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HR 3061 112th Congress House Public Lands and Natural Resources Administrative law and regulatory procedures Department of Commerce Economic performance and conditions Fishes Government studies and investigations Marine and coastal resources, fisheries

Flexibility and Access in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2011

Introduced: September 23, 2011 Introduced by: Pallone, Frank Democratic · New Jersey See on congress.gov
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Dec 1, 2011
Committee Hearings Held.
Sep 23, 2011
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Sep 23, 2011
Introduced in House
 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Flexibility and Access in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2011 - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to require fishery management plans, amendments, or regulations for overfished fisheries to specify a time period for ending overfishing and rebuilding the fishery that is as short as practicable (under current law, as short as possible). Modifies the exceptions to the requirement that such period not exceed 10 years.

Requires consideration, in evaluating progress to end overfishing and rebuild overfished stocks, of factors other than commercial and recreational fishing.

Requires, when the Secretary of Commerce extends the period under specified provisions, that the maximum rebuilding time not exceed the sum of the initial 10-year period, the expected time to rebuild the stock absent any fishing mortality and under prevailing environmental conditions, and the mean generation time of the stock.

Directs Regional Fishery Management Councils to consider data on recreational fishermen when specifying annual catch limits in a fishery management plan.

Authorizes the Secretary to suspend application of the annual catch limits to a fishery for any period that: (1) the fishery is neither overfished nor approaching such condition, (2) any stock previously affected by overfishing is rebuilt, and (3) scientific advice of the relevant Council committee is insufficient to ensure consistency with the national standard.

Requires the fishery impact statement of a fishery management plan to address the impacts and possible mitigation measures for coastal businesses dependent on recreational and commercial fishing industries.

Directs: (1) each Council to submit an annual impact statement to the Secretary describing whether each fishery management plan is projected to have any adverse economic impact (and the estimated dollar amount of any impact) on such recreational and commercial fishermen and coastal businesses, and (2) the Secretary to mitigate any such impacts.

What's happening now December 1, 2011

Committee Hearings Held.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1