(A) recommendations for applying the re-
sults from the ecosystem analyses review to 
model potential impacts on commercially or cul-
turally important wild marine and anadromous 
species in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and 
Gulf of Alaska to support informed manage-
ment actions; and 
(B) other findings and recommendations 
for future work under this section. 
SEC. 3. FLUME TANK. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall enter 
into a public-private partnership to build a flume tank for 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
the fishing industry, and other researchers to test tech-
nology and improved fishing gear aimed at reducing by-
catch and contact with Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and 
Gulf of Alaska marine benthic habitats. 
(b) FLUME TANK ASSISTANCE FUND.—The Admin-
istrator shall establish a Flume Tank Assistance Fund to 
provide grants or other financial assistance to support en-
tities that wish to test their innovative technology, includ-
ing approaches that support prototype development and 
associated devices, instruments, sensors, or fishing gear 
designs aimed at reducing bycatch in fisheries and Bering 
Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska marine benthic 
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habitat contact from non-pelagic trawl and pelagic trawl 
gear, including workforce and training programs on such 
technology or gear. 
SEC. 4. OBSERVER COVERAGE. 
(a) ELECTRONIC MONITORING AND REPORTING.— 
The Administrator shall— 
(1) create a timeline and process for reviewing 
and approving exempted fishing permits to support 
innovating fishing gear types and technology for re-
ducing bycatch and reducing marine habitat disturb-
ances, including streamlining exempted fishing per-
mits for fishermen and owners and operators of 
commercial fishing vessels who purchase or modify 
fishing gear, equipment, or technology with financial 
assistance provided under the Bycatch Mitigation 
and Habitat Protection Assistance Fund, established 
under section 322 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act, if approving 
such permits does not interfere with fishery con-
servation objectives; 
(2) streamline the approval process for experi-
mental or exempted fishing permits for electronic 
monitoring pilot projects, if approving such permits 
does not interfere with fishery conservation objec-
tives; 
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(3) facilitate cooperative research programs and 
regional pilot frameworks; 
(4) conduct a public stakeholder consultation 
process not less often than once every 3 years, which 
shall include public notice, listening sessions, and a 
written comment period of not less than 60 days, 
and solicit input from stakeholders, including service 
providers, regional management council technical 
teams, fishery industry participants, and data sci-
entists, on— 
(A) revisions to electronic monitoring and 
electronic reporting technical standards or oper-
ational guidance; 
(B) improvements to cost-effectiveness or 
usability; and 
(C) barriers to electronic monitoring adop-
tion, particularly among small-scale fleets; and 
(5) provide a data integration strategy that— 
(A) incorporates electronic monitoring data 
directly into regional science center workflows 
and stock assessment models; 
(B) aligns electronic monitoring data re-
view and retention timelines and quality control 
protocols with those used in traditional observer 
data streams; 
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(C) reduces latency between data collection 
and management application; and 
(D) supports the development of interoper-
able databases that facilitate real-time or near- 
real-time analysis and decision making. 
(b) TRANSPARENCY.—The Administrator shall re-
quire the regional offices of the National Marine Fisheries 
Service to publish, online and in layman’s terms, up-to- 
date observer coverage category requirements for high-vol-
ume Federal fisheries specifying the Federal fishery under 
their jurisdiction, including prohibited species catch (by-
catch) for each observer program category. 
(c) REPORTING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall publish a report on how the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration and Regional Fish-
ery Management Councils can improve and integrate 
the use of observer and electronic monitoring data to 
better inform spatio-temporal fishing activity and 
impacts to harvested and incidentally harvested pop-
ulations, while ensuring the protection of proprietary 
information. 
(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Administrator 
shall submit a report to Congress and publish the 
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report on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration’s website that includes the data integra-
tion strategy for increasing data review efficiency 
and uniformity described in subsection (a)(5). 
(3) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The reports required 
under paragraphs (1) and (2) shall include rec-
ommendations— 
(A) for the use of any technologies identi-
fied as effective for sharing real-time, or near- 
real-time, catch information to identify bycatch 
hotspots and bycatch avoidance areas; and 
(B) to minimize commercially or culturally 
important wild marine and anadromous species 
in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf 
of Alaska origin salmon bycatch. 
SEC. 5. BYCATCH REDUCTION AND MITIGATION. 
(a) REAUTHORIZATION
OF BYCATCH REDUCTION 
ENGINEERING PROGRAM.—Section 316 of the Magnuson- 
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 
U.S.C. 1865) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 
out this section $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 
through 2031.’’. 
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(b) BYCATCH MITIGATION AND HABITAT PROTEC-
TION ASSISTANCE FUND.—Title III of the Magnuson-Ste-
vens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 
U.S.C. 1851 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 322. BYCATCH MITIGATION AND HABITAT PROTEC-
TION ASSISTANCE FUND. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the gen-
eral fund of the Treasury of the United States an account 
to be known as the ‘Bycatch Mitigation and Habitat Pro-
tection Assistance Fund’, which shall— 
‘‘(1) be administered by the Foundation; and 
‘‘(2) consist of donations of amounts accepted 
pursuant to subsection (c). 
‘‘(b) USE.—The Foundation shall use the amounts 
in the Fund to reduce or mitigate bycatch, and reduce ma-
rine benthic habitat contact from non-pelagic and pelagic 
trawl gear, including by providing financial assistance to 
fishermen and owners and operators of commercial fishing 
vessels to purchase or modify fishing gear, equipment, and 
technology, including innovative technology, prototypes, 
instruments, or sensors. 
‘‘(c) DONATIONS.—The Foundation may solicit and 
accept donations of amounts for deposit into the Fund. 
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‘‘(d) CONSULTATION.—In administering the Fund, 
the Foundation shall consult with the Secretary, acting 
through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, each Council, and each of 
the regional science centers of the National Marine Fish-
eries Service to ensure that, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, amounts in the Fund are used in an efficient and 
cost-effective manner. 
‘‘(e) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 
of enactment of this section, and biennially thereafter, the 
Foundation shall publish and post online in a manner 
available to the public information regarding the use of 
the Fund during— 
‘‘(1) with respect to the first publication of in-
formation, the preceding 3 years; and 
‘‘(2) with respect to each subsequent publica-
tion of information, the preceding 2 years. 
‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) FOUNDATION.—The term ‘Foundation’ 
means the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. 
‘‘(2) FUND.—The term ‘Fund’ means the By-
catch Mitigation and Habitat Protection Assistance 
Fund established under subsection (a).’’. 
Æ 
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