UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
SPORT FISHING AND BOATING PARTNERSHIP
COUNCIL
CHARTER
- Official Designation: Sport Fishing and
Boating Partnership Council (Council).
- Scope and Objective: The Council will
advise the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) and the
Director of the Service (Director) about aquatic conservation
endeavors that benefit recreational fishery resources and
recrational boating and that encourage partnerships among
industry, the public, and government.
- Duration: The Council is expected to exist
into the foreseeable future. Its continuation is, however,
subject to biennial rechartering in compliance with the requirements
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).
- Official to Whom the Council Reports: The
Council reports to the Secretary through the Director.
- Bureau Responsible for Providing Necessary Support: Support
services for activities of the Council will be provided by
the Service. A Coordinator for the Council will be an employee
of the Service, appointed by the Director.
- Estimated Operating Costs: Funding will
be provided for staff support; Council, delegate, and technical
staff travel; meeting expenses; and products, and will be based
on an annual work plan. Estimated operating costs for the Council
will be $400,000 per year. Operating costs include two person-years
of staff support.
- Description of Duties: The Council's duties
include:
a. assisting the Secretary to comply with the Fish and
Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a-742j);
b. fulfilling responsibilities established by the Executive
Order 12962 for Recreational Fisheries, June 7, 1995;
(1) monitoring specific Federal activities affecting aquatic
systems and the recreational fisheries they support;
(2) reviewing and evaluating the relation of Federal policies
and activities to the status and conditions of recreational
fishery resources;
c. recommending policies or programs to increase public
awareness and support for the Aquatic Resources (Wallop Breaux)
Trust Fund;
d. recommending policies or programs that foster stewardship
and ethics in recreational fishing and boating;
e. recommending policies or programs to stimulate angler
and boater participation in the conservation and restoration
of aquatic resources through outreach and education, and;
f. fostering communication and coordination among government,
industry, anglers, boaters, and the public.
- Allowances: Council members serve without
pay, but are eligible for reimbursement for travel and per
diem expenses while attending Council meetings (in accordance
with 5 U.S.C. 5703). When an alternate attends a meeting in
place of a Council member, the alternate is eligible for reimbursement
of travel and per diem expenses. However, only one reimbursement
claim per Council meeting can submitted; either by the Council
member or by the alternate member, but not both.
- Estimated Number and Frequency of Meetings: The
Council will meet at the call of the Designated Federal Officer
at least twice annually from the date this charter is signed
by the Secretary. Council meetings will be open to the public.
Notice of meetings and Council procedures will conform to Section
10 of FACA.
- Termination Date: The Council is subject
to the provisions of FACA, 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2, and will take
no action unless the charter filing requirements of Section
9 of the Act have been met. The Council is subject to biennial
renewal and will terminate 2 years from the date the charter
is filed, unless, prior to that time, the charter is renewed
in accordance with Section 14 of the Act.
- Council Membership:
a. The Council will consist of no more than 18 memebers
and up to 16 alternates appointed by the Secretary for
2-year terms. The Director, Fish and Wildlife Service and
the President, International Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies (IAFWA), will be ex officio members. the 16 remaining
members will be representatives selected from among, but
no limited to, the following national interest groups:
(1) State fish and wildlife resource management agencies
(member will be a Director of a coastal State if the President
of the IAFWA is from an inland State, or an inland State
if the President of the IAFWA is from a coastal State);
(2) saltwater and freshwater recreational fishing organizations;
(3) recreational boating organizations;
(4) recreational fishing and boating industries;
(5) recreational fishery resources conservation organizations;
(6) aquatic resource outreach and education organizations;
and
(7) tourism industry.
b. Members will be senior-level representatives for recreational
fishing, boating, and aquatic resource in any specific party
matter including a lease, license, permit, contract, claim,
agreement, or related litigation with the Department in which
the member has a direct financial interest.
c. The Designated Federal Officer is the Director, or the
Director's designee.
- Ethics Responsibilities of Members: No Council
or subcommittee member may participate in any specific party
matter including a lease, license, permit, contract, claim,
agreement, or related litigation with the Department in which
the member has a direct financial interest.
- Subcommittees: The Council may establish
such subcommittees as it deems necessary for the purposes of
compiling information or conducting research. Such subcommittees
may not conduct business without the direction of the Council
as a whole and must report to the full council.
- Authority: The Council is renewed in furtherance
of 43 U.S.C. 1457 and provisions of the Fish and Wildlife Act
of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a - 742j).
/sgd/ Gale A. Norton
Secretary of the Interior
March 21, 2006
Date Signed
April 14, 2006
Date Filed
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