I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 981 
To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
to improve the Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper fishery by providing flexibility 
for fishing managers and stability for fisherman, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 13, 2015 
Mr. BYRNE (for himself, Mr. ROGERS of Alabama, Mrs. ROBY, and Mr. PALM-
ER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act to improve the Gulf of Mexico Red 
Snapper fishery by providing flexibility for fishing man-
agers and stability for fisherman, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Red Snapper Regu-
latory Reform Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. REPEAL OF CATCH LIMITS REQUIREMENT FOR 
GULF OF MEXICO RED SNAPPER FISHERY. 
Subsection (d) of section 407 of the Magnuson-Ste-
vens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 
U.S.C. 1883) is repealed. 
SEC. 3. STATE JURISDICTION OVER FISHERIES IN THE 
GULF OF MEXICO. 
Section 306(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1856(b)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) Notwithstanding section 3(11) and subsection 
(a) of this section, for purposes of managing fisheries in 
the Gulf of Mexico, the seaward boundary of a coastal 
State in the Gulf of Mexico is a line 9 nautical miles sea-
ward from the baseline from which the territorial sea of 
the United States is measured.’’. 
SEC. 4. STOCK ASSESSMENTS USED FOR FISHERIES MAN-
AGED UNDER GULF OF MEXICO COUNCIL’S 
REEF FISH MANAGEMENT PLAN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title IV of the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 
1884) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘SEC. 409. STOCK ASSESSMENTS USED FOR FISHERIES 
MANAGED UNDER GULF OF MEXICO COUN-
CIL’S REEF FISH MANAGEMENT PLAN. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Gulf States Marine Fish-
eries Commission shall conduct all fishery stock assess-
ments used for management purposes by the Gulf of Mex-
ico Fishery Management Council for the fisheries man-
aged under the Council’s Reef Fish Management Plan. 
‘‘(b) USE OF OTHER INFORMATION AND ASSETS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Such fishery assessments 
shall— 
‘‘(A) incorporate fisheries survey informa-
tion collected by university researchers; and 
‘‘(B) to the extent practicable, use State, 
university, and private assets to conduct fish-
eries surveys. 
‘‘(2) SURVEYS
AT
ARTIFICIAL
REEFS.—Any 
such fishery stock assessment conducted after the 
date of the enactment of the Strengthening Fishing 
Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries 
Management Act shall incorporate fishery surveys 
conducted, and other relevant fisheries information 
collected, on and around natural and artificial reefs. 
‘‘(c) CONSTITUENT AND STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPA-
TION.—Each such fishery assessment shall— 
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‘‘(1) emphasize constituent and stakeholder 
participation in the development of the assessment; 
‘‘(2) contain all of the raw data used in the as-
sessment and a description of the methods used to 
collect that data; and 
‘‘(3) employ an assessment process that is 
transparent and includes— 
‘‘(A) both dependent and independent data 
collection methods; 
‘‘(B) a rigorous and independent scientific 
review of the completed fishery stock assess-
ment; and 
‘‘(C) a panel of independent experts to re-
view the data and assessment and make rec-
ommendations on the most appropriate values 
of critical population and management quan-
tities. 
‘‘(d) FUNDING.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, subject to 
the availability of appropriations, shall provide to the 
Gulf of Mexico Marine Fisheries Commission appro-
priate funding for all necessary stock assessments 
concerning the Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery. 
‘‘(2) NO
ADDITIONAL
APPROPRIATIONS
AU-
THORIZED.—This subsection shall not be construed 
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to increase the amount that is authorized to be ap-
propriated for any fiscal year.’’. 
SEC. 5. DATA COLLECTION. 
Section 401(g)(3)(C) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fish-
ery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 
1881(g)(3)(G)) is amended by striking ‘‘and’’ after the 
semicolon at the end of clause (iv), by striking the period 
at the end of clause (v) and inserting ‘‘; and’’, and by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(vi) in the case of each fishery in the 
Gulf of Mexico, taking into consideration 
all data collection activities related to fish-
ery effort that are undertaken by the ma-
rine resources division of each relevant 
State of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Man-
agement Council.’’. 
SEC. 6. MEMBERSHIP OF GULF OF MEXICO FISHERY MAN-
AGEMENT COUNCIL. 
Section 302 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Con-
servation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1852) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking subpara-
graph (E) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(E) GULF OF MEXICO COUNCIL.— 
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‘‘(i) The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Man-
agement Council shall consist of the States 
of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, 
and Florida and shall have authority over 
the fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico seaward 
of such States (except as provided in para-
graph (3)). The Gulf Council shall have 16 
voting members, including— 
‘‘(I) 2 members appointed by the 
Governor of each such State in ac-
cordance with the requirements that 
apply under subsection (b)(2) with re-
spect to appointments by the Sec-
retary; 
‘‘(II) the principal State official 
of each such State with marine fishery 
management responsibility and exper-
tise in such State; 
‘‘(III) the regional director of the 
National Marine Fisheries Service for 
the Gulf of Mexico geographic area, or 
the regional director’s designee; and 
‘‘(IV) 1 at-large member who 
shall be appointed, on a rotating 
basis, by the Governor of a State on 
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the Council, except that no governor 
may make consecutive appointments 
under this subclause. 
‘‘(ii) Except as provided in clauses 
(iii), (iv), (v), and (vi), a governor shall 
make appointments under this subpara-
graph in accordance with the requirements 
that apply under subparagraph (C) of this 
paragraph, paragraphs (2) and (3) of this 
subsection, and subsection (b) with respect 
to appointments by the Secretary. 
‘‘(iii) The following provisions of sub-
section (b)(2) shall not apply with respect 
to appointments under this subparagraph: 
‘‘(I) The last sentence of sub-
paragraph (A). 
‘‘(II) Subparagraphs (C) and 
(E), but a governor may not appoint 
an individual who would not be eligi-
ble to be included in a list submitted 
to the Secretary under those subpara-
graphs. 
‘‘(iv)(I) 
In 
making 
appointments 
under this subparagraph, each Governor 
must consider— 
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‘‘(aa) at least 1 nominee each 
from the commercial, recreational, 
and charter fishing sectors; and 
‘‘(bb) at least 1 other individual 
who is knowledgeable regarding the 
conservation and management of fish-
eries resources in the jurisdiction of 
the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Manage-
ment Council. 
‘‘(II) For purposes of clause (i) an in-
dividual who owns or operates a fish farm 
outside of the United States shall not be 
considered to be a representative of the 
commercial or recreational fishing sector. 
‘‘(v) A governor shall notify the Sec-
retary before making each appointment 
under this subparagraph. The Secretary 
shall publish notice of such appointment by 
not later than 45 days before the first day 
on which the appointee takes office as a 
member of the Council. 
‘‘(vi) Subsection (b)(3) shall be ap-
plied with respect to the Gulf of Mexico 
Fishery Management Council by sub-
stituting ‘a Governor in accordance with 
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subsection (a)(1)(E)’ for ‘the Secretary in 
accordance with paragraphs (2) and (5)’.’’; 
and 
(2) in subsection (b)(2)— 
(A) in subparagraph (B)(iii), by inserting 
‘‘(other than the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Man-
agement Council)’’ after ‘‘each Council’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (C), in the first sen-
tence, by inserting ‘‘(other than the Gulf of 
Mexico Fishery Management Council)’’ after 
‘‘each Council’’. 
Æ 
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