I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2304 

To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 to provide the necessary scientific information 

to properly implement annual catch limits, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 22, 2011 

Mr. WITTMAN (for himself, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mr. ROSS of Arkansas, 

Mr. LATTA, Mr. SHULER, Mr. LANDRY, Mr. SOUTHERLAND, Mr. 

CASSIDY, Mr. BOUSTANY, Mr. HEINRICH, Mr. BOREN, Mr. HUNTER, Mr. 

GUINTA, Mr. FLEMING, Mr. BONNER, Mr. RIGELL, Mr. DUNCAN of 

South Carolina, and Mr. HARRIS) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 

Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 to provide the 

necessary scientific information to properly implement 

annual catch limits, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Fishery Science Im5 provement Act of 2011’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT OF SCIENTIFIC DATA FOR ANNUAL 

2 CATCH LIMITS. 

3 (a) SCIENTIFIC DATA REQUIRED FOR ANNUAL

4 CATCH LIMITS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 104(b) of the Mag6 nuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Manage7 ment Reauthorization Act of 2006 (16 U.S.C. 1853 

8 note) is amended— 

9 (A) in paragraph (1)(B)— 

10 (i) by striking ‘‘2011’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘2014’’; and 

12 (ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semi13 colon; 

14 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

15 after the semicolon; 

16 (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

17 paragraph (5); and 

18 (D) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

19 following: 

20 ‘‘(3) shall not apply to a fishery for any stock 

21 of fish for which— 

22 ‘‘(A) a peer reviewed stock survey and 

23 stock assessment have not been performed dur24 ing the five-year period that ends on the date 

25 of enactment of the Fishery Science Improve26 ment Act of 2011; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) the Secretary determines that over2 fishing is not occurring; 

3 ‘‘(4) shall not apply to a fishery for any stock 

4 of fish that is an ecosystem stock; and’’. 

5 (2) DEFINITION OF ECOSYSTEM STOCK.—Sec6 tion 104 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Con7 servation and Management Reauthorization Act of 

8 2006 (16 U.S.C. 1853 note) is amended by adding 

9 at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(e) DEFINITION OF ECOSYSTEM STOCK.—In this 

11 section, the term ‘ecosystem stock’ means a stock of fish 

12 that the Secretary determines— 

13 ‘‘(1) is a nontarget stock; and 

14 ‘‘(2) is not overfished or likely to become over15 fished.’’. 

16 (b) STOCK ASSESSMENT FOR OVERFISHED FISH17 ERIES.—Section 304(e)(2) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fish18 ery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1854) 

19 is amended— 

20 (1) by striking ‘‘(2) If the Secretary’’ and in21 serting ‘‘(2)(A) If the Secretary’’; and 

22 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(B) Not later than 270 days after the Sec24 retary makes a determination described in subpara25 graph (A), the Secretary shall perform a stock surVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:22 Jun 28, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2304.IH H2304

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1 vey and stock assessment of each of the stocks that 

2 are overfished in the fishery and transmit the as3 sessment to the appropriate Council.’’. 

Æ 


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