II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 446 

To authorize the Director of the United States Geological Survey to conduct 

monitoring, assessment, science, and research, in support of the binational fisheries within the Great Lakes Basin. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 12, 2019 

Mr. PETERS (for himself, Mr. PORTMAN, Ms. STABENOW, and Ms. 

DUCKWORTH) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To authorize the Director of the United States Geological 

Survey to conduct monitoring, assessment, science, and 

research, in support of the binational fisheries within 

the Great Lakes Basin. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Great Lakes Fishery 

5 Research Authorization Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. GREAT LAKES MONITORING, ASSESSMENT, SCI7 ENCE, AND RESEARCH. 

8 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 (1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

2 the Director of the United States Geological Survey. 

3 (2) GREAT LAKES BASIN.—The term ‘‘Great 

4 Lakes Basin’’ means the air, land, water, and living 

5 organisms in the United States within the drainage 

6 basin of the Saint Lawrence River at and upstream 

7 from the point at which such river and the Great 

8 Lakes become the international boundary between 

9 Canada and the United States. 

10 (b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

11 (1) The Great Lakes support a diverse eco12 system, on which the vibrant and economically valu13 able Great Lakes fisheries depend. 

14 (2) To continue successful fisheries manage15 ment and coordination, as has occurred since signing 

16 of the Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries between 

17 the United States and Canada on September 10, 

18 1954, management of the ecosystem and its fisheries 

19 require sound, reliable science, and the use of mod20 ern scientific technologies. 

21 (3) Fisheries research is necessary to support 

22 multi-jurisdictional fishery management decisions 

23 and actions regarding recreational and sport fishing, 

24 commercial fisheries, tribal harvest, allocation deci25 sions, and fish stocking activities. 


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1 (4) President Richard Nixon submitted, and the 

2 Congress approved, Reorganization Plan No. 4 (84 

3 Stat. 2090), conferring science activities and man4 agement of marine fisheries to the National Oceanic 

5 and Atmospheric Administration. 

6 (5) Reorganization Plan No. 4 expressly ex7 cluded fishery research activities within the Great 

8 Lakes from the transfer, retaining management and 

9 scientific research duties within the already estab10 lished jurisdictions under the 1954 Convention on 

11 Great Lakes Fisheries, including those of the Great 

12 Lakes Fishery Commission and the Department of 

13 the Interior. 

14 (c) MONITORING, ASSESSMENT, SCIENCE, AND RE15 SEARCH.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director may conduct 

17 monitoring, assessment, science, and research, in 

18 support of the binational fisheries within the Great 

19 Lakes Basin. 

20 (2) SPECIFIC AUTHORITIES.—The Director 

21 shall, under paragraph (1)— 

22 (A) execute a comprehensive, multi-lake, 

23 freshwater fisheries science program; 


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1 (B) coordinate with and work cooperatively 

2 with regional, State, Tribal, and local govern3 ments; and 

4 (C) consult with other interested entities, 

5 including academia and relevant Canadian 

6 agencies. 

7 (3) INCLUDED RESEARCH.—To properly serve 

8 the needs of fisheries managers, monitoring, assess9 ment, science, and research under this section may 

10 include— 

11 (A) deepwater ecosystem sciences; 

12 (B) biological and food-web components; 

13 (C) fish movement and behavior investiga14 tions; 

15 (D) fish population structures; 

16 (E) fish habitat investigations; 

17 (F) invasive species science; 

18 (G) use of existing, new, and experimental 

19 biological assessment tools, equipment, vessels, 

20 other scientific instrumentation and laboratory 

21 capabilities necessary to support fishery man22 agement decisions; and 

23 (H) studies to assess impacts on Great 

24 Lakes Fishery resources. 


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1 (4) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this section 

2 is intended or shall be construed to impede, super3 sede, or alter the authority of the Great Lakes Fish4 ery Commission, States, and Indian tribes under the 

5 Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries between the 

6 United States of America and Canada on September 

7 10, 1954, and the Great Lakes Fishery Act of 1956 

8 (16 U.S.C. 931 et seq.). 

9 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For 

10 each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024, there is author11 ized to be appropriated $17,500,000 to carry out this sec12 tion. 

Æ 


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