§331. Crab Task Force

A. There is hereby established the Crab Task Force to advise the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission on matters pertaining to the management and development of the crab industry in Louisiana.

B. The Crab Task Force shall be composed of twenty members appointed by the secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries as follows:

(1) Four crab dealers or processors.

(2) Two soft shell crab producers.

(3) Seven commercial hard crab fishermen.

(4) One biologist appointed from the LSU Agricultural Center Sea Grant program.

(5) One marine biologist appointed from the faculty of a Louisiana university.

(6) One marine biologist appointed from the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

(7) One enforcement agent appointed from the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

(8) One attorney appointed from the LSU Sea Grant program.

(9) One fisheries economist from Louisiana State University.

(10) One economist appointed from the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

C. The members listed in Paragraphs (1) through (3) of Subsection B of this Section shall be voting members. The members listed in Paragraphs (4) through (10) of Subsection B of this Section shall not vote.

D. The task force shall adopt bylaws under which it shall operate, and seven members of the task force shall constitute a quorum sufficient to conduct meetings and business of the task force. 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 the production and marketability of crabs.

E. Members of the task force shall serve without compensation.

F. The members appointed by the secretary shall as near as practicable represent diverse geographic areas according to statistical crab fishing license data. The members appointed by the secretary shall be subject to Senate confirmation.

Acts 2001, No. 57, §2, eff. May 24, 2001; Acts 2006, No. 247, §1.