3.0.0 2960 2022-10-28T01:46:09Z 2022-10-28T01:46:09Z Senate S 2019-12-02 116 sscm00 Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Senate Standing Referred to 2019-12-02T21:43:28Z DESCEND Act of 2020 116 5126 HR 2021-01-13 Became Public Law No: 116-340. Related bill CRS 2019-12-02 sscm00 Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. IntroReferral 2019-12-02 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress C001075 Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA] Bill Cassidy R LA N J000300 Sen. Jones, Doug [D-AL] Doug Jones D AL 2019-12-02 True C001056 Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] John Cornyn R TX 2019-12-09 False Public Lands and Natural Resources Atlantic Ocean Civil actions and liability Congressional oversight Fishes Government studies and investigations Gulf of Mexico Hunting and fishing Marine and coastal resources, fisheries Marine and inland water transportation Science, Technology, Communications Wildlife conservation and habitat protection Public Lands and Natural Resources 00 2019-12-02 Introduced in Senate 2020-03-25T01:45:21Z Direct Enhancement of Snapper Conservation and the Economy through Novel Devices Act of 2019 or the DESCEND Act of 2019

This bill addresses the use of descending devices to release reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico. (A descending device is an instrument that will release fish at a depth sufficient for the fish to be able to recover from the effects of barotrauma.)

Specifically, the bill requires

  • commercial and recreational fishermen to possess a venting tool or descending device that is rigged and ready for use when fishing for reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico Exclusive Economic Zone,
  • the Department of Commerce to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study and produce a report on discard mortality in the Gulf reef fish fisheries, and
  • Commerce and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to develop guidance for reporting discards and associated mortality and develop a plan to assess the effectiveness and usage of barotrauma-reducing devices.
]]> DESCEND Act of 2019 Display Title DESCEND Act of 2019 Short Title(s) as Introduced DESCEND Act of 2019 Introduced in Senate IS Short Title(s) as Introduced Direct Enhancement of Snapper Conservation and the Economy through Novel Devices Act of 2019 Introduced in Senate IS Official Title as Introduced A bill to require individuals fishing for Gulf reef fish to use certain descending devices, and for other purposes. Introduced in Senate IS Introduced in Senate 2019-12-02T05:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-116s2960is/xml/BILLS-116s2960is.xml 2019-12-02 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.