[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1417 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1417

   To amend the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act to 
 provide for a 3-year research plan to assess the status of stocks of 
 fish that are managed under the Pacific Fisheries Management Council 
         Pacific Coast Groundfish Plan, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 5, 1995

   Mrs. Smith of Washington introduced the following bill; which was 
                 referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act to 
 provide for a 3-year research plan to assess the status of stocks of 
 fish that are managed under the Pacific Fisheries Management Council 
         Pacific Coast Groundfish Plan, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Private Vessel Fish Survey Act of 
1995''.

SEC. 2. 3-YEAR RESEARCH PLAN FOR PACIFIC FISH STOCKS.

    (a) Research Plan.--Section 304 of the Magnuson Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1854) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(h) Pacific Region Stock Assessment.--(1) Not later than 120 days 
after the date of enactment of the Private Vessel Fish Survey Act of 
1995, the Secretary shall, in consultation with the Pacific Fishery 
Management Council and the States of California, Oregon, and 
Washington, establish a Pacific Region Scientific Review Group (in this 
subsection referred to as the `Group') consisting of representatives of 
the National Marine Fisheries Service, each of the States of 
California, Oregon, and Washington, universities located in those 
States, commercial and recreational fishermen and shore-based 
processors located in those States, and environmental organizations. 
Individuals appointed to serve on the Group shall be selected from 
among individuals who are knowledgeable or experienced in the 
harvesting, processing, biology, or ecology of the fish stocks of fish 
that are managed under the Pacific Fisheries Management Council Pacific 
Coast Groundfish Plan (in this subsection referred to as the `covered 
Pacific stocks').
    ``(2) Not later than 180 days after the date of establishment of 
the Group, the Group shall transmit to the Secretary a research plan of 
at least 3 years duration to assess the status of the covered Pacific 
stocks, including the abundance, location, and species, age, and gender 
composition of those stocks. The plan shall provide for the use of 
private vessels to conduct stock surveys.
    ``(3) Immediately upon receiving the plan transmitted under 
paragraph (2), the Secretary shall take action necessary to carry out 
the plan, including, subject to the availability of appropriations, 
chartering private vessels, arranging for the deployment of scientists 
on those vessels (including the payment of increased insurance costs to 
vessel owners), and obtaining the assistance of shore-based fish 
processors.
    ``(4) The Secretary may offset the cost of carrying out the plan by 
entering into agreements with vessel owners or shore-based fish 
processors to provide vessel owners or shore-based fish processors with 
a portion of the total allowable catch reserved for research purposes 
under section 303(b).''.
    (b) Reserve Portion of Allowable Catch for Research.--Section 
303(b) of that Act (16 U.S.C. 1853(b)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (9);
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (10) as paragraph (11); and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (9) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(10) reserve a portion of the total allowable catch of 
        that fishery for use for scientific research purposes; and''.
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