Forcenergy Board Elects Zepernick President and CEO

Forcenergy Board Elects Zepernick President and CEO Miami, FL (April 3, 2000).Forcenergy Inc (OTC BB: FORC) Board of Directors today announced the election of Richard G. (Gus) Zepernick, Jr. as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Stig Wennerstrom, founder of the company, will continue as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Zepernick most recently served as Senior Vice President for the Gulf of Mexico for Ocean Energy and was primarily responsible for the company's expansion into the Deepwater. He has served on the company's management committee that is responsible for overseeing both the Domestic and International operations of the company. Before Ocean's merger with Seagull Energy in 1999, Mr. Zepernick served as Executive Vice President of North America for Ocean. He was responsible for operations in the Gulf of Mexico, Onshore U.S. and Canada. Prior to Ocean's merger with United Meridian, from 1994 to 1998, Mr. Zepernick served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Ocean Energy and was also a member of the Board of Directors. During that time the company was one of the top 3 most active operators in the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Zepernick was an original co-founder of Flores & Rucks (predecessor to Ocean Energy) in 1991. Mr. Zepernick received an MBA from Loyola University in 1987 and a B.S. in Petroleum Land Management from Louisiana State University in 1983. Concurrent with the appointment of Mr. Zepernick, the company will close its Miami headquarters and consolidate all corporate functions into its New Orleans office. Forcenergy is an independent oil and gas company engaged in the development, exploitation, acquisition, exploration and production of domestic oil and gas reserves. Certain statements in this news release regarding future expectations and plans for future activities may be regarded as "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. They are subject to various risks, such as financial market conditions, operating hazards, drilling risks, and the inherent uncertainties in interpreting engineering data relating to underground accumulations of oil and natural gas, as well as other risks discussed in detail in the Company's SEC filings, including the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999. Actual results and outcomes may vary materially. - end - ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/04/03/20000403BIT00950/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/04/03/20000403BIT00950/bit0002.pdf