[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4618 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4618

 To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
 to provide for the conservation of stocks of Pacific highly migratory 
  species by directing the Secretary of Commerce to prohibit pelagic 
 longline fishing in the exclusive economic zone off the coasts of the 
             States of California, Oregon, and Washington.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 30, 2002

Mr. Hunter (for himself, Mr. Cunningham, and Mr. Saxton) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
 to provide for the conservation of stocks of Pacific highly migratory 
  species by directing the Secretary of Commerce to prohibit pelagic 
 longline fishing in the exclusive economic zone off the coasts of the 
             States of California, Oregon, and Washington.

    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 ``Pacific Highly Migratory Species 
Conservation Act of 2002''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Atlantic highly migratory species of fish have been 
        overfished by the method of pelagic longlining, which led to 
        the Standing Committee on Research and Statistics of the 
        International Commission on the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas 
        to recommend that significant closures to use of pelagic 
        longline fishing gear should be established to preserve those 
        species.
            (2) Encroachment of pelagic longline fishing gear into west 
        coast waters will have a serious impact on the economically 
        valuable recreational and commercial albacore fisheries off the 
        coasts of the States of California, Oregon, and Washington.
            (3) Pelagic longline fishing gear and the pelagic longline 
        fishing method have had a devastating impact on Atlantic 
        species of fish, which will be replicated in the exclusive 
        economic zone off the coasts of the States of California, 
        Oregon, and Washington at the same time the Congress is 
        debating legislation to restrict use of pelagic longline 
        fishing gear in east coast waters and the Gulf of Mexico.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are the following:
            (1) To ensure the conservation of Pacific highly migratory 
        species.
            (2) To prohibit pelagic longline fishing in the exclusive 
        economic zone off the coasts of the States of California, 
        Oregon, and Washington.

SEC. 3. CLOSURE OF WEST COAST EEZ TO PELAGIC LONGLINE FISHING.

    (a) In General.--Subsection (g) of section 304 of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1854(g)) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking so much as precedes the text of paragraph 
        (1) and inserting the following:
    ``(g) Highly Migratory Species.--
            ``(1) Fishery management plan or amendment for atlantic, 
        gulf, and caribbean species.--''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Protection of species in pacific ocean.--(A) The 
        Secretary shall issue regulations that prohibit pelagic 
        longline fishing for highly migratory species in the exclusive 
        economic zone off the coasts of the States of California, 
        Oregon, and Washington.
            ``(B) In this paragraph the term `pelagic longline fishing' 
        means a method of fishing that uses any fishing gear consisting 
        of a length of line suspended horizontally in the water above 
        the bottom from lines attached to surface floats and to which 
        gangions and hooks are attached and are used to target pelagic 
        species.
            ``(C) To carry out this paragraph there is authorized to be 
        appropriated to the Secretary $2,000,000.''.
    (b) Regulations.--The Secretary of Commerce shall issue regulations 
under the amendment made by subsection (a) by not later than 90 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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