Bill · H.R. 9953· House(119-HR-9953)
Bycatch Reduction Act
- Introduced
- 7/27/2026
- Last activity
- 7/27/2026 — Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
- Sponsored by
- Nicholas Begich
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Bycatch Reduction Act aims to decrease the impact of trawl gear on seafloor habitats and bycatch in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska. It mandates new gear performance standards and requirements, such as seafloor contact detection and salmon excluders. The bill seeks to increase the transparency and public participation of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Additionally, it prioritizes ecosystem analyses and salmon life history research through new task forces and partnerships. The legislation also prohibits unsustainable foreign seafood imports and establishes a fund to support cleaner fishing technology. Finally, it modernizes electronic monitoring and observer programs to improve data integration and transparency.
Yes· 3 of 8
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?+8
The bill mandates gear performance standards to reduce impacts on marine benthic habitats and reduce bycatch mortality.
Does this put more money into scientific research?+7
The bill reconstitutes the Bycatch Reduction Task Force and funds research into salmon life history and ecosystem analysis.
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+6
The bill requires Council meetings to be recorded, webcast, and their votes to be made public with member names.
The opposite
Does this make trade with other countries easier?-2
The bill prohibits certain foreign seafood imports unless they meet specific national conservation standards.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Habitat and Species Protection: The bill establishes performance standards and gear modifications to reduce the impact of trael gear on the marine benthic habitat and reduce unobserved mortality for important species (Section 2; Section 3).
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Salmon Bycatch Reduction: It requires the use of salmon excluder devices to help reduce bycatch of salmon (Section 5).
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Increased Transparency in Council Processes: The bill requires Council meetings to be recorded or broadcast and mandates that all roll call votes be made public with the names of voting members (Section 4).
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Enhanced Public Participation: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council must update its policy to provide a minimum 4-week comment period before meetings (Section 4).
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Scientific Research and Data Access: The bill reconstitutes the Bycatch Reduction Task Force and funds research into salmon life history, including satellite tagging, with an emphasis on making results and analytical tools publicly accessible (Section 6).
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Support for Fishing Innovation: A Flume Tank Assistance Fund is established to provide grants or financial assistance for testing innovative technology aimed at reducing bycatch and seafloor contact (Section 8).
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Financial Assistance for Gear Upgrades: The Bycatch Mitigation and Habitat Protection Assistance Fund can be used to help fishermen purchase or modify gear and technology (Section 10).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Regulatory Burdens and Penalings: Vessels that fail to comply with new gear standards or regulations regarding seafloor contact and salmon excluders are subject to penalties and sanctions under the Magnuson-Stevens Act (Section 2; Section 3; Section 5).
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Increased Equipment Requirements: Applicable vessels may be required to equip themselves with seafloor contact detection systems (Section 2) and salmon excluder devices (Section 5).
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Fishing Restrictions: Regulations may result in reductions in fishing effort or prohibitions on fishing in certain areas to protect the seafloor or juvenile recruitment areas (Section 2).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Native Americans+5Good For Rural Residents+4Good For Low Income Households+1
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Environmental Protections+8
- Education And Technology
- Increases Scientific Research Funding+7
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+6
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Small Business Support+3
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Improves International Trade-2
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+1
- 7/27/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
- Introduced in House