§953 General Advisory Committee and Scientific Advisory Subcommittee

Summary

The Secretary, working with the Secretary of State, must create a General Advisory Committee of up to 25 people who represent the different groups involved in the fisheries covered by the Convention, including conservation organizations, and try to keep a fair balance among those groups. The chair of the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Advisory Subpanel for Highly Migratory Fisheries and the chair of the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Advisory Committee are automatically members. Members serve 3-year terms and can be reappointed. The Committee is invited to all non-executive meetings of the U.S. delegation and may review and speak about proposed programs, reports, recommendations, and regulations. The Committee sets its own organization, rules, and procedures and must publish them. Its meetings are open to the public except executive sessions, and meeting notices must be made public in a timely way. The General Advisory Committee is not subject to chapter 10 of title 5. The Secretary and Secretary of State must give the Committee relevant information and provide needed administrative and technical support. Members serve without pay but get travel expenses under section 5703 of title 5, and they are not federal employees except for injury compensation or tort liability under chapter 81 of title 5 and chapter 171 of title 28. The Secretary, with the Secretary of State, must also appoint a Scientific Advisory Subcommittee of 5 to 15 qualified scientists with balanced public and private representation, including conservation groups. That Subcommittee advises the General Advisory Committee and Commissioners on ecosystem conservation, sustainable use of living marine resources related to the eastern Pacific tuna fishery, and long-term management of stocks in the eastern tropical Pacific. It must, when asked, review Program data (including data from the Inter‑American Tropical Tuna Commission), recommend research needs and gear improvements, take part in scientific reviews and assessments, consult other experts, and suggest ways to ensure timely data sharing among Program parties and national scientific committees. The Subcommittee is invited to nonexecutive U.S. meetings and may attend Inter‑American Tropical Tuna Commission meetings under that Commission’s rules.