H.R. 4587

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4587 Reported in House (RH)]

<DOC>

Union Calendar No. 606
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4587

[Report No. 118-717]

To provide that the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration shall not issue an interim or final rule 
that includes an area closure in the South Atlantic for species managed 
under the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan until the South 
Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count study is complete and the data related 
to that study is integrated into the stock assessment.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 12, 2023

Mr. Rutherford introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources

October 25, 2024

Additional sponsors: Mr. Dunn of Florida, Mr. Graves of Louisiana, Mr. 
Waltz, Mr. Carter of Georgia, Mr. Diaz-Balart, Ms. Mace, Mr. Duncan, 
Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia, Ms. Salazar, Ms. Lee of Florida, Mr. 
Timmons, Mr. Scott Franklin of Florida, Mr. Steube, Mr. Donalds, Mr. 
Webster of Florida, Mr. Ferguson, and Mr. Bean of Florida

October 25, 2024

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on July 
12, 2023]

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To provide that the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration shall not issue an interim or final rule 
that includes an area closure in the South Atlantic for species managed 
under the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan until the South 
Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count study is complete and the data related 
to that study is integrated into the stock assessment.

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 ``Red Snapper Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. CONDITIONS FOR RULES RELATED TO CERTAIN AREA CLOSURES.

(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Fishing is a major economic driver in the South 
Atlantic. In Florida alone, recreational anglers provide 
$14,000,000,000 in economic output and support 119,000 jobs.
(2) Red snapper is a highly prized and sought after reef 
fish by both recreational and commercial fishermen.
(3) The 6-day recreational red snapper season in 2018 added 
$13,000,000 to the gross domestic product of the South Atlantic 
region.
(4) For the last 10 years, fishery managers have 
successfully been working to rebuild the red snapper stock in 
the South Atlantic. There is currently record high abundance 
and strong recruitment within the stock.
(5) This record abundance has led to increased out-of-
season encounters and discards which is driving red snapper 
mortality.
(6) Despite these increased discards, it is the overriding 
opinion of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's 
Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel that based on members' 
collective on-the-water experience, the red snapper fishery is 
recovered.
(7) However, options for future consideration to reduce 
out-of-season encounters and red snapper mortalities include 
shorter seasons and broad area closures for the snapper-grouper 
fishery in the South Atlantic.
(8) The State of Florida is concerned with the economic 
implications of area closures for the South Atlantic snapper-
grouper recreational fishery.
(9) $5,100,000 has been invested in independent survey data 
over the last three fiscal years, including $3,300,000 for the 
South Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count to estimate the number 
of red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) in the South Atlantic 
waters from North Carolina to Florida.
(10) The National Marine Fisheries Service should 
incorporate data from this survey into the National Marine 
Fisheries Service stock assessments as expeditiously as 
possible to better inform fishery management decisions.
(b) Condition on Issuance of Rule.--The Administrator of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall not issue an 
interim or final rule that includes an area closure in the South 
Atlantic for species managed under the Snapper-Grouper Fishery 
Management Plan until--
(1) the South Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count study is 
complete; and
(2) the data related to that study is integrated into the 
upcoming South Atlantic red snapper research track and 
operational stock assessment.
Union Calendar No. 606

118th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 4587

[Report No. 118-717]

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To provide that the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration shall not issue an interim or final rule 
that includes an area closure in the South Atlantic for species managed 
under the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan until the South 
Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count study is complete and the data related 
to that study is integrated into the stock assessment.

_______________________________________________________________________

October 25, 2024

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed