BILOXI -- Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Interim Director Danny Guice said this morning about $2.3 million of about $4 million in questioned spending has been accounted for.

Guice told the Sun Herald about the tidelands funds last week, which the agency was trying to account for.

Guice said he expects it will be difficult and likely take a while to find out where the other $1.7 million went.

"I expect that (the money) will have funded good programs," he said. "We just want to know (where it went)."

Guice spoke to the Sun Herald before the Commission on Marine Resources' regular meeting, which began at 9 a.ww.

The commission is expected to discuss the vacant executive director position, which has been open since last month, when Executive Director Bill Walker was fired amid state and federal investigations into the agency's spending.