Title: Transparent Summer Flounder Quotas Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Transparent Summer Flounder Quotas Act
This bill addresses rules governing summer flounder fisheries.
As applicable to summer flounder, the rule submitted by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) titled "Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fisheries; 2017-2018 Summer Flounder Specifications and Announcement of 2017 Summer Flounder and Black Sea Bass Commercial Accountability Measures" is	nullified.	The rule published in the Federal Register on December 22, 2016, establishes summer flounder quotas for the 2017-2018 recreational and commercial fishing seasons.
The prior regulations governing summer flounder shall apply until the NMFS completes a new summer flounder stock assessment and establishes a new rule based on the stock assessment. (The prior regulations titled "Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fisheries; 2016-2018 Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Specifications" were published in the Federal Register on December 28, 2015, and effective as of January 1, 2016.)

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1411 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1411

  To continue in effect for the 2017 and 2018 fishing seasons certain 
 fishing specifications for the summer flounder fishery, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 7, 2017

  Mr. Pallone (for himself and Mr. LoBiondo) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To continue in effect for the 2017 and 2018 fishing seasons certain 
 fishing specifications for the summer flounder fishery, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Transparent Summer Flounder Quotas 
Act''.

SEC. 2. CONTINUATION OF FISHING SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE SUMMER FLOUNDER 
              FISHERY.

    (a) Limitation.--The final rule published by the National Marine 
Fisheries Service titled ``Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; 
Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fisheries; 2017-2018 Summer 
Flounder Specifications and Announcement of 2017 Summer Flounder and 
Black Sea Bass Commercial Accountability Measures'' and published 
December 22, 2016 (81 Fed. Reg. 93842), shall not apply with respect to 
the summer flounder fishery.
    (b) Continuation of Previous Specifications.--The specifications 
for summer flounder established in the rule titled ``Fisheries of the 
Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass 
Fisheries; 2016-2018 Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass 
Specifications'' and published December 28, 2015 (80 Fed. Reg. 80689), 
shall apply with respect to the summer flounder fishery until the date 
on which--
            (1) a new summer flounder stock assessment is completed 
        after the date of the enactment of this Act; and
            (2) a new rule based on such stock assessment takes effect.
    (c) Relationship to Existing Law.--Subsections (a) and (b)--
            (1) shall apply notwithstanding section 302(h)(6) of the 
        Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 
        U.S.C. 1852(h)(6)); and
            (2) shall not be construed to affect any other provision of 
        such Act.
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