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TITLE I—ATLANTIC COASTAL
FISHERIES
Subtitle A—Atlantic Striped
Bass Conservation
SEC. 101. REAUTHORIZATION OF ATLANTIC STRIPED BASS
CONSERVATION ACT.
Section 7(a) of the Atlantic Striped Bass Conserva-
tion Act (16 U.S.C. 1851 note) is amended to read as
follows:
‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—For each of fiscal years
2001, 2002, and 2003, there are authorized to be appro-
priated to carry out this Act—
‘‘(1) $1,000,000 to the Secretary of Commerce;
and
‘‘(2) $250,000 to the Secretary of the Inte-
rior.’’.
SEC. 102. POPULATION STUDY OF STRIPED BASS.
(a) STUDY.—The Secretaries (as that term is defined
in the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act), in con-
sultation with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Com-
mission, shall conduct a study to determine if the distribu-
tion of year classes in the Atlantic striped bass population
is appropriate for maintaining adequate recruitment and
sustainable fishing opportunities. In conducting the study,
the Secretaries shall consider—
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(1) long-term stock assessment data and other
fishery-dependent and independent data for Atlantic
striped bass; and
(2) the results of peer-reviewed research funded
under the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act.
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretaries, in consulta-
tion with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commis-
sion, shall submit to the Committee on Resources of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Com-
merce, Science and Transportation of the Senate the re-
sults of the study and a long-term plan to ensure a bal-
anced and healthy population structure of Atlantic striped
bass, including older fish. The report shall include infor-
mation regarding—
(1) the structure of the Atlantic striped bass
population required to maintain adequate recruit-
ment and sustainable fishing opportunities; and
(2) recommendations for measures necessary to
achieve and maintain the population structure de-
scribed in paragraph (1).
(c) AUTHORIZATION.—There are authorized to be ap-
propriated to the Secretary of Commerce $250,000 to
carry out this section.
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Subtitle B—Atlantic Coastal
Fisheries Cooperative Management
SEC. 121. SHORT TITLE.
This subtitle may be cited as the ‘‘Atlantic Coastal
Fisheries Act of 2000’’.
SEC. 122. REAUTHORIZATION OF ATLANTIC COASTAL FISH-
ERIES COOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT ACT.
(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section
811 of the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Manage-
ment Act (16 U.S.C. 5108) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘SEC. 811. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—To carry out this title, there are
authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fis-
cal years 2001 through 2005.
‘‘(b) 
COOPERATIVE
STATISTICS
PROGRAM.—
Amounts authorized under subsection (a) may be used by
the Secretary to support the Commission’s cooperative
statistics program.’’.
(b) TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Such Act is amended—
(A) in section 802(3) (16 U.S.C. 5101(3))
by striking ‘‘such resources in’’ and inserting
‘‘such resources is’’; and
(B) by striking section 812 and the second
section 811.
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(2) 
AMENDMENTS
TO
REPEAL
NOT
AF-
FECTED.—The amendments made by paragraph
(1)(B) shall not affect any amendment or repeal
made by the sections struck by that paragraph.
(3) SHORT TITLE REFERENCES.—Such Act is
further amended by striking ‘‘Magnuson Fishery’’
each place it appears and inserting ‘‘Magnuson-Ste-
vens Fishery’’.
(c) REPORTS.—
(1) ANNUAL
REPORT
TO
THE
SECRETARY.—
The Secretary shall require, as a condition of pro-
viding financial assistance under this subtitle, that
the Commission and each State receiving such as-
sistance submit to the Secretary an annual report
that provides a detailed accounting of the use the as-
sistance.
(2) BIENNIAL REPORTS TO THE CONGRESS.—
The Secretary shall submit biennial reports to the
Committee on Resources of the House of Represent-
atives and the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation of the Senate on the use of Fed-
eral assistance provided to the Commission and the
States under this subtitle. Each biennial report shall
evaluate the success of such assistance in imple-
menting this subtitle.
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TITLE II—JOHN H. PRESCOTT
MARINE 
MAMMAL 
RESCUE
ASSISTANCE 
GRANT 
PRO-
GRAM
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Marine Mammal Res-
cue Assistance Act of 2000’’.
SEC. 202. JOHN H. PRESCOTT MARINE MAMMAL RESCUE
ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title IV of the Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1371 et seq.) is
amended—
(1) by redesignating sections 408 and 409 as
sections 409 and 410, respectively; and
(2) by inserting after section 407 the following:
‘‘SEC. 408. JOHN H. PRESCOTT MARINE MAMMAL RESCUE
ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) Subject to the availability of
appropriations, the Secretary shall conduct a grant pro-
gram to be known as the John H. Prescott Marine Mam-
mal Rescue Assistance Grant Program, to provide grants
to eligible stranding network participants for the recovery
or treatment of marine mammals, the collection of data
from living or dead stranded marine mammals for sci-
entific research regarding marine mammal health, and fa-
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cility operation costs that are directly related to those pur-
poses.
‘‘(2)(A) The Secretary shall ensure that, to the great-
est extent practicable, funds provided as grants under this
subsection are distributed equitably among the stranding
regions designated as of the date of the enactment of the
Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Act of 2000, and in
making such grants shall give preference to those facilities
that have established records for rescuing or rehabilitating
sick and stranded marine mammals in each of the respec-
tive regions, or subregions.
