[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 906 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.906

                     One Hundred Sixteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday,
            the third day of January, two thousand and twenty


                                 An Act


 
             To improve the management of driftnet fishing.

    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 ``Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch 
Reduction Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITION.
    Section 3(25) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1802(25)) is amended by inserting ``, or with 
a mesh size of 14 inches or greater,'' after ``more''.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS AND POLICY.
    (a) Findings.--Section 206(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1826(b)) is amended--
        (1) in paragraph (6), by striking ``and'' at the end;
        (2) in paragraph (7), by striking the period and inserting ``; 
    and''; and
        (3) by adding at the end the following:
        ``(8) within the exclusive economic zone, large-scale driftnet 
    fishing that deploys nets with large mesh sizes causes significant 
    entanglement and mortality of living marine resources, including 
    myriad protected species, despite limitations on the lengths of 
    such nets.''.
    (b) Policy.--Section 206(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1826(c)) is amended--
        (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' at the end;
        (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period and inserting ``; 
    and''; and
        (3) by adding at the end the following--
        ``(4) prioritize the phase out of large-scale driftnet fishing 
    in the exclusive economic zone and promote the development and 
    adoption of alternative fishing methods and gear types that 
    minimize the incidental catch of living marine resources.''.
SEC. 4. TRANSITION PROGRAM.
    Section 206 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1826) is amended by adding at the end the 
following--
    ``(i) Fishing Gear Transition Program.--
        ``(1) In general.--During the 5-year period beginning on the 
    date of enactment of the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch 
    Reduction Act, the Secretary shall conduct a transition program to 
    facilitate the phase-out of large-scale driftnet fishing and 
    adoption of alternative fishing practices that minimize the 
    incidental catch of living marine resources, and shall award grants 
    to eligible permit holders who participate in the program.
        ``(2) Permissible uses.--Any permit holder receiving a grant 
    under paragraph (1) may use such funds only for the purpose of 
    covering--
            ``(A) any fee originally associated with a permit 
        authorizing participation in a large-scale driftnet fishery, if 
        such permit is surrendered for permanent revocation, and such 
        permit holder relinquishes any claim associated with the 
        permit;
            ``(B) a forfeiture of fishing gear associated with a permit 
        described in subparagraph (A); or
            ``(C) the purchase of alternative gear with minimal 
        incidental catch of living marine resources, if the fishery 
        participant is authorized to continue fishing using such 
        alternative gears.
        ``(3) Certification.--The Secretary shall certify that, with 
    respect to each participant in the program under this subsection, 
    any permit authorizing participation in a large-scale driftnet 
    fishery has been permanently revoked and that no new permits will 
    be issued to authorize such fishing.''.
SEC. 5. EXCEPTION.
    Section 307(1)(M) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1857(1)(M)) is amended by inserting before 
the semicolon the following: ``, unless such large-scale driftnet 
fishing--
                ``(i) deploys, within the exclusive economic zone, a 
            net with a total length of less than two and one-half 
            kilometers and a mesh size of 14 inches or greater; and
                ``(ii) is conducted within 5 years of the date of 
            enactment of the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch 
            Reduction Act''.
SEC. 6. FEES.
    (a) In General.--The North Pacific Fishery Management Council may 
recommend, and the Secretary of Commerce may approve, regulations 
necessary for the collection of fees from charter vessel operators who 
guide recreational anglers who harvest Pacific halibut in International 
Pacific Halibut Commission regulatory areas 2C and 3A as those terms 
are defined in part 300 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations (or 
any successor regulations).
    (b) Use of Fees.--Any fees collected under this section shall be 
available, without appropriation or fiscal year limitation, for the 
purposes of--
        (1) financing administrative costs of the Recreational Quota 
    Entity program;
        (2) the purchase of halibut quota shares in International 
    Pacific Halibut Commission regulatory areas 2C and 3A by the 
    recreational quota entity authorized in part 679 of title 50, Code 
    of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulations);
        (3) halibut conservation and research; and
        (4) promotion of the halibut resource by the recreational quota 
    entity authorized in part 679 of title 50, Code of Federal 
    Regulations (or any successor regulations).

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.