I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2304 
To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Re-
authorization 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. 
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 ‘‘Fishery Science Im-
provement Act of 2011’’. 
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SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT OF SCIENTIFIC DATA FOR ANNUAL 
CATCH LIMITS. 
(a) SCIENTIFIC
DATA
REQUIRED
FOR
ANNUAL 
CATCH LIMITS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 104(b) of the Mag-
nuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Manage-
ment Reauthorization Act of 2006 (16 U.S.C. 1853 
note) is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (1)(B)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘2011’’ and inserting 
‘‘2014’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semi-
colon; 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon; 
(C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 
paragraph (5); and 
(D) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 
following: 
‘‘(3) shall not apply to a fishery for any stock 
of fish for which— 
‘‘(A) a peer reviewed stock survey and 
stock assessment have not been performed dur-
ing the five-year period that ends on the date 
of enactment of the Fishery Science Improve-
ment Act of 2011; and 
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‘‘(B) the Secretary determines that over-
fishing is not occurring; 
‘‘(4) shall not apply to a fishery for any stock 
of fish that is an ecosystem stock; and’’. 
(2) DEFINITION OF ECOSYSTEM STOCK.—Sec-
tion 104 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Con-
servation and Management Reauthorization Act of 
2006 (16 U.S.C. 1853 note) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) DEFINITION OF ECOSYSTEM STOCK.—In this 
section, the term ‘ecosystem stock’ means a stock of fish 
that the Secretary determines— 
‘‘(1) is a nontarget stock; and 
‘‘(2) is not overfished or likely to become over-
fished.’’. 
(b) STOCK ASSESSMENT
FOR OVERFISHED FISH-
ERIES.—Section 304(e)(2) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fish-
ery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1854) 
is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘(2) If the Secretary’’ and in-
serting ‘‘(2)(A) If the Secretary’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) Not later than 270 days after the Sec-
retary makes a determination described in subpara-
graph (A), the Secretary shall perform a stock sur-
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vey and stock assessment of each of the stocks that 
are overfished in the fishery and transmit the as-
sessment to the appropriate Council.’’. 
Æ 
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