Feds To Audit Wespac’s Handling Of Pacific Tuna Fund
The move by the inspector general comes after a Civil Beat investigation and request from four congressmen.
The managers of a federal fisheries fund that gets its money from Hawaii鈥檚 commercial tuna fishermen are the target of a forthcoming audit, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce .
The office announced this week that it will be determining if the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council properly handled grants from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration鈥檚 Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund.
The fund was the subject of a three-part Civil Beat investigation, published in June, that raised questions about conflicts of interest, lax oversight and lack of transparency. It also found some of the projects paid for by the grants have been languishing.
In September, U.S. Rep. Ed Case of Hawaii and three other congressmen on the House Natural Resources Committee asked the inspector general for a comprehensive audit of the millions of dollars that have flowed through the fund over the past several years.
Case said in a statement Friday that he appreciated the inspector general鈥檚 understanding of the seriousness of their concerns with Wespac鈥檚 handling of the fund and the need for an independent audit.
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鈥淚 trust that Wespac will similarly understand the seriousness of this audit and of the Natural Resources Committee鈥檚 commitment to exercise full oversight over our fisheries management councils including Wespac, and will fully cooperate with the Inspector General鈥檚 review,鈥 he said.
Wespac Executive Director Kitty Simonds and the council鈥檚 spokeswoman, Sylvia Spalding, did not return messages seeking comment for this story.
Specifically, the inspector general will be investigating if the council claimed allowable, allocable and reasonable costs under the grant awards and if it received the goods and services paid for by the grants.
The audit will also determine whether NOAA provided adequate oversight and monitoring.
The Wednesday letter to Simonds from Carol Rice, assistant inspector general, does not mention the request for an audit from members of Congress. It just says the fund was selected for an audit and that her office will be reaching out to to begin the process.
Read the full letter below.
