On March 16, 2011, the Secretary of Commerce announced that the Special Master would be opening a temporary appeal window to allow fishermen and businesses to submit complaints to him. His Secretarial Decision Memorandum provided important details on criteria for case eligibility, application process, and the review process for the Special Master. This decision allowed certain individuals and companies that did not previously submit complaints to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) to apply for Special Master review. All persons or companies who wished to avail themselves of Special Master review were advised to submit their complaints directly to the Special Master in accordance with the application process detailed in the Memorandum. That temporary appeal window ended on May 6.

Information about the issue, including the Secretary's May 17 decision memo and the Special Master's final report, is available on NOAA's website at http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2011/20110517_enforcement.html.

The OIG Hotline remains available for the receipt of any complaint of fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement involving NOAA or other Department of Commerce programs or operations.