§301.10. Louisiana Finfish Task Force

A. There is hereby established the Louisiana Finfish Task Force to study and monitor the finfish industry and to make recommendations to the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and other state agencies for the maximization of benefit from that industry for the state of Louisiana and its citizens.

B. The task force shall be composed as follows:

(1) The governor or his designee.

(2) Three members appointed by the secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries as follows:

(a) One member who is a fisheries biologist.

(b) One member who is an enforcement agent.

(c) One member who is an economist.

(3) The commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry or his designee.

(4) The secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health or his designee.

(5) Three members and three alternate members appointed by the governor each of whom shall possess a commercial fisherman's license with a "certified" endorsement pursuant to R.S. 56:303(E), with three to be selected from a list of six nominees submitted by the Louisiana Shrimp Association and three to be selected from a list of six nominees submitted by the Delta Commercial Fisheries Association.

(6) One member appointed by the governor who is an active Louisiana dock buyer of finfish.

(7) Three members and three alternate members appointed by the governor each of whom shall possess recreational freshwater and saltwater fishing licenses, with four to be selected from a list of eight nominees submitted by the Coastal Conservation Association Louisiana and two to be selected from a list of four nominees submitted by the Louisiana Chapter of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.).

(8) One member of the Senate appointed by the president of the Senate.

(9) One member of the House of Representatives appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives.

C. The members appointed pursuant to the provisions of Paragraphs (B)(l) through (4) of this Section shall be nonvoting members. In addition, they shall not be considered members of the task force for determination of the number of members necessary for a quorum and for establishing the presence of a quorum.

D. The task force shall adopt bylaws under which it shall operate, and five voting members of the task force shall constitute a quorum sufficient to conduct meetings and business of the task force. The governor shall appoint the chairman of the task force for a period of one year, and thereafter the task force shall elect a chairman from its membership and may seek and receive assistance from universities within the state in the development of methods to increase production and marketability of finfish. The members of the task force shall serve without compensation; however, the task force may receive the same reimbursement of travel expenses for attending the meetings as is allowed for other state employees' travel, except all legislative members of the commission shall receive the same per diem and travel allowance for attending meetings of the task force or any meeting thereof as is normally provided for members of the legislature.

E. The task force is hereby charged with responsibility to do the following:

(1) Coordinate efforts to increase finfish production and marketability.

(2) Provide for the study of the decline in finfish marketability and market price, provide for the study of the impacts of imported finfish on the domestic market, assist in the development of a state finfish inspection program, assist in the development of a Louisiana finfish certification and branding program, and make recommendations to the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Louisiana Department of Health for implementation of policies to help enhance the domestic finfish industry.

(3) Make recommendations with respect to issues pertaining to the finfish industry and finfish production to the various state agencies charged with responsibility for differing elements of the finfish industry in this state, including the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Department of Natural Resources, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, the Louisiana Department of Health, the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and the legislature.

(4) Develop markets and marketing strategies for the development and expansion of markets for finfish harvested from Louisiana waters.

(5) Represent the interests of the Louisiana finfish industry before federal and state administrative and legislative bodies on issues of importance to the Louisiana finfish industry.

(6) Contract for legal services to represent the interests of the Louisiana finfish industry in judicial, administrative, and legislative proceedings.

(7) Perform any acts deemed necessary and proper to carry out its duties and responsibilities.

Acts 2014, No. 208, §2; Acts 2016, No. 430, §7.