Cause of Action Institute sues NOAA For New England Fishery Management Council information on member selection
In its July 13 FOIA request, Cause of Action sought information on how the Secretary of Commerce and NOAA select members in the New England Fishery Management Council, which regulates fishing off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. “The records at issue in this case, which include records of communication between high-ranking agency officials, will permit the public to understand how the most recent round of membership selection for the NEFMC was handled, and whether that process was at all tinged by political considerations or other untoward government action,” the complaint states. Cause of Action claims that NOAA has never disclosed information about how it selects members of the eight regional regulatory councils operating under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and that the membership might not accurately represent the fishing industry. Read the rest here 10:44
I tried to post a comment to the article about Cause of Action’s suit re Council appointments, & it wouldn’t post it up again. Can you put it on there?
Thanks!
Cause of Action should go back more than a few years to see how this process seemingly works! I believe in the past 20 years of the NEFM Council’s existence, of all the sitting members who wished to remain on the Council, the only Council members who were not reappointed were fishermen or their representatives. There is at least one similar case in the MAFMC history.
Coincidence? “Me Thinks Not!”
Jim Kendall – NBSC
Thanks & have a good one;
Jim.