Constitution

Article 1.

1. The name of the organisation shall be The Irish Elasmobranch Group (here after referred to as the group).
2. With the consent of the Professor, or acting head of Department the address of the group shall be c/o Zoology Department, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland.

Article 2.
The aims of the group shall be as follows:

1. Advancing the conservation of sharks, rays and rabbitfish in Irish and International waters for the public benefit.
2. Education.
3. Promoting and disseminating research into elasmobranchs in Ireland.
4. Seeking to achieve sustainable management of Irish Elasmobranch stocks.
5. Preventing duplication of effort and improving communications between researchers in Ireland and abroad.
6. To engage in fund raising ventures to promote the above aims.
7. To conduct meetings, lectures, films, discussions and other conventional means to achieve the above aims.
8. To participate in and support relevant conferences and meetings.
9. To produce documents on aspects of the work of the group.

Article 3.
Three forms of membership of the group shall exist.

1. Ordinary membership shall be open to anyone with an interest, whether professional or recreational in Elasmobranch fish, on payment of an annual fee to be set by the group at its A.G.M.
2. Affiliate membership shall be open to any organisation with aims compatible with those of the group, on payment of an annual fee to be set by the group at its A.G.M.
3. Honorary membership may be awarded by the group in exceptional circumstances, to persons for outstanding service to the group or to the aims of the group.

Article 4.

1. The affairs of the group shall be managed by a committee of Officers (herein referred to as the committee) elected annually from among the paid-up ordinary members and representatives of affiliate organisations.
2. The President of the group shall be appointed by the committee of the previous year, prior to the Annual General Meeting at which the committee’s term of office expires. The President’s term shall be from their appointment to the just prior to the A.G.M. of the group the following year. Should the President’s position become vacant the committee shall co-opt a suitable person to fill the position for the remainder of the term.
3. The group shall elect from among its members the following officers, Chairperson, Secretary/Publicity Officer and Treasurer.
4. The Chairman, Secretary/Publicity Officer and Treasurer shall be members of the group for at least two years. The committee shall meet on a regular basis to carry out the business of the group. Any officer who fails without prior reasonable explanation to the Secretary, to attend two consecutive meetings as described, shall be deemed to have resigned their position. In the event of a resignation from the committee, an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called, to elect officers to fill the vacancy.

The following duties shall be ascribed to the officers of the committee:

1. The Chairperson shall be ultimately responsible for the functioning of the society. (S)he shall preside over all meetings (committee, ordinary and general) of the society. (S)he shall arrange for the reception of guest speakers, their transport, accommodation, entertainment, etc. (S)he shall, with the help of the Secretary/Publicity Officer, arrange the agenda of all the meetings of the group. (S)he shall countersign all cheques drawn on the group’s account.
2. The Secretary/Publicity Officer shall be solely responsible for the official correspondence of the group, in accordance with the aims of the group. (S)he shall, with the help of the Chairman arrange agenda for all the meetings of the group. (S)he shall convene all meetings (committee, ordinary, general) of the group and ensure that a suitable venue and all necessary aids are available. (S)he shall arrange for the efficient advertising of all group events.
3. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the finance in accordance with the aims of the group. (S)he shall collect members’ subscriptions and donations and maintain a list of all their names. (S)he shall recruit new members at all times. (S)he shall be responsible for all the financial transactions of the group and outside bodies. (S)he shall approve in principal all cheques drawn on the group’s account. (S)he shall present an annual account of the society’s finances and expenditures to the group.

Article 5.
1. Annual General Meeting:

1. An A.G.M. shall be held once a year. A period of not less than two hours shall be made available for the A.G.M. The Secretary shall give at least three weeks prior notice of the A.G.M. to the members.
2. The election of the Committee of the Officers (composed of 3 ordinary members of the group) shall take place at the A.G.M. Candidates for election, must give their names, together with those of a proposer and seconder (both members of the group), in writing to the Secretary at least two weeks prior to the A.G.M. Members present at the meeting may vote by straight vote or in a public or secret ballot for the three (and only three) officer positions.
3. Motions to change the constitution shall be debated at the A.G.M. Such motions, proposed and seconded by members of the society, should be submitted in writing to the Secretary/Publicity Officer at least two weeks prior to the A.G.M. All such motions must be put before the members at the A.G.M.
4. All other motions, proposed and seconded by ordinary members at the A.G.M. shall be debated by the members present.
5. The quorum for an A.G.M. shall be one quarter of the ordinary membership of the group.
6. A majority of two thirds of the vote at an A.G.M. shall be required to amend the constitution.

2. Extraordinary General Meeting

1. An E.G.M. of the group may be called by the committee or at the request of one quarter of the ordinary members of the group.
2. In the event of a resignation from the committee, an E.G.M. shall be called to hold an election to fill the position.
3. Motions to amend the constitution, at times other than an A.G.M., submitted to the Secretary/Publicity Officer in the prescribed manner shall, if the committee considers it necessary, be put before the members at a specially convened E.G.M.
4. Once an E.G.M. has been called, a date, no later than two weeks from then, shall be fixed for it and an agenda circulated to the members.
5. The required quorum voting procedure for an E.G.M. shall be the same as for an A.G.M.

3. Ordinary Meetings:

1. Ordinary meetings will be held on a regular basis, where possible at venues all around Ireland. An ordinary meeting may be called by a majority vote at any meeting of the group (general, ordinary or committee) or at the request of one quarter of the members of the group.
2. Ordinary meetings shall provide a forum for discussing and organising all aspects of the work of the group.
3. Motions for inclusion in the agenda of ordinary meetings should reach the Secretary/Publicity Officer not less than 2 weeks before the meeting.

Article 6.

1. Any reports or documents produced by the group must not be cited, submitted or used in any way without the prior permission of the committee.