Request for Nominations: U.S. Commissioners to Regional Fisheries Management Organizations

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NOAA Fisheries is seeking nominations for qualified individuals to serve as non-government U.S. commissioners to eight regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs):

• • Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC)
  • International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
  • International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC)
  • Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO)
  • North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO)
  • North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC)
  • South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO)
  • Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC)

These are all RFMOs in which NOAA has discretion to nominate candidates for commissioner. The United States participates in several RFMOs, which are treaty-based bodies that play a critical role in the global system of fisheries governance. They are the primary way we achieve cooperation between and among fishing nations to ensure the sustainable conservation and management of shared fish stocks and other living marine resources.

Commissioners participate in meetings and delegations to help develop and support the United States’ positions on the conservation and management of shared living marine resources.

NOAA Fisheries is committed to increasing the diversity of stakeholder voices that represent the United States in our international fisheries engagements, and promoting representation of underserved communities in the pool of potential candidates for appointment as non-government U.S. commissioners to RFMOs.

We are seeking nominations for:

• IATTC: Up to three U.S. commissioners who are not an officer or employee of the Department of Commerce. Not more than two U.S. commissioners may be appointed who reside in a State other than a State whose vessels maintain a substantial fishery in the area of the Convention. Nomination packages for these positions should provide details of the nominee’s knowledge and experience relative to highly migratory fish stocks in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, as well as current state of residence.
• ICCAT: Up to two U.S. commissioners who are not salaried employees of any State or political subdivision, or the Federal Government. Nomination packages for these positions should provide details of the nominee’s knowledge and experience relative to commercial and/or recreational fishing, in particular for tuna, tuna-like species and other highly migratory species, in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, or Caribbean Sea.
• IPHC: Up to two U.S. commissioners who are not officials of NOAA. Nomination packages for these positions should provide details of the nominee’s knowledge and experience relative to Pacific halibut, as well as current state of residence.
• NAFO: One U.S. commissioner who is not an official of the Government. Nomination packages for this position should provide details of the nominee’s knowledge and experience relative to the fishery resources to which the Convention applies, specifically as it relates to representing the commercial fishing industry.
• NASCO: Up to two U.S. commissioners who are not officials of the U.S. Government. Nomination packages for these positions should provide details of the nominee’s knowledge and experience relative to the conservation and management of salmon of U.S. origin.
• NPAFC: Up to two U.S. commissioners who are not officials of the U.S. Government. Nomination packages for these positions should provide details of the nominee’s knowledge and experience relative to the anadromous stocks and ecologically-related species of the North Pacific Ocean, as well as current state of residence. Note that to be considered for appointment, individuals must be a resident of the State of Alaska or the State of Washington.
• SPRFMO: One U.S. commissioner who is knowledgeable or experienced concerning fishery resources in the South Pacific Ocean, and who is not an official of the U.S. Government or the selected commissioner representative of the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council. Nomination packages for this position should provide details of the nominee’s knowledge and experience relative to the fishery resources in the South Pacific Ocean.
• WCPFC: Up to two U.S. commissioners who are not officers or employees of the Department of Commerce or the selected commissioner representative of the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council or Pacific Fishery Management Council. Nomination packages for this position should provide details of the nominee’s knowledge and experience relative to highly migratory fish stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.

Current commissioners interested in continuing to serve when eligible, and who wish to be included in the pool of qualified candidates going forward may, but are not required to, indicate their interest through self-nomination or through nomination by another individual or group.

Nomination packages should note the relevant RFMO(s) for consideration and include a resume or curriculum vitae that documents that individual's qualifications and state of residence. Self-nominations are acceptable. Letters of recommendation/support are useful but not required.

Nominations should be submitted by July 8, 2022 to: nmfs.rfmo@noaa.gov

Additional details on this process and candidate qualifications for each RFMO can be found in the Federal Register notice.