Type State Government Founded 1994 | Industry Maritime | |
Headquarters 1141 Bayview Avenue, Biloxi, MS, USA Area served Jackson, Harrison, Hancock Counties Key people Jamie Miller, Executive DirectorKelly Lucas, Chief Scientific OfficerMelissa Scallan, Public Information OfficerKeith Davis, Chief of Marine Patrol | ||
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) is a state agency of Mississippi headquartered in the Eldon Bolton State Office building in Biloxi, Mississippi.
It was created by the legislature as a new state agency in 1994 to manage Mississippi's coastal resources through the authority of the Commission on Marine Resources (CMR). The MDMR is dedicated to enhancing, protecting and conserving the marine interests of Mississippi for present and future generations.
Through the several offices and bureaus comprising the MDMR, the agency, together with the CMR, provides public services and plays a role in administering and enforcing Mississippi Seafood Laws, the Mississippi Coastal Wetlands Protection Act, the Public Trust Tidelands Act, the Boat and Water Safety Act, the Derelict Vessel Act, the Non-Point Source Pollution Act, the Magnuson Act, the Wallop-Breaux Sportfish Restoration Act, Marine Litter Act and other state and federal mandates.
Corruption
In 2014, the previous director of the agency, Bill Walker, was convicted of public corruption and sentenced to five years in prison. Under Walker's leadership, the DMR spent almost $1.4 million on recreational fishing boats leased from Walker's private foundation. A former DMR employee said Walker used the boats 95 percent of the time for entertainment.