‘‘(B) In determining priorities among such regions,
the Secretary may consider—
‘‘(i) any episodic stranding or any mortality
event other than an event described in section
410(6), that occurred in any region in the preceding
year;
‘‘(ii) data regarding average annual strandings
and mortality events per region; and
‘‘(iii) the size of the marine mammal popu-
lations inhabiting a geographic area within such a
region.
‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—To receive a grant under this
section, a stranding network participant shall submit an
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‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATIVE
EXPENSES.—Of amounts
available each fiscal year to carry out this section, the Sec-
retary may expend not more than 6 percent or $80,000,
whichever is greater, to pay the administrative expenses
necessary to carry out this section.
‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
‘‘(1) DESIGNATED
STRANDING
REGION.—The
term ‘designated stranding region’ means a geo-
graphic region designated by the Secretary for pur-
poses of administration of this title.
‘‘(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ has
the meaning given that term in section 3(12)(A).
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2003,
to remain available until expended, of which—
‘‘(1) $4,000,000 may be available to the Sec-
retary of Commerce; and
‘‘(2) $1,000,000 may be available to the Sec-
retary of the Interior.’’.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 3(12)(B)
of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C.
1362(12)(B)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(other than sec-
tion 408)’’ after ‘‘title IV’’.
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(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents
in the first section of the Marine Mammal Protection Act
of 1972 (86 Stat. 1027) is amended by striking the items
relating to sections 408 and 409 and inserting the fol-
lowing:
‘‘Sec. 408. John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Pro-
gram.
‘‘Sec. 409. Authorization of appropriations.
‘‘Sec. 410. Definitions.’’.
SEC. 203. STUDY OF THE EASTERN GRAY WHALE POPU-
LATION.
(a) STUDY.—Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act and subject to the availability
of appropriations, the Secretary of Commerce shall initiate
a study of the environmental and biological factors respon-
sible for the significant increase in mortality events of the
eastern gray whale population and other potential impacts
these factors may be having on the eastern gray whale
population.
(b) CONSIDERATION OF WESTERN POPULATION IN-
FORMATION.—The Secretary should ensure that, to the
greatest extent practicable, information from current and
future studies of the western gray whale population is con-
sidered in the study under this section, so as to better
understand the dynamics of each population and to test
different hypotheses that may lead to an increased under-
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standing of the mechanism driving their respective popu-
lation dynamics.
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In addi-
tion to other amounts authorized under this title, there
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry
out this section—
(1) $290,000 for fiscal year 2001; and
(2) $500,000 for each of fiscal years 2002
through 2004.
SEC. 204. CONVEYANCE OF FISHERY RESEARCH VESSEL TO
AMERICAN SAMOA.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Commerce (in
this section referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) may convey
to the Government of American Samoa in accordance with
this section, without consideration, all right, title, and in-
terest of the United States in and to a retired National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fishery research
vessel in operable condition, for use by American Samoa.
(b) LIMITATION.—The Secretary may not convey a
vessel under this section before the date on which a new
replacement fishery research vessel has been delivered to
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
and put in active service.
(c) OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE.—The Govern-
ment of the United States shall not be responsible or liable
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for any maintenance or operation of a vessel conveyed
under this section after the date of the delivery of the ves-
sel to American Samoa.
SEC. 205. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS RE-
LATING TO NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY
DESIGNATION STANDARDS.
(a) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 303(a) of the
National Marine Sanctuaries Act (16 U.S.C. 1433(a)) is
amended by striking ‘‘the Secretary—’’ and all that fol-
lows through the end of the sentence and inserting the
following: ‘‘the Secretary determines that—
‘‘(1) the designation will fulfill the purposes and
policies of this title;
‘‘(2) the area is of special national significance
due to—
‘‘(A) its conservation, recreational, ecologi-
cal, historical, scientific, cultural, archeological,
educational, or esthetic qualities;
‘‘(B) the communities of living marine re-
sources it harbors; or
‘‘(C) its resource or human-use values;
‘‘(3) existing State and Federal authorities are
inadequate or should be supplemented to ensure co-
ordinated and comprehensive conservation and man-
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agement of the area, including resource protection,
scientific research, and public education;
‘‘(4) designation of the area as a national ma-
rine sanctuary will facilitate the objectives stated in
paragraph (3); and
‘‘(5) the area is of a size and nature that will
permit comprehensive and coordinated conservation
and management.’’.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Such Act is fur-
ther amended—
(1) in section 304(a)(1)(C) (as amended by sec-
tion 6(a) of the National Marine Sanctuaries
Amendments Act of 2000) by striking ‘‘the Sec-
retary shall’’; and
(2) in section 304(a)(2)(E) (as amended by sec-
tion 6(b) of the National Marine Sanctuaries
Amendments Act of 2000) by striking ‘‘findings’’
and inserting ‘‘determinations’’.
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take effect
immediately after the National Marine Sanctuaries
Amendments Act of 2000 takes effect.
SEC. 206. WESTERN PACIFIC PROJECT GRANTS.
Section 111(b)(1) of the Sustainable Fisheries Act
(16 U.S.C. 155 note) is amended by striking the last sen-
tence and inserting ‘‘There are authorized to be appro-
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priated to carry out this section $500,000 for each fiscal
year.’’.
Passed the House of Representatives October 31,
2000.
Attest:
JEFF TRANDAHL,
Clerk.