Virgil Moore, chief of Fisheries for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, has been chosen to be the new director of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Moore, 54, was picked for the job July 6 by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, capping a six-month search for a director to replace Lindsay Ball, who resigned Dec. 31 to take over the state Department of Administrative Services.

"Idaho Fish and Game is my family," Moore said Thursday evening. "I'm moving to a different place, but I'll never leave my family."

Moore was chosen over Roy Elicker, 53, the Oregon department's acting director and Ball's deputy. Moore is expected to start Aug. 1.

Moore started to work for the Idaho Fish and Game in 1977 as a fisheries research biologist, working on Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the South Fork of the Snake River. He has been Idaho Fish and Game's fisheries chief for more than eight years. He has held positions as state fisheries manager, fisheries research manager and Information and Education Bureau chief with Idaho Fish and Game.

The two states share a lot of resources, Moore said.

Born in St. Joseph, Mo., in 1952, he earned a bachelor's degree in education from Northwest Missouri State University in 1973. He taught high school biology in Missouri before moving to Idaho in 1974. In 1977 he received a master's degree in zoology from Idaho State University.

Moore has lived in Pocatello, Salmon, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls and Boise. He is married and has two daughters and two grandchildren who all enjoy outdoor activities, including whitewater boating, fishing, skiing, and photography.