CIE conflict of interest disclosure form

INDEPENDENT PEER REVIEW SYSTEM FOR STOCK ASSESSMENTS AND RELATED MANAGEMENT
CONDUCTED BY NMFS
LACK OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

Background and Purpose
The Center for Independent Experts (CIE), administered by Northern Taiga Ventures, Inc. (NTVI)1,
conducts external peer reviews of stock assessments and other science products underlying living marine resource
management advice for resources for which the NMFS has responsibility. Generally, review activities take one of
two forms: (a) review of an existing stock assessment or other NMFS science product, or (b) review through active
participation in a stock assessment working group or a review committee such as those NMFS has in place. It is of
utmost concern that the specific input provided by the CIE reviewers be unbiased. This means that the selected
individuals will provide their expert advice free from the influence of government managers, the fishing industry, or
any other interest group. For this reason, anyone who has
(a) received or has been approved any funds in the past three years, or is seeking funds or employment
from sources with vested interests in resources for which NMFS has stewardship responsibilities (This
applies to both funds or employment directly obtained from industry or environmental groups,
nongovernmental organizations, trust funds, foundations, or other entities with vested interests, as well
as to funds or employment from the same sources but indirectly obtained through an organization
without vested interests such as a university contract or grant.);
(b) received any funds in the past three years, has been approved for funds, or is seeking funds from
NOAA or states and municipalities with vested interests in resources for which NMFS has stewardship
responsibilities via a sole-source contract or other non-competitive award, or is seeking employment
from NMFS;
(c) received any funds in the past three years, has been approved for funds, or is seeking funds or
employment from any entity that is a party to litigation involving the resources for which NMFS has
stewardship responsibilities;
(d) family members who have received any funds in the past three years, have been approved for funds, or
are seeking funds or employment from groups described in parts (a), (b), or (c) above;
(e) a well-formed position or history of advocacy for a specific viewpoint on a subject relevant to the
review*; or
(f) a perceived potential conflict of interest in the specific issue/fishery being reviewed, which may
adversely affect the perception of impartiality of the review
shall not be eligible to be a reviewer with this program.

Assurance of Lack of Conflict
I, ___________________________, do not possess any said attributes that would be considered a conflict of interest
associated with my work as a reviewer for ________________________________________.
When assigned a specific review task under this program, I will notify UM if there are any other reasons why I
would be unable to provide an unbiased review.
Signed ___________________________________.
1

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Date ______________.

Contact: M. Shivlani, NTVI, 10600 SW 131 Court, Miami, FL 33186. Email: [email protected]

The individual shall provide the Center of Independent Experts with a curriculum vita that contains all professional activities,
publications, and affiliations, along with other material – including participation in litigation involving resources over which
NMFS has stewardship responsibilities – that may assist in determining whether the individual possesses an advocacy-based or
perceived potential conflict of interest.