I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8507 

To provide for the designation of areas within which fishing activities carried 

out using bottom trawls may be carried out. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 22, 2024 

Mrs. PELTOLA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To provide for the designation of areas within which fishing 

activities carried out using bottom trawls may be carried 

out. 

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 ‘‘Bottom Trawl Clarity 

5 Act of 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINING SUBSTANTIAL BOTTOM CONTACT. 

7 Not later than 18 months after the date of the enact8 ment of this Act, each Council that manages a fishery that 

9 allows the use of any bottom trawl gear shall, after proVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:45 Jul 05, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8507.IH H8507

ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 8507 IH

1 viding notice and an opportunity for public comment, sub2 mit to the Secretary— 

3 (1) a definition of the term ‘‘substantial bottom 

4 contact’’ as compared to the term ‘‘limited bottom 

5 contact’’ when used to describe how often fishing 

6 gear interacts with the seafloor; 

7 (2) a monitoring and enforcement plan to en8 sure that any pelagic trawl fishing activity carried 

9 out within a fishery managed by such Council has 

10 limited bottom contact; and 

11 (3) a list of each gear type that has substantial 

12 bottom contact based on the definition submitted 

13 under paragraph (1). 

14 SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF BOTTOM TRAWL ZONES. 

15 (a) INITIAL DESIGNATIONS.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

17 the date on which a Council completes the require18 ments of section 2, such Council shall, after pro19 viding notice and an opportunity for public com20 ment, submit to the Secretary, and the Secretary 

21 shall publish in the Federal Register— 

22 (A) a list of each area within the jurisdic23 tion of such Council within which fishing activi24 ties using bottom trawls were carried out durVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:45 Jul 05, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8507.IH H8507

ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 8507 IH

1 ing the 7-year period ending on December 31, 

2 2024; and 

3 (B) a recommendation regarding each area 

4 identified under subparagraph (A), or portion 

5 thereof, that is not ineligible for designation 

6 under subsection (c) and should be designated 

7 as a Bottom Trawl Zone under paragraph (2). 

8 (2) DESIGNATION PROCESS.— 

9 (A) PROPOSED DESIGNATION.—Not later 

10 than 9 months after the date on which the rec11 ommendations of a Council are published in the 

12 Federal Register pursuant to subsection 

13 (a)(1)(B), the Secretary shall publish in the 

14 Federal Register a proposed rule to designate 

15 as a Bottom Trawl Zone each area, or portion 

16 thereof, recommended for such designation by 

17 such Council as the Secretary determines ap18 propriate. 

19 (B) FAILURE TO RECOMMEND.—If a 

20 Council fails to submit recommendations to the 

21 Secretary under paragraph (1) by the deadline 

22 described in that paragraph, not later than 1 

23 year after such deadline, the Secretary, after 

24 providing notice and an opportunity for public 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 8507 IH

1 comment, shall publish in the Federal Register 

2 a proposed rule that— 

3 (i) lists each area within the jurisdic4 tion of such Council within which fishing 

5 activities using bottom trawls were carried 

6 out during the 7-year period ending on De7 cember 31, 2024; and 

8 (ii) indicates each area identified 

9 under clause (i), or portion thereof, that is 

10 not ineligible for designation under sub11 section (c) that the Secretary proposes to 

12 designate as a Bottom Trawl Zone. 

13 (C) COMMENT PERIOD.—The Secretary 

14 shall accept comments on a proposed rule pub15 lished under subparagraph (A) or (B) for 60 

16 days after the date of such publication. 

17 (D) FINAL DESIGNATION.— 

18 (i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 

19 days after the date on which a comment 

20 period described in subparagraph (C) for a 

21 proposed rule published under subpara22 graph (A) or (B) ends, the Secretary shall 

23 designate as a Bottom Trawl Zone each 

24 area, or portion thereof, included in such 

25 proposed rule. 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 8507 IH

1 (ii) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary 

2 shall publish in the Federal Register each 

3 designation made under clause (i). 

