Final Rule: Clarify Guidance on Council Members' Financial Disclosures and Voting Recusals

NOAA Fisheries published a final rule with changes to the regulations that address procedures to make determinations on voting recusals of council members appointed to the eight Regional Fishery Management Councils. The councils are key partners in the regional, science-based, and transparent fishery management process.

The Regional Council system was designed to allow regional, participatory governance by knowledgeable people with a stake in fishery management. These regulatory changes provide guidance to ensure consistency and transparency in the calculation of a council member’s financial interests, determine whether a close causal link exists between a council decision and a benefit to a council member’s financial interest, and to establish regional procedures for preparing and issuing recusal determinations.

The final rule was published in the Federal Register on September 11, 2021