Saving Seafood

North Carolina: Open meetings suit filed against Marine Fisheries Commission

April 3, 2018 — An advocacy group for the commercial fishing industry has filed a lawsuit against members of the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission claiming they violated state open meeting laws and showed a lack of transparency and openness.

According to a press release from the N.C. Fisheries Association, State Auditor Beth Wood in February 2016 issued findings in connection with an audit of the Division of Marine Fisheries.

The group quoted the audit’s findings, saying “there have been open meetings laws violated by several members of the commission.”

“Four separate email chains dated January 14, 2015, September 8, 2015, July 20, 2015 and February 10, 2015 that occurred between Marine Fisheries Commission Members,” the auditor’s office stated. “In each instance, the Commission’s legal counsel, Philip Reynolds, stopped the email communication and reminded the commission members about open meeting laws.”

The North Carolina Fisheries Association notified regulators and legislators about the auditor’s findings in 2016.

Although warned, the association alleged the Marine Fisheries Commission continued violating the open meetings laws, culminating with the most recent meeting in Wrightsville Beach, in February 2018.

At that meeting, the commission voted 5-4 to recmmend that the General Assembly change the criteria for commercial fishing licenses, after overwhelming opposition by commercial fishermen, local governments and the public to any changes.

All of the commissioners representing the commercial industry voted against the measure.

Read the full story at the Outer Banks Voice

 

North Carolina Fisheries Association Files Lawsuit Against Marine Fisheries Commission

April 2, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The North Carolina Fisheries Association filed a lawsuit against the Marine Fisheries Commission last week, claiming that the commission violated open meeting laws and lacks transparency and openness.

The lawsuit stems back to 2015 when state auditor Beth Wood found that several members of the commission violated open meeting laws. Wood found four separate email chains from 2015 where the legal counsel for the Marine Fisheries Commission stopped email communication to remind commission members about “open meeting laws.” The North Carolina Fisheries Association notified regulators and legislators about the findings in 2016, and claim that the violations have continued into 2018.

“Open meeting violations by the Marine Fisheries Commission have been an ongoing problem that is well known to many in state government including regulators and legislators,” said North Caroline Fisheries Association Executive Director Glenn Skinner. “While many complain about it, nothing has been done to stop it. Anyone that believes in an open and transparent process should applaud the action we’ve taken. It’s sad that we have to resort to such measures.

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

 

NC Fisheries Association Files Lawsuit Against Marine Fisheries Commission for Lack of Openness and Transparency

March 29, 2018 — MOREHEAD CITY, NC — The following was released by the NC Fisheries Association: 

NC Fisheries Association yesterday filed a lawsuit against the Marine Fisheries Commission for violating open meeting laws and an overall lack of transparency and openness.

In February 2016, North Carolina State Auditor, Beth Wood, issued findings in connection with an audit of the Division of Marine Fisheries. The audit findings included, “there have been open meetings laws violated by several members of the commission.” Also included in the auditor’s findings were, “four separate email chains dated January 14, 2015, September 8, 2015, July 20, 2015 and February 10, 2015 that occurred between Marine Fisheries Commission Members. In each instance, the Commission’s legal counsel, Philip Reynolds, stopped the email communication and reminded the commission members about open meeting laws.”

The North Carolina Fisheries Association notified regulators and legislators about the auditor’s findings in 2016. Although warned, NCFA alleges that the Marine Fisheries Commission continued violating the open meetings laws culminating with the most recent meeting in Wrightsville Beach, NC in February of 2018. The result was a 5-4 vote recommending the General Assembly change the criteria for commercial fishing licenses. The close vote came after overwhelming opposition to any changes and with all three commercial fishing commissioners voting against the measure.

“Open meeting violations by the Marine Fisheries Commission have been an ongoing problem that is well known to many in state government including regulators and legislators. While many complain about it, nothing has been done to stop it. Anyone that believes in an open and transparent process, should applaud the action we’ve taken. It’s sad that we have to resort to such measures,” said Glenn Skinner, NC Fisheries Association Executive Director.

NC Fisheries Association (NCFA) is a non-profit organization promoting sustainable fisheries Since 1952.

Commercial fishermen established the NCFA to serve fishing families by protecting their heritage and promoting seafood. To achieve this, NCFA actively lobbies local, state, and federal policymakers on behalf of the industry and engages in many outreach and education projects.

View the release in its entirety here.