FRA REQUESTS REMOVAL OF THREE GULF COUNCIL MEMBERS
Date posted: January 27, 2015
An FRA member recently discovered information which has lead to the following:
In a letter today, The Fishing Rights Alliance has requested that the Secretary of Commerce remove three members from the Gulf Council for their failure to disclose Board of Director positions with a commercial advocacy and lobbying organization, in clear violation of the Magnuson Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act as reauthorized in 2007, known as Magnuson.
Gulf Council members Corky Perrett (Miss), Harlon Pearce (La) and John Greene, Jr. (Ala) are on the Board of Directors of The Gulf Seafood Institute, whose lobbying efforts are made clear on their website.
Perret, Pearce and Greene violated Magnuson failure to disclose their Director positions on their NOAA Form 88-195 Statement of Financial Interests which states “It is unlawful for an affected individual to knowingly and willfully fail to disclose, or to falsely disclose, any financial interest as required by the Magnuson Stevens Act or to knowingly vote on a Council decision in violation of this Act. In addition to the criminal penalties applicable, a violation of this provision may result in removal from Council or SSC membership.”
Applicable criminal penalties are defined in Title 18 › Part I › Chapter 11 › § 216, which reads in part:
(1) Whoever engages in the conduct constituting the offense shall be imprisoned for not more than one year or fined in the amount set forth in this title, or both.
(2) Whoever willfully engages in the conduct constituting the offense shall be imprisoned for not more than five years or fined in the amount set forth in this title, or both.
(b) The Attorney General may bring a civil action in the appropriate United States district court against any person who engages in conduct constituting an offense under section 203, 204, 205, 207, 208, or 209 of this title…………
The FRA has asked each of the three to resign their positions today and leave the Gulf Council meeting currently in session in Point Clear, AL. They have clearly violated Magnuson and should not be voting on any issue before the Council.
Read the letter here. See the disclosure statements for Corky Perrett, John Greene, Jr. and Harlon Pearce here.
Help the FRA continue to hold fisheries officials accountable for their actions. Join the FRA or contribute to the cause today!
