Council Members
The Council has 13 voting members and three non-voting members. A chair and four vice chairs (one from Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa and the CNMI) are elected annually by the Council members.
Council members must balance competing interests while trying to make decisions for the overall benefit of the nation. Council members are advised by the Council’s advisory panels and committees, Council staff, the public, states and territories, academia and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
Eight of the members are private citizens who are familiar with the commercial and/or non-commercial fisheries, marine conservation or both. They are appointed by the Secretary of Commerce from lists submitted by the Governors of each of the island areas:
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Nathan Ilaoa American Samoa Dept. of Marine & Wildlife Resources (Designated) Chair |
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Roger Dang Fresh Island Fish Co. (2023-2026, Hawaii, at-large) Vice Chair |
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Edgar Feliciano Feli Fisheries Inc. (2025-2028, American Samoa, at-large) |
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Pedro “Pete” Itibus Fisherman (2023-2026, CNMI, at-large) |
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Francisco “Frank” Perez AC Sales and Service (2024-2027, Guam, obligatory) |
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Matt Ramsey Conservation International (2024-2027, Hawaii, obligatory) |
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Jesse Rosario Guam Fishermen’s Cooperative Assn (2025-2028, Guam, at-large) |
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William Sword American Samoa Power Authority (2025-2028, American Samoa, obligatory) Vice Chair |
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Gerald “Gene” Weaver Tasi to Table (2023-2026, CNMI, obligatory) |
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Sylvan Igisomar CNMI Dept. of Lands and Natural Resources (Designated) Vice Chair |
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Chelsa Muña Guam Dept. of Agriculture (Designated) Vice Chair |
Four designated state officials:
- Sylvan Igisomar, CNMI Dept. of Lands & Natural Resources, Secretary
- Nathan Ilaoa, American Samoa Dept. of Marine & Wildlife Resources, Director
- Ryan Kanaka‘ole, Hawaii Dept. of Land & Natural Resources, Acting Chair
- Chelsa Muña, Guam Dept. of Agriculture, Director
Four designated federal officials:
- Sarah Malloy, Pacific Islands Regional Office, National Marine Fisheries Service, Regional Administrator
- Jeremy Raynal, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Biologist
- RADM Sean Regan, U.S. Coast Guard Oceania District, District Commander
- Rachel Ryan, U.S. Department of State, Office of Marine Conservation, Senior Pacific Affairs Officer
Standing Committees
- American Samoa Archipelago
- TBD, Chair
- Jeremy Raynal
- William Sword
- Enforcement & VMS
- Frank Perez, Chair
- Sylvan Igisomar
- Chelsa Muña
- RADM Sean Regan
- William Sword
- Executive & Budget
- Nathan Ilaoa, Chair
- William Sword, Vice Chair, AS
- Sylvan Igisomar, Vice Chair, CNMI
- Chelsa Muña, Vice Chair, GU
- Roger Dang, Vice Chair, HI
- Fishery Rights of Indigenous People
- TBD, Chair
- Pedro Itibus
- Chelsa Muña
- Matt Ramsey
- William Sword
- Gene Weaver
- Hawaii Archipelago & PRIA
- Matt Ramsey, Chair
- Roger Dang
- Ryan Kanaka‘ole
- Jeremy Raynal
- Legislative
- TBD, Chair
- Sylvan Igisomar
- Chelsa Muña
- Mariana Archipelago
- TBD, Co-chair
- Gene Weaver, Co-chair
- Sylvan Igisomar
- Pedro Itibus
- Chelsa Muña
- Frank Perez
- Jeremy Raynal
- Military Expansion
- Sylvan Igisomar, Co-chair
- Chelsa Muña, Co-chair
- Pedro Itibus
- Frank Perez
- Gene Weaver
- Pelagic & International
- Roger Dang, Chair
- Sarah Malloy
- Frank Perez
- RADM Sean Regan
- Program Planning & Research
- Matt Ramsey, Acting Chair
- Sarah Malloy
- Gene Weaver
- Protected Species
- Chelsa Muña, Chair
- Roger Dang
- Sylvan Igisomar
- Pedro Itibus
- Sarah Malloy
- Jeremy Raynal
Financial Disclosures for Nominated Members: