BY-LAWS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF FISHERIES ECONOMISTS

As Amended by the NAAFE Board of Directors

May 19, 2015

 

SECTION 1. PURPOSE

The purpose of the North American Association of Fisheries Economists (hereinafter referred to as NAAFE) shall be to facilitate communication among North American fisheries and aquaculture economists in industry, academia, government and other areas; to promote dialogue between economists and others interested in fisheries and aquaculture; and to advance fisheries and aquaculture economics and its useful applications.

 

SECTION 2. QUALIFICATIONS OF MEMBERS

Membership in the Association is open to any individual or Institution upon payment of a membership fee as set by the NAAFE Board of Directors. A quorum for member meetings shall be those present and those participating in an election, and actions shall be taken by approval of a majority of those members in attendance and participating. An election of officers may comprise the annual general meeting in odd-numbered years. In even numbered years, the Board may elect to direct the Executive Director to prepare and circulate to all members an annual report, in lieu of a meeting. Circulation of documents and ballots may be in print or by telecommunication. Any written ballots will comply with Oregon Revised Statute 65.222

 

SECTION 3. TERM OF MEMBERSHIP YEAR

The membership year begins at the end of the biennial Forum; membership fees shall normally be collected for a two-year period from Forum participants.

 

SECTION 4. BIENNIAL FISHERIES ECONOMICS FORUM

The membership will meet every other year at a location determined by the Board of Directors, alternating among different regions of North America.

 

SECTION 5: BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The North American Association of Fisheries Economists shall be governed by a Board of Directors, consisting of a President, President-Elect, Treasurer and two additional members. The 2 President and President-Elect will be elected by the membership. The Treasurer will be selected by the Board of Directors itself, from among its three non-presidential members. The PresidentElect will serve as Board Secretary.

 

SECTION 6: ELECTION OF BOARD MEMBERS

The Board of Directors shall establish a Nominating Committee to request nominations and conduct elections. The Board of Directors shall be elected by a vote of the membership every two years, for a term of four years, in alternating groups of two and three members. The President Elect shall serve the first 2 years of his/her term as president-elect, then become president for the final 2 years. The treasurer will be selected from among the Board members. In order to establish the rotation, the initial election will select three officers for 4 year terms and 2 officers for 2 year terms. New officers shall take office at the end of the Forum following their election. Elections may be held by printed ballot or by telecommunication. The nominating committee will resolve any tied results in an election of Board members by chance.

 

SECTION 7. QUORUM OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

A majority of the total number of Board of Directors will constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Action by the Board may be taken by affirmative vote of a majority of those in attendance. Any regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors may be held by telephone or telecommunications so long as all directors participating may simultaneously hear each other during the meeting.

 

SECTION 8. AMENDMENT OF THE BY-LAWS

The by-laws may be amended by vote of four members of the Board of Directors.

 

SECTION 9. BUSINESS OFFICE

A Business Office shall be established to carry out the daily business of the organization.​​​​​​​

 

SECTION 10. AFFILIATION WITH OTHER PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

The Board of Directors may vote to establish an affiliation with other professional organizations such as the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade (IIFET). The Board shall determine the purpose and nature of such affiliations.

Link to Oregon Revised Statute 65.222 (ORS 65.222)​​​​​​​

 

POLICY ON MEMBERSHIP AND SELECTION OF NAAFE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

(Amended and approved May 24, 2005, revised May 2015)​​​​​​​

Payment of NAAFE dues entitles the payer to two years’ membership beginning at one biennial Forum and continuing through the following Forum. Individuals may also join NAAFE for a single year period between Forums by completing a membership form and paying one year’s dues to the NAAFE Business Office.

Directors must be NAAFE members. They are elected by the NAAFE membership and serve four-year terms. To provide continuity, new Board members are elected in groups of two and three, every two years. At least 6 months prior to the election (or 9 months prior to the Forum) the NAAFE President will appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of three NAAFE members. The Nominating Committee will prepare a slate of potential officers by generating their own recommendations and seeking nominations from the general NAAFE Membership. A general solicitation for nominations may be sent by the Business Office to the NAAFE membership at the request of the nominating committee. The Nominating Committee will seek permission from the candidates to include their names on the ballot. The Nominating Committee will provide the complete, approved slate to the Business Office at least one month prior to the election date.

The slate must include at least two candidates for President elect, and an adequate number of candidates to fill either one or two Board Member positions. The nominating committee and Business Office, in designing the ballot, will ensure that, whatever the outcome, there will be at least one Board member each from Canada, Mexico, and the USA, a President, and a PresidentElect, among the five Board Members.

The election will be carried out by the Business Office in an efficient manner which will ensure fairness and adequate privacy. The election must take place at least three months prior to the biennial NAAFE Forum. Elected officers are installed at the end of that Forum; their terms continue through the NAAFE Forum held 4 years after their election.

Should a tie occur in an election of Board members, the nominating committee and Executive Director will resolve the tie by chance, using the following method (the “blind coin flip”): the Executive Director assigns the two tied candidates, one as “heads” and the other “tails”. The assignment is kept secret. The Nominating Committee Chair flips a coin and informs the Executive Director whether the coin lands with heads or tails up. The Executive Director will then inform the Chair of the winner’s name.

 

NAAFE BEST STUDENT PAPER AWARD POLICY

(Approved April 27, 2011)​​​​​​​

The NAAFE Board of Directors hereby establishes the NAAFE Best Student Paper Award. The purpose of this award is to recognize the most outstanding paper presented by a graduate student at the biennial NAAFE Forum. The award shall be in the amount of US $500.

Procedure:

The NAAFE Director, in consultation with the NAAFE President, shall determine if there are sufficient funds to support the award a year before the conference. If funds are insufficient, the Board may elect not to grant the award, or to grant it with no funds attached. If the award is to be granted, the NAAFE President shall form a Best Student Paper Award Review Committee of three members, at least one of whom (the Chair) shall be a member of the Board, approximately 10 months before the biennial Forum. Notifications of the award and the pertinent deadlines shall be included in announcements for the conference issued by the NAAFE Business Office and the Conference Organizer and shall be made independently by other available means. To compete for the award, students must submit their abstracts through the normal submission process, and the abstract must be accepted for presentation at the Forum. If necessary, early review of student abstracts will be arranged.​​​​​​​

To be eligible for the award, individuals must either be currently enrolled in a graduate program or have completed a degree program no more than 24 months prior to the submission deadline. The paper must be accompanied by a letter from the student's department chair or major advisor attesting to the applicant's student status, and also attesting that the student is the primary author of the paper and is primarily responsible for its intellectual content, and that the paper reflects the student's own research, analysis, and writing. Students may submit a paper that has already been published provided that it was published less than one year prior to the date of the NAAFE Forum to which it is being submitted and provided that the paper has not already been presented at a previous NAAFE Forum or IIFET Conference. The NAAFE Business Office will forward papers to the Best Student Paper Award Review committee with authors' names removed so that the review is "blind."

The committee will select the best paper using the standard criteria for refereeing papers in academic journals. Selection of the winning paper will be based on creativity, originality, and contribution to theory, methods and/or application. The committee will inform the conference organizer and the NAAFE Business Office of their selection two months prior to the conference; all contestants will be informed of the results as soon as possible. If no suitable paper is submitted, the Committee may elect not to grant the award in a particular biennium. The Committee may also elect to offer one or more honorable mentions at its discretion. Honorable mentions will receive a certificate, and be announced at the conference, but no cash award will be attached. The NAAFE Business Office will inform all applicants and the general public of the committee selections. The cash award will be made to the winning student at the biennial Forum. The winning paper, and any papers receiving honorable mentions, must be presented at the 5 conference, preferably by the student author. If the student author is unable to participate, the paper may be presented by a co-author.