,,ii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bifj ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,december #b1 #bjai,mr4 ,cassidy 7for himself and ,mr4 ,jones7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to require individuals fishing for ,gulf reef fish to use certain descending devices1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,direct ,enhancement of ,snapper ,conservation and the ,economy through ,novel ,devices ,act of #bjai or the ,,descend ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,required possession of descending devices 7a7 ,required gear in the ,gulf reef fish fishery ,title ,,iii of the ,magnuson-,stevens ,fishery ,conservation and ,management ,act 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #ahea et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #cba4 ,required possession of descending devices 7a7 ,require gear in the ,gulf reef fish fishery ,it shall be unlawful for a person on board a commercial or recreational vessel to fish for ,gulf reef fish in the ,gulf of ,mexico ,exclusive ,economic ,zone without possessing on board the vessel a venting tool or a descending device that is rigged and ready for use while fishing is occurring4 7b7 ,savings clause ,no provision of this section shall be interpreted to affect any program or activity carried out by the ,gulf ,coast ,ecosystem ,restoration ,council established under section #caa7t7 of the ,federal ,water ,pollution ,control ,act 7#cc ,u4,s4,c4 #acba7t771 or any project contained in an approved ,restoration ,plan developed by any ,natural ,resources ,damage ,assessment ,trustee ,implementation ,group to reduce post-release mortality from barotrauma in ,gulf of ,mexico ,reef ,fish ,recreational ,fisheries4 7c7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,descending device ,the term descending device means an instrument that-- 7,a7 will release fish at a depth sufficient for the fish to be able to recover from the effects of barotrauma2 7,b7 is a weighted hook1 lip clamp1 or box that will hold the fish while it is lowered to depth1 or another device determined to be appropriate by the ,secretary2 and 7,c7 is capable of-- 7i7 releasing the fish automatically2 7ii7 releasing the fish by actions of the operator of the device2 or 7iii7 allowing the fish to escape on its own4 7#b7 ,venting tool ,the term venting tool has the meaning given to it by the ,gulf of ,mexico ,fishery ,management ,council4 7#c7 ,gulf reef fish ,the term ,gulf reef fish means any fish chosen by the ,gulf of ,mexico ,fishery ,management ,council that is in the reef ,fishery ,management ,plan for the purposes of this ,act4 7d7 ,sunset ,the requirements under this section shall expire on the date that is #e years after the date of enactment of the ,direct ,enhancement of ,snapper ,conservation and the ,economy through ,novel ,devices ,act of #bjai4 4 7b7 ,civil penalties ,section #cjh7;a7 of the ,magnuson-,stevens ,fishery ,conservation and ,management ,act 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #aheh7;a77 is amended-- 7#a7 by inserting or section #cba after section #cjg2 and 7#b7 by adding at the end the following3 ,the authorization under this subsection for a penalty for a violation of section #cba shall expire on the date that is #e years after the date of enactment of the ,direct ,enhancement of ,snapper ,conservation and the ,economy through ,novel ,devices ,act of #bjai4 7c7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this ,act shall take effect #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act4 #c4 ,improving discard mortality data 7a7 ,agreement ,within #fj days of the date of enactment this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,commerce shall enter into an agreement with the ,national ,academy of ,sciences to conduct a study and produce a report on discard mortality in the ,gulf of ,mexico reef fish fisheries4 ,such study shall include-- 7#a7 assessment of gaps and biases in reporting of discards and associated discard mortality2 7#b7 assessment of uncertainty and likely impacts of such uncertainty in discard mortality2 7#c7 assessment of the effectiveness and usage rates of barotrauma reducing devices2 7#d7 recommendations for future research priorities2 and 7#e7 recommendations for standardized reporting and quantification of discards for fisheries under the ,gulf of ,mexico ,reef ,fish ,fishery ,management ,plan4 7b7 ,deadline ,the ,national ,academy of ,sciences shall complete the study described in subsection 7a7 and transmit the final report to the ,secretary of ,commerce within #b years of the date of enactment of this ,act4 ,the ,secretary of ,commerce shall1 within #c months of receiving such study and report1 submit such study and report to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,natural ,resources of the ,house of ,representatives4 7c7 ,plan ,within #a year of receiving the study and report described in subsection 7a71 the ,gulf of ,mexico ,fishery ,management ,council and the ,secretary of ,commerce shall-- 7#a7 develop guidance for minimum standards for quantifying and reporting discards and associated mortality in the ,gulf of ,mexico ,reef ,fish ,fishery ,management ,plan2 and 7#b7 develop a plan to assess and monitor the effectiveness and usage of barotrauma reducing devices and the impact on discard mortality rates in ,gulf of ,mexico reef fish fisheries4 7d7 ,follow-,up report ,within #c years of developing minimum standards and developing the assessment and monitoring plan in subsection 7c71 the ,secretary of ,commerce shall provide a detailed report on implementation to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,natural ,resources of the ,house of ,representatives4