Pacific Fishery Management Council lays out advisory body rules, travel and tech procedures at 2025 briefing

The Pacific Fishery Management Council told newly appointed advisory body members at a 2025 all-advisory-body briefing that they must follow the council operating procedures, request alternates at least 30 days before meetings, file travel reimbursements through Concur and use the council’s RingCentral platforms for virtual meetings.

Kelly Ames, deputy director of the Pacific Fishery Management Council, opened the session and summarized the council’s primary rules and online tools, saying that “the COPs are the primary reference for the day to day operations of the council and its advisory bodies.”

Why it matters: Advisory bodies supply the council with the technical and constituency-based advice that informs fishery management recommendations to the National Marine Fisheries Service. Council staff emphasized adherence to procedural rules and digital platforms to ensure efficient administration of meetings, travel and public materials across the large geographic scope of the council’s jurisdiction.

Council operating procedures and behavior standards

Merrick Burden, the council’s executive director, framed the advisory role as central to council decisions and noted the scale and stakes of the work. “What sets our council…