Wednesday, May 6, 2015

NOAA Seeks Nominations for IPHC Commissioner Seats

Two-year terms for two current US commissioners for the International Pacific Halibut Commission will expire on Dec. 31, and while they are eligible for reappointment, other nominations are being sought as well.

One of the three U.S. commissioners must be an official with NOAA. That post is currently held by James Balsiger, NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Administrator. Balsiger is also a voting member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Donald Lane, of Homer, Alaska, currently fills the IPHC seat that must be held by an Alaska resident, and Robert Alverson of Washington State currently holds the seat for a non-resident of Alaska.

NOAA Fisheries officials published the call for nominations in the May 5 edition of the Federal Register, and said the nomination period would remain open for 30 days, after which names of all nominees would be posted on the NOAA Alaska regional website, http://alaskfisheries.noaa.gov/.

Commissioners do not receive compensation for their services, but their travel expenses are paid for by the U.S. State Department. Nominations for an Alaska or non-Alaska resident for these seats may be emailed to IPHC2015nominations@noaa.gov, faxed to 1-907-713-2313, or mailed to Patrick Moran, National Marine Fisheries Service Office of International Affairs, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

Once the names of all nominees are posted online, the public may submit comments on them for a period of days. Those comments may be emailed to IPHC2015comments@noaa.gov, faxed to 1-907-586-7249, or mailed to Pete Jones, NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668.

After all nominees are vetted, their names will be forwarded to the Office of the President, with a goal of receiving presidential appointments by Jan. 1, 2016.