[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 181 (Thursday, September 17, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58036-58037]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-20489]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XA487]


Nominations for Advisory Committee and Species Working Group 
Technical Advisor Appointments to the U.S. Section to the International 
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of request for nominations.

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SUMMARY: NMFS is soliciting nominations to the Advisory Committee to 
the U.S. Section to the International Commission for the Conservation 
of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) as established by the Atlantic Tunas 
Convention Act (ATCA). NMFS is also soliciting nominations for 
Technical Advisors to the Advisory Committee's species working groups.

DATES: Nominations must be received by October 16, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Nominations, including a letter of interest and a resume or 
curriculum vitae, should be sent via email to Rachel O'Malley at 
rachel.o'[email protected] with a copy to Bryan Keller at 
[email protected]. Include in the subject line whether the 
nomination is for an Advisory Committee member or for a Technical 
Advisor to a species working group.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bryan Keller, Office of International 
Affairs and Seafood Inspection; email: [email protected]; phone: 
301-427-7725.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Convention and the Commission

    ICCAT was established to provide an effective program of 
international cooperation in research and conservation in recognition 
of the unique problems related to the highly migratory nature of tunas 
and tuna-like species. The International Convention for the 
Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (Convention) entered into force in 1969 
after receiving the required number of ratifications. The ICCAT 
Commission usually holds an Annual Meeting in November of each year, 
and convenes meetings of working groups and other ICCAT bodies between 
annual meetings as needed. Under Section 971a of ATCA (16 U.S.C. 971 et 
seq.), the United States is represented on the Commission by not more 
than three U.S. Commissioners. Additional information about the 
Commission is available at www.iccat.int.

Advisory Committee and Species Working Groups to the U.S. Section to 
the ICCAT

    Section 971b of ATCA (16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.) requires that an 
advisory committee be established that shall be comprised of: (1) Not 
less than 5 nor more than 20 individuals appointed by the U.S. 
Commissioners to ICCAT who shall select such individuals from the 
various groups concerned with the fisheries covered by the ICCAT 
Convention; and (2) the chairs (or their designees) of the New England, 
Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico Fishery 
Management

[[Page 58037]]

Councils. Each member of the Advisory Committee appointed under 
paragraph (1) shall serve for a term of 2 years and be eligible for 
reappointment. The Committee meets at least twice a year during which 
members receive information and provide advice on ICCAT-related 
matters. All members of the Advisory Committee are appointed in their 
individual professional capacity and undergo a background screening. 
Any individual appointed to the Committee who is unable to attend all 
or part of an Advisory Committee meeting may not appoint another person 
to attend such meetings as his or her proxy. Members of the Advisory 
Committee shall receive no compensation for their services. The 
Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of State may pay the necessary 
travel expenses of members of the Advisory Committee. The terms of all 
currently appointed Advisory Committee members expire on December 31, 
2020. NMFS is soliciting nominees to serve as members of the Advisory 
Committee for a term of 2 years that will begin January 1, 2021 and 
expire December 31, 2022.
    Section 971b-1 of ATCA specifies that the U.S. Commissioners may 
establish species working groups for the purpose of providing advice 
and recommendations to the U.S. Commissioners and to the Advisory 
Committee on matters relating to the conservation and management of any 
highly migratory species covered by the ICCAT Convention. Any species 
working group shall consist of no more than seven members of the 
Advisory Committee and no more than four Technical Advisors, as 
considered necessary by the Commissioners. Currently, there are four 
species working groups advising the Committee and the U.S. 
Commissioners: A Bluefin Tuna Working Group, a Swordfish/Sharks Working 
Group, a Billfish Working Group, and a Bigeye, Albacore, Yellowfin, and 
Skipjack Tunas Working Group. Technical Advisors to the species working 
groups serve at the pleasure of the Commissioners; therefore, the 
Commissioners can choose to alter these appointments at any time. As 
with Committee Members, Technical Advisors may not be represented by a 
proxy during meetings of the Advisory Committee.

Procedure for Submitting Nominations

    Nominations to the Advisory Committee, or to a species working 
group, should include a letter of interest and a resume or curriculum 
vitae. Self-nominations are acceptable. Letters of recommendation are 
useful but not required. When making a nomination, please specify which 
appointment (Advisory Committee member or Technical Advisor to a 
species working group) is being sought. Nominees may also indicate 
which of the species working groups is preferred, although placement on 
the requested group is not guaranteed.

    Dated: September 13, 2020.
Alexa Cole,
Director, Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-20489 Filed 9-16-20; 8:45 am]
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