Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (Committee Renewal)

SUMMARY:

The Department of State announces the renewal of the Charter for the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) for an additional two years. The Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section of the IATTC may be terminated only by law. In accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), a new Charter must be issued on a biennial basis from the date the current Charter was approved and filed with Congress and the Library of Congress.

The IATTC was established pursuant to the Convention for the Establishment of an Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, signed in 1949. The purpose of the IATTC is to conserve and manage the fisheries and associated resources of the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. The United States is represented to the IATTC by the U.S. Section, which includes four Presidentially-appointed Commissioners and a Department of State representative.

The General Advisory Committee to the United States Section of the IATTC was established pursuant to Section 4 of the Tuna Conventions Act of 1950 (16 U.S.C. 953, as amended), the implementing statute for the IATTC Convention. The goal of the Advisory Committee is to serve the U.S. Section to the IATTC, including the Department of State, as advisors on matters relating to international conservation and management of stocks of tuna and dolphins in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, and in particular to provide recommendations on the development of U.S. policy associated with such matters.

The Committee is composed of representatives of the major U.S. tuna harvesting, processing, and marketing sectors, as well as recreational fishing and environmental interests, formulating specific policy recommendations for the U.S. Section to the IATTC.

The Advisory Committee will continue to follow the procedure prescribed by the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). Notice of meetings is published in the Federal Register in advance as required by FACA and meetings are open to the public unless a determination is made in accordance with Section l0 of the FACA that a meeting or a portion of the meeting should be closed to the public.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

David F. Hogan, IATTC GAC Designated Federal Official, Office of Marine Conservation, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC 20520, Phone: 202-647-2335.