Gulf Red Snapper Data Improvement Act

Gulf Red Snapper Data Improvement Act

This bill requires the National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Regional Office to award grants for data collection that is used in stock assessments for reef fish species in the Gulf of Mexico, including the red snapper. In awarding grants, the Office must seek to improve stock assessments through innovative approaches to data collection that incorporates data from peer-reviewed research involving academia, fishermen, and other fisheries sources.

The Department of Commerce must: (1) seek to improve communications by the National Marine Fisheries Service with stakeholders regarding the reef fish species stock assessment processes and outcomes of those processes, and (2) develop a process for using data collected through cooperative research activities for those stock assessments.

[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3521 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3521

To authorize grants for data collection for use in stock assessments of 
red snapper and other reef fish species in the Gulf of Mexico, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 16, 2015

  Mr. Jolly introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize grants for data collection for use in stock assessments of 
red snapper and other reef fish species in the Gulf of Mexico, 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 ``Gulf Red Snapper Data Improvement 
Act''.

SEC. 2. GULF OF MEXICO RED SNAPPER AND OTHER REEF FISH SPECIES DATA 
              COLLECTION GRANTS.

    (a) Grants Authorized.--The Secretary of Commerce, acting through 
the National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Regional Office, shall 
award competitive grants for fishery-dependent and fishery-independent 
data collection for use in stock assessments for red snapper and other 
reef fish species in the Gulf of Mexico.
    (b) Innovative Approaches.--In awarding grants under this section, 
the Secretary shall seek to improve red snapper and other reef fish 
species stock assessments through innovative approaches to data 
collection that incorporates data from cooperative peer-reviewed 
research involving academia, fishermen, and other fisheries sources.
    (c) Grant Period.--Grants under this section may be for one or more 
fiscal years.

SEC. 3. COMMUNICATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Commerce shall seek to improve 
communications by the National Marine Fisheries Service with 
stakeholders regarding the Gulf of Mexico red snapper and other reef 
fish species stock assessment processes and outcomes of such processes.
    (b) Report.--The Secretary shall--
            (1) by not later than 180 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, report to Congress on actions taken 
        under this section and the results of such actions; and
            (2) update such report every 180 days thereafter.

SEC. 4. PROCESS FOR USING GULF OF MEXICO RED SNAPPER AND OTHER REEF 
              FISH SPECIES COOPERATIVE RESEARCH DATA.

    The Secretary of Commerce shall--
            (1) by not later than 180 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, develop and report to the Congress on a 
        process for using data collected through cooperative research 
        activities for Gulf of Mexico red snapper and other reef fish 
        species stock assessments; and
            (2) update such report every 180 days thereafter.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce 
$10,000,000 for grants, personnel, operations, and data collection 
under this Act to improve Gulf of Mexico red snapper and other reef 
fish species stock assessments.
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