October 7, 2013 — Russell Nelson, a nationally acclaimed scientist who led the former Florida Marine Fisheries Commission through a pivotal period, has died.
Nelson died of an apparent heart attack Saturday at his home in Fort Lauderdale. Nelson, a former Tallahassee resident, was 65.
The Florida Marine Fisheries Commission was created in 1983 to oversee the increased fishing pressures along the Florida coast. In 1999, the agency was merged into the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission, becoming the Division of Marine Fisheries.
Nelson served as executive director of the Marine Fisheries Commission and division from 1987 to 2000. He then moved from Tallahassee to South Florida, where he started his own consulting firm, advising sport fishing conservation organizations and federal agencies on ocean fisheries management and protection.
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