I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 943 

To authorize the Secretary of Commerce to award competitive grants to 

combat the certain species of lionfish in the Atlantic Ocean and the 

Gulf of Mexico. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 7, 2017 

Mr. CURBELO of Florida (for himself and Mr. HASTINGS) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Commerce to award competitive grants to combat the certain species of lionfish in 

the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. 

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 2017’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. COMPETITIVE GRANTS TO INSTITUTIONS OF HIGH2 ER EDUCATION AND NONPROFIT RESEARCH 

3 ORGANIZATIONS TO COMBAT LIONFISH IN 

4 THE ATLANTIC OCEAN AND THE GULF OF 

5 MEXICO. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Commerce, 

7 through the Cooperative Science and Education Program 

8 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

9 conducted under Public Law 86–685 (74 Stat. 733), the 

10 Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (16 U.S.C. 661 et 

11 seq.), and the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and 

12 State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations 

13 Act, 1999 (section 101(b) of division A of Public Law 

14 105–277; 112 Stat. 2681–50), shall award competitive 

15 grants to institutions of higher education and nonprofit 

16 research organizations to combat the species of lionfish 

17 Pterois miles and Pterois volitans, in the Atlantic Ocean 

18 and the Gulf of Mexico. 

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

20 this section, an institution of higher education or nonprofit 

21 research organization must— 

22 (1) have established research infrastructure and 

23 proven capabilities of understanding the behavior of 

24 such species and the ecosystems of the Atlantic 

25 Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico; and 


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1 (2) demonstrate a clear appreciation and under2 standing of the biological, chemical, and physical as3 pects of such ecosystem. 

4 (c) ENCOURAGEMENT OF COLLABORATION.—In se5 lecting projects for grants under this section, the Sec6 retary of Commerce may encourage collaborative work 

7 with stakeholder groups having practical experience with 

8 gear, harvest techniques, and knowledge of local eco9 systems. 

10 (d) USE.—Amounts awarded as grants under this 

11 section shall be used— 

12 (1) for lionfish research and the impact of such 

13 species on the ecosystems of the Atlantic Ocean or 

14 the Gulf of Mexico; 

15 (2) to develop innovative technologies, including 

16 autonomous cameras and active acoustic systems ap17 propriate for coastal environments, for detection of 

18 lionfish and determination of priority areas for re19 moval of invasive species; and 

20 (3) to develop lionfish mitigation technologies, 

21 including traps and countermeasures. 

22 (e) FUNDING.—Of amounts available for each of fis23 cal years 2018 through 2022 for the Coastal Ecosystem 

24 Resiliency Grant program of the National Oceanic and AtVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:57 Feb 17, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H943.IH H943

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1 mospheric Administration, $1,500,000 may be used to 

2 carry out this section. 

Æ 


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