‘‘(ii) an audio or video recording (if 
the meeting was in person or by video con-
ference), or a searchable audio recording 
or written transcript, of each meeting of 
the Council and of the meetings of commit-
tees referred to in section 302(g)(1)(B) of 
the Council, by not later than 30 days 
after the conclusion of the meeting. 
‘‘(H) The Secretary shall maintain and 
make available to the public an archive of 
Council and scientific and statistical committee 
meeting audios, videos, and transcripts made 
available under clauses (i) and (ii) subpara-
graph (G).’’. 
SEC. 7. AMENDMENTS RELATING TO FISHERY MANAGE-
MENT PLANS. 
(a) INCLUSION OF ARTISANAL FISHING SECTORS.— 
Section 303(a)(13) (16 U.S.C. 1853(a)(13)) is amended 
by inserting ‘‘artisanal,’’ after ‘‘include a description of 
the commercial, recreational,’’. 
(b) STATE DUNGENESS CRAB MANAGEMENT AU-
THORITY.—Section 203 of Public Law 105–384 (16 
U.S.C. 1856 note) is amended— 
(1) by striking subsection (i); and 
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(2) by redesignating subsection (j) as sub-
section (i). 
SEC. 8. IMPROVING FISHERIES DATA COLLECTION. 
(a) ELECTRONIC MONITORING.— 
(1) ISSUANCE OF GUIDANCE.— 
(A) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of 
Commerce shall issue guidance regarding the 
use of electronic monitoring for the purposes of 
monitoring fisheries that are subject to the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.). 
(B) CONTENT.—The guidance shall— 
(i) distinguish between monitoring for 
data collection and research purposes and 
monitoring for compliance and enforcement 
purposes; and 
(ii) include minimum criteria, objec-
tives, or performance standards for elec-
tronic monitoring. 
(C) PROCESS.—In issuing the guidance the 
Secretary shall— 
(i) consult with the Regional Fishery 
Management Councils and interstate fish-
ery management commissions; 
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(ii) publish the proposed guidance; 
and 
(iii) provide an opportunity for the 
submission by the public of comments on 
the proposed guidance. 
(2) IMPLEMENTATION OF MONITORING.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), and after the issuance of the final 
guidance, a Council, or the Secretary for fish-
eries referred to in section 302(a)(3) of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1852(a)(3)), may, 
in accordance with the guidance, on a fishery- 
by-fishery basis and consistent with the existing 
objectives and management goals of a fishery 
management plan and the Act for a fishery 
issued by the Council or the Secretary, respec-
tively, amend such plan— 
(i) to incorporate electronic moni-
toring as an alternative tool for data col-
lection and monitoring purposes or for 
compliance and enforcement purposes (or 
both); and 
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(ii) to allow for the replacement of a 
percentage of on-board observers with elec-
tronic monitoring. 
(B) COMPARABILITY.—Subparagraph (A) 
shall apply to a fishery only if the Council or 
Secretary, respectively, determines that such 
monitoring will yield comparable data collection 
and compliance results. 
(3) PILOT PROJECTS.—Before the issuance of 
final guidance, a Council, or the Secretary for fish-
eries referred to in section 302(a)(3) of the Magnu-
son-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management 
Act (16 U.S.C. 1852(a)(3)), may, subject to the re-
quirements of such Act, on a fishery-by-fishery 
basis, and consistent with the existing objectives and 
management goals of a fishery management plan for 
a fishery issued by the Council or the Secretary, re-
spectively, conduct a pilot project for the use of elec-
tronic monitoring for the fishery. 
(4) DEADLINE.—The Secretary shall issue final 
guidance under this subsection by not later than 12 
months after the date of enactment of this Act. 
(b) 
VIDEO
AND
ACOUSTIC
SURVEY
TECH-
NOLOGIES.—The Secretary shall work with the Regional 
Fishery Management Councils and nongovernmental enti-
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ties to develop and implement the use pursuant to the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Manage-
ment Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) of video survey tech-
nologies and expanded use of acoustic survey technologies. 
SEC. 9. COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) PLAN.—Section 318 (16 U.S.C. 1867) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ before 
the first sentence, and by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(2) Within one year after the date of enactment of 
the Fishing Economy Improvement Act, and after con-
sultation with the Councils, the Secretary shall publish a 
plan for implementing and conducting the program estab-
lished in paragraph (1). Such plan shall identify and de-
scribe critical regional fishery management and research 
needs, including for data-poor stocks for which limited sci-
entific or commercial information is available, possible 
projects that may address those needs, and estimated 
costs for such projects. The plan shall be revised and up-
dated every 5 years, and updated plans shall include a 
brief description of projects that were funded in the prior 
5-year period and the research and management needs 
that were addressed by those projects.’’; 
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