[§148D-1] Establishment of the Hawaii aquaculture advisory council; membership. There is established within the department of agriculture the Hawaii aquaculture advisory council, hereinafter referred to as the council, for the purpose of advising the board of agriculture on matters relating to aquaculture and the coordination of aquaculture activities among the various federal, state, and county agencies and private industry. The council shall be composed of thirteen voting members, and no more than ten nonvoting members, as follows:
(1) Six shall be voting ex officio members to consist of the chairperson of the board of agriculture, the director of business, economic development, and tourism, the chairperson of the board of land and natural resources, the dean of the college of tropical agriculture and human resources, the director of the sea grant college program, and the chairperson of the Hawaiian homes commission; or their designated representatives;
(2) Six shall be voting members representing state aquaculture producers and private aquaculture consultants and appointed by the governor pursuant to section 26-34;
(3) One shall be a voting member appointed by the governor pursuant to section 26-34 and selected from the State's aquaculture support industries such as feed manufacturing, marketing, and aquaculture equipment engineering; and
(4) There shall be no more than ten nonvoting ex officio members to consist of the respective economic development officers or other officials as designated by the respective mayors of the city and county of Honolulu, the county of Hawaii, the county of Maui, and the county of Kauai, and may include the director of health, the director of the University of Hawaii's Hawaii institute of marine biology, the director of the aquatic resources division of the department of land and natural resources, the state marine affairs advisor, the administrator of the office of Hawaiian affairs, and any other members deemed appropriate and appointed by the chairperson of the Hawaii aquaculture coordinating council.
The chairperson of the board of agriculture shall serve as the chairperson of the council. All members of the council shall serve without compensation but shall be entitled to reimbursement for necessary expenses while attending meetings and while in the discharge of duties and responsibilities of the council. [L 1998, c 176, pt of §2]