4 (b) SUBSEQUENT DESIGNATIONS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—After the initial designations 

6 of Bottom Trawl Zones under subsection (a)(2), the 

7 Secretary, in consultation with the relevant Council 

8 or upon the recommendation of a Council, may des9 ignate as a Bottom Trawl Zone an area, or portion 

10 thereof, within the jurisdiction of such Council if— 

11 (A) the area was not designated as a Bot12 tom Trawl Zone under subsection (a)(2); 

13 (B) fishing activities using bottom trawls 

14 were carried out within the area during the pre15 ceding 7-year period; and 

16 (C) the area is not ineligible for designa17 tion under subsection (c). 

18 (2) DESIGNATION PROCESS.— 

19 (A) PROPOSED DESIGNATION.—The Sec20 retary shall publish in the Federal Register a 

21 proposed rule to designate as a Bottom Trawl 

22 Zone an area described in paragraph (1). 

23 (B) COMMENT PERIOD.—The Secretary 

24 shall accept comments on a proposed rule pubVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:45 Jul 05, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8507.IH H8507

ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 8507 IH

1 lished under subparagraph (A) for 60 days 

2 after the date of such publication. 

3 (C) FINAL DESIGNATION.— 

4 (i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 

5 days after the date on which a comment 

6 period described in subparagraph (B) for a 

7 proposed rule published under subpara8 graph (A) ends, the Secretary shall des9 ignate as a Bottom Trawl Area each area, 

10 or portion thereof, included in such pro11 posed rule. 

12 (ii) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary 

13 shall publish in the Federal Register each 

14 designation made under clause (i). 

15 (c) AREAS INELIGIBLE FOR DESIGNATION.—An area 

16 may not be designated as a Bottom Trawl Zone if— 

17 (1) the Secretary determines there is evidence 

18 of the presence of a deep sea coral and sponge eco19 system within the area; or 

20 (2) the area is designated pursuant to the Mag21 nuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Manage22 ment Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) as— 

23 (A) a Savings Area; or 

24 (B) an otherwise protected area for a stock 

25 of fish. 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 8507 IH

1 (d) ACTIVITIES WITHIN BOTTOM TRAWL ZONES.— 

2 As of the date on which the Secretary designates an area 

3 as a Bottom Trawl Zone under subsection (a)(2)(D), bot4 tom trawls may only be used in an area that is designated 

5 as a Bottom Trawl Zone. 

6 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) BOTTOM TRAWL.—The term ‘‘bottom 

9 trawl’’ means, when used within the jurisdiction of 

10 a Council, any trawl or dredge fishing gear that 

11 makes substantial bottom contact with the seafloor 

12 while in use, as defined by the Council or as deter13 mined by the Secretary, as applicable. 

14 (2) BOTTOM TRAWL ZONE.—The term ‘‘Bottom 

15 Trawl Zone’’ means an area within which bottom 

16 trawls may be used. 

17 (3) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means a 

18 Regional Fishery Management Council established 

19 by section 302 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

20 Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 

21 1852). 

22 (4) DEEP SEA CORALS.—The term ‘‘deep sea 

23 corals’’ means species that— 

24 (A) occur at a depth of greater than 50 

25 meters; 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 8507 IH

1 (B) do not contain symbiotic algae; and 

2 (C) are in the phylum Cnidaria, in the 

3 order— 

4 (i) Alcyonacea (soft corals); 

5 (ii) Antipatharia (black corals); 

6 (iii) Gorgonacea (horny corals); 

7 (iv) Hydrocorallina (hydrocorals), in 

8 the class Hydrozoa; 

9 (v) Pennatulacea (sea pens), in the 

10 class Anthozoa; or 

11 (vi) Scleractinia (stony corals). 

12 (5) DEEP SEA CORAL AND SPONGE ECO13 SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘deep sea coral and sponge eco14 system’’ means an ecosystem composed of living 

15 deep sea corals or deep sea sponges, the benthic and 

16 demersal species associated with such living deep sea 

17 corals or deep sea sponges, and the biological, phys18 ical, chemical, and geologic components that con19 stitute habitat for living deep sea corals or deep sea 

20 sponges. 

21 (6) DEEP SEA SPONGES.—The term ‘‘deep sea 

22 sponges’’ means species that— 

23 (A) occur at a depth of greater than 50 

24 meters; and 

25 (B) are in the phylum Porifera. 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 8507 IH

1 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

2 the Secretary of Commerce. 

Æ 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS