,,ib  ,union ,calendar ,no4 #had  #aaeth
 ,,congress  #b;d ,session  ,h4 ,r4     
#cehh  ,report ,no4 #aae-ajdg  ,,in     
,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives    
,july #bh1 #bjag ,mr4 ,graves of        
,louisiana 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,richmond1
 ,mr4 ,byrne1 ,mr4 ,thompson of         
,mississippi1 ,mr4 ,weber of ,texas1    
,mr4 ,clay1 ,mr4 ,palazzo1 ,mr4         
,farenthold1 ,mr4 ,austin ,scott of     
,georgia1 and ,mr4 ,higgins of          
,louisiana7 introduced the following    
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,natural ,resources       
,november #bg1 #bjah;,additional        
sponsors3 ,mr4 ,brooks of ,alabama1 ,mr4
 ,babin1 and ,mr4 ,johnson of ,louisiana
  ,november #bg1 #bjah ,committed to the
 ,committee of the ,whole ,house on the 
,state of the ,union and ordered to be  
printed  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend the       
,magnuson-,stevens ,fishery             
,conservation and ,management ,act to   
provide for management of red snapper in
 the ,gulf of ,mexico1 and for other    

purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,regionally         
,empowered ,decision-making for         
,snapper1 ,noting the ,angling ,public  
and the ,preservation of an ,exceptional
 ,resource ,act or the ,,red ,,snapper  
,act4  #b4 ,state exclusive fishery     
management authority over private       
recreational red snapper fishing seasons
 in the ,gulf of ,mexico  7a7 ,in       
general ,section #djg of the            
,magnuson-,stevens ,fishery             
,conservation and ,management ,act 7#af 
,u4,s4,c4 #ahhc7 is amended by striking 
subsection 7d7 and inserting the        
following3  7d7 ,catch limits ,any      
fishery management plan1 plan amendment1
 or regulation for the red snapper      
fishery that is submitted by the ,gulf  
of ,mexico ,fishery ,management ,council
 after the date of the enactment of the 
,,red ,,snapper ,act shall contain      
conservation and management measures    
that--  7#a7 establish separate catch   
limits for each of-- 7,a7 private       

recreational fishing2  7,b7 federally   
permitted charter fishing2 and  7,c7    
commercial fishing2 and  7#b7 ensure    
that such catch limits reflect          
allocations among such sectors and do   
not reflect any harvests in excess of   
such allocations4  7e7 ,state exclusive 
authority over private recreational red 
snapper fishing seasons in the ,gulf of 
,mexico  7#a7 ,exclusive authority  7,a7
 ,in general ,except as provided in     
subparagraph 7,b7 and paragraph 7#e71   
and subject to paragraph 7#d7 and       
section #cjf7;b71 each of the ,gulf     
,states shall have exclusive authority  
to establish for each of fishing years  
#bjah through #bjbd the timing and      
duration of the fishing season for      
private recreational fishing of red     
snapper in the ,gulf of ,mexico in the  
extended red snapper management zone of 
such ,gulf ,state under paragraph 7#b74 
7,b7 ,special rule for ,florida ,with   
respect to the ,state of ,florida1 the  
exclusive authority provided under      

subparagraph 7,a7 shall apply only to   
waters adjacent to the ,state of        
,florida in the ,gulf of ,mexico4  7#b7 
,extended red snapper management zone   
described  7,a7 ,in general ,for        
purposes of this subsection1 the        
extended red snapper management zone of 
a ,gulf ,state consists of all waters   
that are--  7i7 seaward of the ,state   
seaward boundary of such ,gulf ,state2  
7ii7 not further from shore than the    
#be-;fathom line described under        
subparagraph 7,b72 and  7iii7 between   
the projected lines determined for that 
,state under section #d7;a77#b77;,a7 of 
the ,outer ,continental ,shelf ,lands   
,act 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4 #accc7;a77#b77;,a774
  7,b7 ,description of line  7i7 ,in    
general ,not later than #fj days after  
the date of the enactment of the ,,red  
,,snapper ,act and subject to clause    
7ii71 the ,secretary shall publish in   
the ,federal ,register and make         
available on the website of the         
,department of ,commerce a description  

of1 and map showing1 a continuous line  
in waters of the exclusive economic zone
 in the ,gulf of ,mexico along the      
coasts of the ,gulf ,states1 that is    
comprised of points that are1 on        
average1 #be fathoms in depth4  7ii7    
,minimum distance ,no point on such     
continuous line shall be less than #be  
nautical miles from the shore4  7iii7   
,consultation with ,states ,in          
determining the placement of such       
continuous line1 the ,secretary shall   
consult with appropriate agencies of    
each ,gulf ,state4  7#c7 ,criteria ,in  
determining a fishing season under this 
subsection1 a ,gulf ,state shall-- 7,a7 
to the extent practicable1 ensure       
sustainable and responsible fishery     
management consistent with the national 
standards for fishery conservation and  
management in section #cja2 and  7,b7   
include-- 7i7 the most recent stock     
assessment for the red snapper in the   
,gulf of ,mexico2  7ii7 surveys of red  
snapper in the ,gulf of ,mexico         

