The National Aquaculture Association (NAA) requests your assistance to identify NAA nominations for the newly created American Fisheries Advisory Committee.

The American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act creates a committee “…responsible for developing the request for proposals, reviewing applications for grants after the technical review, and selecting applications for approval.” Members will have considerable work to do but also considerable ability to direct Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Competition funding towards research that would benefit marine aquaculture in coastal and Great Lake states. Please see NOAA’s notice: NOAA Calls for Applications for American Fisheries Advisory Committee | NOAA Fisheries.

If you thinking this sounds like a great job for Executive Directors of nonprofit aquaculture trade associations, there is a significant wrinkle.  A specific section of the Act reads:

‘‘(11) CONFLICT OF INTEREST.—The conflict of interest and recusal provisions set out in section 302(j) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1852(j)) shall apply to any decision by the Committee and to all members of the Committee as if each member of the Committee is an affected individual within the meaning of such section 302(j), except that in addition to the disclosure requirements of section 302(j)(2)(C) of such Act (16 U.S.C. 1852(j)(2)(C)), each member of the Committee shall disclose any financial interest or relationship in an organization or with an individual that is applying for a grant under subsection (c) held by the member of the Committee, including an interest as an officer, director, trustee, partner, employee, contractor, agent, or other representative.”

As a consequence, if the NAA is to submit nomination, they will have to be six different aquaculture farmers, scientists or processors to effectively fulfill all the authorized roles of the Act.  The Act is also specific about representation by regions.

“…the Secretary shall establish 6 regions within the American Fisheries Advisory Committee as follows:

1. Region 1 shall consist of Alaska, Hawaii, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Territories of Guam and American Samoa.
2. Region 2 shall consist of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
3. Region 3 shall consist of Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Arkansas, Puerto Rico, and the Territory of the Virgin Islands of the United States.
4. Region 4 shall consist of California, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
5. Region 5 shall consist of New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
6. Region 6 shall consist of Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

(3) MEMBERSHIP.—The Committee shall be composed of the following members:
(A) REGIONAL REPRESENTATION.—Each of the regions listed in subparagraphs (A) through (F) of paragraph (2) shall be represented on the Committee by 3 members—
(I) one shall have experience as a seafood harvester or processor;
(II) one shall have experience as recreational or commercial fisher or have experience growing seafood; and
(III) one shall be an individual who represents the fisheries science community or the relevant Regional Fishery Management Council; and
(iv) that are selected so that the members of the Committee have experience or expertise with as many seafood species as practicable.”

The NAA Board of Directors is meeting on September 18^th as a regularly scheduled business meeting.  Please respond with your candidates and their resume or curriculum vitae that presents an applicant’s contact information (address, telephone number, email address) and specific qualifications and expertise as referenced in the membership description above by September 12^th to the NAA Office.  Nominations are due to NOAA on September 24^th.

If you have questions or would like to submit a nomination, please do not hesitate to contact or send your nomination to the NAA Office at 850-216-2400 or naa@thenaa.net.