HR3714-119

What This Bill Does

The Forage Fish Conservation Act integrates forage fish into federal fisheries management. It adds findings that small schooling fish transfer energy from plankton to higher trophic predators such as tuna, Alaska pollock, marine mammals, and birds, and that population swings can alter ecosystems. Within 12 months, the Commerce Secretary, with fishery council advice, must define forage fish using factors such as low trophic level, small to intermediate size, schooling behavior, contribution to predator diets, and energy transfer. Scientific and statistical committees must advise councils on maintaining sufficient abundance, diversity, and localized distribution of forage fish. Councils must identify unmanaged forage fish and recommend prohibiting new directed fisheries until they review best science, assess effects on existing fisheries, fishing communities, and ecosystems, decide whether management is needed, submit a fishery management plan or amendment if needed, and receive final approved regulations. Annual catch limits for forage fish must account for the diet needs of fish, marine mammals, and birds that rely on them. Commerce must issue implementing guidelines within 18 months after workshops with councils, scientific, fisheries, and conservation interests. The bill also requires Commerce within 180 days to amend Atlantic herring and Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish plans to add river herring and shad as managed stocks, complete further amendments within one year, and provide at least one observer or equivalent electronic/video monitoring on at least 50 percent of relevant mid-water trawl trips.

Who Benefits and How

Marine ecosystem managers benefit from explicit forage fish abundance, diversity, distribution, and predator-diet management requirements. Commercial fisheries that depend on tuna, pollock, and other predators benefit if forage prey is managed to support food webs. River herring and shad conservation advocates benefit because those species must be added to Atlantic fishery management plans. Marine mammal and seabird conservation organizations benefit from catch limits that account for predator diet needs.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Commerce fisheries staff must define forage fish, issue guidelines, conduct workshops, and amend Atlantic fishery plans. Regional fishery management councils must list unmanaged forage fish and restrict new directed fisheries until reviews and plans are complete. Mid-water trawl vessels in Atlantic herring and mackerel fisheries face expanded observer or electronic monitoring coverage. Forage fish harvesters may face delayed or restricted entry into new directed fisheries.

Key Provisions

• Requires Commerce to define forage fish within 12 months using ecological criteria.
• Requires scientific advice on forage fish abundance, diversity, and localized distribution.
• Blocks new directed unmanaged forage fish fisheries until councils complete science review and approved management steps.
• Requires annual catch limits to account for predator diet needs.
• Requires Commerce guidelines within 18 months after stakeholder workshops.
• Adds river herring and shad to Atlantic fishery plans and requires at-sea monitoring for at least 50 percent of relevant trips.