Pacific Fishery Management Council outlines advisory-body conduct, attendance and removal rules

The Pacific Fishery Management Council detailed standards of conduct, attendance rules and removal procedures for advisory-body members during a briefing for newly appointed members.

The guidance, delivered during the council dvisory-body briefing, emphasized the Council Operating Procedures (COPs) and the advisory-body ground rules as the primary references for member responsibilities and decorum. Kelly Ames, deputy director of the Pacific Fishery Management Council, told participants, "Please take the time to familiarize yourself with our website," and reiterated that COPs and related policies are published on the council website.

Why it matters: advisory bodies provide the council with technical and community input used to shape recommendations to the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The council said clear expectations help preserve public confidence in a process that includes commercial and recreational fishermen, processors, charter operators, conservation groups and federal, state and tribal managers.

Council executive director Merrick Burden thanked appointees for their service…