certified under subsection 7g72  7iii7  
data related to red snapper in the ,gulf
 of ,mexico collected by the ,gulf      
,states ,marine ,fisheries ,commission1 
nongovernmental organizations1 and      
nongovernmental sources1 including      
fishermen1 universities1 and research   
institutions2  7iv7 consideration of the
 duration of the fishing seasons for red
 snapper within the ,state's seaward    
boundary2  7v7 estimates of private     
recreational fishing effort and catch   
rates both within the ,state's seaward  
boundary and within the ,state's        
extended red snapper management zone    
under paragraph 7#b77;,a72 and  7vi7    
relevant data from independent          
biological surveys1 including ,state    
population estimates of the biomass of  
red snapper within the ,state's seaward 
boundary and within the ,state's        
extended red snapper management zone    
under paragraph 7#b74  7#d7 ,limitation 
with respect to charter fishing ,the    
authority of a ,state under paragraph   

7#a7 does not apply with respect to the 
timing or duration of the charter       
fishing season4  7#e7 ,secretarial      
action to address adverse effects of    
,state actions ,for purposes of section 
#cjf7;b77#a71 the extended red snapper  
management zone of a ,state under this  
subsection shall be treated as within   
the boundaries of such ,state4  7#f7    
,report ,not later than #aej days before
 the end of the #bjbd fishing year and  
biannually thereafter1 the ,secretary   
shall submit a report to the ,committee 
on ,commerce1 ,science1 and             
,transportation of the ,senate and the  
,committee on ,natural ,resources of the
 ,house of ,representatives detailing   
the health of the red snapper fishery in
 the ,gulf of ,mexico4 ,the report      
shall--  7,a7 be based upon the         
boundaries prescribed in paragraph 7#b72
  7,b7 describe the impact of the       
criteria listed under paragraph 7#c72   
and  7,c7 include results of the ,,noaa 
,fisheries ,southeast ,region head boat 

surveys4  7#g7 ,relationship to other   
,federal authority and requirements     
,nothing in this subsection affects the 
authority of the ,secretary under any   
other provision of law--  7,a7 to       
establish the acceptable biological     
catch and total allowable catch of red  
snapper in the ,gulf of ,mexico2 or     
7,b7 to establish any limited access    
privilege program for the commercial    
harvest of red snapper in the ,gulf of  
,mexico4  7#h7 ,relationship to ,state  
authority over ,state waters ,nothing in
 this subsection affects the authority  
of a ,gulf ,state over the territorial  
waters of such ,state and fishing in    
such waters4  4  7b7 ,conforming        
amendments  7#a7 ,united ,states        
sovereign rights to fish and fishery    
management authority ,section #aja7;a7  
of the ,magnuson-,stevens ,fishery      
,conservation and ,management ,act 7#af 
,u4,s4,c4 #ahaa7 is amended by striking 
#ajb1 and inserting #ajb and section    
#djg7;e714  7#b7 ,gulf ,council ,section

 #cjb7;a77#a77;,e7 of the               
,magnuson-,stevens ,fishery             
,conservation and ,management ,act 7#af 
,u4,s4,c4 #aheb7;a77#a77;,e77 is amended
 by striking paragraph 7#c774 and       
inserting paragraph 7#c7 of this        
subsection and section #djg7;e7744  7c7 
,extension of ,state seaward boundary   
,section #djg of the ,magnuson-,stevens 
,fishery ,conservation and ,management  
,act 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #ahhc7 is further   
amended by adding at the end the        
following3  7f7 ,state seaward boundary 
,notwithstanding any other provision of 
law1 for the purpose of management of   
red snapper fisheries in the ,gulf of   
,mexico1 the seaward boundary of a ,gulf
 ,state is a line #i nautical miles     
seaward from the baseline from which the
 territorial sea of the ,united ,states 
is measured4  4  #c4 ,federal ,gulf of  
,mexico red snapper management  7a7     
,allocations of percentage of total     
allowable catch and seasons for other   
sectors ,section #djg of the            

,magnuson-,stevens ,fishery             
,conservation and ,management ,act 7#af 
,u4,s4,c4 #ahhc7 is further amended by  
adding at the end the following3  7g7   
,acceptable biological catch1 total     
allowable catch1 and certified ,state   
surveys2 allocation  7#a7 ,inclusion of 
certified ,state surveys ,in            
establishing the acceptable biological  
catch and total allowable catch for red 
snapper in the ,gulf of ,mexico1 the    
,secretary shall include--  7,a7 ,gulf  
,state recreational fisheries surveys   
that are certified under subsection 7h72
 and  7,b7 data related to red snapper  
in the ,gulf of ,mexico collected by the
 ,gulf ,states ,marine ,fisheries       
,commission1 nongovernmental            
organizations1 and other nongovernmental
 sources1 including universities and    
research institutions4  7#b7 ,allocation
 and duration of commercial and         
federally permitted charter season      
,beginning in fishing year #bjah1 the   
percentage of the total allowable catch 

