germany
• Interacted extensively with state, federal, and tribal managers regarding natural resources and other related issues

Education 

• Environmental Conflict Resolution, 2008–present
  • U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, Morris K. Udall Foundation
  • Continuing coursework toward professional certification
• Master of Science (M.S.), 1991
  • Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
  • Major: Marine Environmental Science—a multidisciplinary program including biological, chemical, physical and geological oceanography
  • Concentration: Fish Ecology—primary coursework and thesis research geared toward finfish life history
• Bachelor of Science (B.S.), 1983
  • Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, VA
  • Major: Biology—a multidisciplinary program focusing on various
    aspects of field biology including ecology, environmental science,
    plant systematics, zoology, and marine biology

Memberships 

• American Fisheries Society—current member
• VA 2010 Trout Stream Sensitivity Study volunteer
• Beekeeping Association of Northern VA—2010
• VA State Beekeeping Club—2010
• Appointed by the Department of Commerce and currently serving
  on MMPA Take Reduction Teams: Harbor Porpoise—since 1998,
  Bottlenose Dolphin—since 2002, Atlantic Large Whale—since 2003,
  and Atlantic Trawl—since 2006
• Current member/registered volunteer at the Smithsonian National
  Museum of the American Indian
• Speaker at the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
  Annual Meeting—annually, 1998–to present
• Stream ecology/watershed community volunteer, Reston, VA—2004
• Speaker at the American Fisheries Society—2003
• Volunteer at elderly convalescent facility—1998-1999
• Appointed by Secretary of Commerce to serve on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council—1997
• Atlantic Estuarine Research Society—1997
• American Fisheries Society, Potomac Chapter—1992, 1993
• ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Management Board and
  Advisory Committee—1992, 1993
• GSMFC Gulf Menhaden Advisory Committee—1991–1993
• Presented at American Fisheries Society/ Ichthyologists
  and Herpetologists—1991
• National Sea Grant Scholarship Award—1989–1990
• National Audubon Society Scholarship Award—1989
• Blue Key Men's Honor Society—1982
• First Mate on charter fishing vessels, NJ —1989, 1979
• Volunteer at Cold Spring Fish Hatchery, NY—1986
• Preserve Steward for the Nature Conservancy—1981
• PADI SCUBA certification—1981

Scientific publications

• Marks, R.E. and 3 co-authors. 1996. Occurrence and effect of the parasitic isopod Lironeca ovalis, on YOY bluefish. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. (Canada). 53/9 (Sep 96). P. 2052-2057.
• Marks R.E. and G.P. DiDomenico. 1996. Life history aspects of
  selected marine recreational fishes in North Carolina. Final Report.
  NC Dept. Env. Health and Nat. Res./Div. Marine Fisheries.
• Marks, R.E. and 4 co-authors. 1995. Life history aspects of selected
  marine recreational fishes in North Carolina. In Study I, pp.1-14. NC
  Dept. Env. Health and Nat. Res./Div. Marine Fisheries.
• Marks, R.E. and D.O. Conover. 1993. Ontogenetic shift in the diet of
  YOY bluefish during the oceanic phase of the early life history.
  Fish. Bull., U.S. 91:97-108.
• Juanes, F., R.E. Marks and 2 co-authors. 1993. Predation by YOY
  bluefish on YOY anadromous fishes in the Hudson River Estuary.
  Trans. Amer. Fish. Soc. 122(3):348-388.