1. Appointment; composition. The Seaweed Fisheries Advisory Council, established by Title 5, section 12004‑I, subsection 57‑H and referred to in this section as "the council," consists of 7 members appointed by the commissioner as follows:
A. Two members who process seaweed or hold either a seaweed permit or seaweed buyer's license;
B. Two members who are seaweed aquaculture lease holders or their designees;
C. One member of the scientific community;
D. One member who harvests seaweed; and
E. One member of the public.
The commissioner shall make appointments so that the composition of the council reflects the diversity of the State's seaweed operations.
2. Purpose. The council shall:
A. Make recommendations to the commissioner on all matters concerning the health of the seaweed resource, its ecosystem and the industry it supports; and
B. Make recommendations to the commissioner regarding expenditures from the Seaweed Management Fund as described in section 6806.
3. Term. The term of a member appointed to the council is 3 years, except that a vacancy during an unexpired term must be filled in the same manner as for the original member for the unexpired portion of the member's term. A member may not serve more than 2 consecutive terms.
4. Officers. The officers of the council are the chair, vice-chair and secretary. The term of the officers is one year. The council shall elect a member of the council for each officer position at the first regular meeting of each year.
5. Meeting. The council shall meet at least once a year. It may also meet at other times at the call of the commissioner.