of red snapper1 and the duration of the 
red snapper fishing season in the ,gulf 
of ,mexico--  7,a7 for the commercial   
fishing sector shall be the same as such
 percentage and duration1 respectively1 
that applied for the most recent fishing
 year1 unless amended by the ,secretary2
 and  7,b7 for the federally permitted  
charter fishing sector may not be less  
than the allocation and duration that   
applied to such sector for the most     
recent fishing year1 unless amended by  
the ,secretary4  7#c7 ,fishing by       
federally permitted charter sector      
within ,gulf ,state seaward boundaries  
,nothing in this ,act shall be construed
 to authorize limiting fishing for red  
snapper by the federally permitted      
charter sector within a ,gulf ,state's  
seaward boundary in any period in which 
such fishing in the exclusive economic  
zone is not prohibited4  4  7b7 ,state  
surveys ,section #djg of the            
,magnuson-,stevens ,fishery             
,conservation and ,management ,act 7#af 

,u4,s4,c4 #ahhc7 is further amended by  
adding at the end the following3  7h7   
,state surveys  7#a7 ,submission ,a     
,gulf ,state that conducts a            
recreational fisheries survey in the    
,gulf of ,mexico to make catch estimates
 for red snapper landed in such ,state  
may submit such survey to the ,secretary
 for certification4  7#b7 ,certification
  7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall
 make a certification or a denial of    
certification for any survey submitted  
under paragraph 7#a7 not later than the 
end of the #f-month period beginning on 
the date the survey is submitted4  7,b7 
,deemed certified ,a recreational       
fisheries survey is deemed to be        
certified effective upon the expiration 
of such period if the ,secretary has not
 made a certification or denial of      
certification4  7#c7 ,modification of   
surveys denied certification  7,a7 ,in  
general ,if a survey of a ,gulf ,state  
is denied certification under paragraph 
7#b71 the ,secretary shall1 not later   

than #fj days after the date of the     
denial1 provide the ,gulf ,state a      
proposal for modifications to the       
survey4  7,b7 ,proposal ,a proposal     
provided to a ,gulf ,state for a survey 
under subparagraph 7,a7-- 7i7 shall be  
specific to the survey submitted by such
 ,gulf ,state and may not be construed  
to apply to any other ,gulf ,state2     
7ii7 shall require revision to the      
fewest possible provisions of the       
survey2 and  7iii7 may not unduly burden
 the ability of such ,gulf ,state to    
revise the survey4  7,c7 ,modified      
survey  7i7 ,authority to submit ,if a  
survey of a ,gulf ,state was denied     
certification under paragraph 7#b71 the 
,gulf ,state may modify the survey and  
submit the modified survey to the       
,secretary for certification or denial  
of certification4  7ii7 ,schedule ,the  
,secretary shall make a certification or
 denial of certification for any        
modified survey not later than the end  
of the #cj-;day period beginning on the 

date the modified survey is submitted4  
7iii7 ,deemed certified ,a modified     
survey is deemed to be certified        
effective upon the expiration of the    
period described in clause 7ii7 if the  
,secretary has not made a certification 
or denial of certification4  4  7c7     
,reduction of barotrauma ,section #djg  
of the ,magnuson-,stevens ,fishery      
,conservation and ,management ,act 7#af 
,u4,s4,c4 #ahhc7 is further amended by  
adding at the end the following3  7i7   
,reduction of barotrauma ,each ,gulf    
,state shall develop and promote best   
practices for use in the red snapper    
fishery in the ,gulf of ,mexico to      
reduce barotrauma4  4  7d7 ,construction
 ,section #djg of the ,magnuson-,stevens
 ,fishery ,conservation and ,management 
,act 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #ahhc7 is further   
amended by adding at the end the        
following3  7j7 ,construction ,nothing  
in this section may be construed to     
alter-- 7#a7 any commercial catch share 
program for ,gulf of ,mexico red        

snapper2  7#b7 any ,federal program     
related to charter fishing2 or  7#c7 the
 fishing gear that may be used in the   
red snapper fishery in the ,gulf of     
,mexico4  4  7e7 ,definitions ,section  
#djg of the ,magnuson-,stevens ,fishery 
,conservation and ,management ,act 7#af 
,u4,s4,c4 #ahhc71 as amended by this    
section1 is further amended by adding at
 the end the following3  7k7            
,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7     
,gulf ,state ,the term ,gulf ,state     
means each of the ,states of ,texas1    
,louisiana1 ,mississippi1 ,alabama1 or  
,florida4  7#b7 ,red snapper ,the term  
red snapper means the species ,lutjanus 
campechanus4  4  #d4 ,sense of ,congress
 ,it is the sense of ,congress that in  
order to supplement ,state data         
collection efforts1 ,gulf ,states should
 continue modernizing fishery harvest   
data for red snapper through the        
development and implementation of       
voluntary electronic reporting          
applications for use by the private     

recreational fishing sector to determine
 red snapper catch rates and effort in  
the ,gulf of ,mexico4  ,november #bg1   
#bjah ,committed to the ,committee of   
the ,whole ,house on the ,state of the  
,union and ordered to be printed