The rationale for adding North Carolina to the Mid-Atlantic Council is the effect of the Council's actions on numerous North Carolina fishermen. One issue NMFS has already faced is whether to wait for the normal appointment cycle to add the public member from North Carolina. NMFS decided to proceed as quickly as possible to get at least three nominees from the Governor and make the appointment. The first revision adds the new Indian representative to appropriate subsections. The tribal governments are to submit a list of at least three individuals, pursuant to regulations to be promulgated by the Secretary.
Representation is to be rotated among the tribes.
The Secretary may use a previous nomination list to fill a vacancy within a term. The violation is to knowingly and willfully fail to disclose, or falsely disclose, any financial interest, or to knowingly vote on a Council decision from which the member should have been recused. The violation is also punishable with a civil penalty. Don Young's floor statement suggests a narrower definition of a Federally recognized fishing right. This interpretation does not fit well with the actual language used in the statute for three reasons.