I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4787 

To direct the Secretary of Commerce to award competitive grants to institutions of higher education to combat lionfish in the Atlantic Ocean and 

the Gulf of Mexico, through the Cooperative Science and Education 

Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 17, 2016 

Mr. CURBELO of Florida (for himself and Mr. CLAWSON of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 

Resources 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Commerce to award competitive 

grants to institutions of higher education to combat 

lionfish in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, 

through the Cooperative Science and Education Program 

of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

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 ‘‘Finding Innovative 

5 Lionfish Elimination Technologies Act of 2016’’ or the 

6 ‘‘FILET Act of 2016’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. COMPETITIVE GRANTS TO INSTITUTIONS OF HIGH2 ER EDUCATION TO COMBAT LIONFISH IN THE 

3 ATLANTIC OCEAN AND THE GULF OF MEXICO. 

4 Public Law 86–686 (74 Stat. 733) is amended— 

5 (1) by redesignating section 2 as section 3; and 

6 (2) by inserting after the first section (16 

7 U.S.C. 753a) the following: 

8 ‘‘COMPETITIVE GRANTS TO INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER

9 EDUCATION TO COMBAT LIONFISH IN THE ATLANTIC

10 OCEAN AND THE GULF OF MEXICO

11 ‘‘SEC. 2. (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Com12 merce, through the Cooperative Science and Education 

13 Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad14 ministration conducted under this Act, the Fish and Wild15 life Coordination Act (16 U.S.C. 661 et seq.), and the De16 partments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, 

17 and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 (section 

18 101(b) of division A of Public Law 105–277; 112 Stat. 

19 2681–50), shall award competitive grants to institutions 

20 of higher education to combat the species of lionfish 

21 Pterois miles and Pterois volitans, in the Atlantic Ocean 

22 and the Gulf of Mexico. 

23 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a grant under 

24 this section, an institution must— 

25 ‘‘(1) have established research infrastructure 

26 and proven capabilities of understanding the behavVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:24 Mar 18, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4787.IH H4787

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•HR 4787 IH

1 ior of such species and the ecosystem of the Atlantic 

2 Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico; and 

3 ‘‘(2) demonstrate a clear appreciation and un4 derstanding of the biological, chemical, and physical 

5 aspects of such ecosystem. 

6 ‘‘(c) USE.—Amounts awarded as grants under this 

7 section shall be used— 

8 ‘‘(1) for lionfish research and the impact of 

9 such species on the ecosystem of the of the Atlantic 

10 Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico; 

11 ‘‘(2) to develop innovative technologies, includ12 ing autonomous cameras and active acoustic systems 

13 appropriate for coastal environments, for detection 

14 of lionfish and determination of priority areas for re15 moval of invasive species; and 

16 ‘‘(3) to develop lionfish mitigation technologies, 

17 including traps and countermeasures. 

18 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

19 is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for 

20 grants under this section $1,500,000 for fiscal years 2017 

21 through 2021.’’. 

Æ 


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