,,ii  #aagth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #cgfe  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,march #g1     
#bjbb,mrs4 ,shaheen 7for herself and    
,ms4 ,collins7 introduced the following 
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,commerce1         
,science1 and ,transportation  ,a ,,bill
  ,to provide assistance to ,american   
fisheries participants to comply with   
,federal regulations to protect the     
endangered ,north ,atlantic right whale 
by reducing the risk of incidental      
entanglement in fishing gear4  #a4      
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,stewarding ,atlantic ,fisheries    
,ecosystems by ,supporting ,economic    
,assistance and ,sustainability ,act of 
#bjbb or the ,,safe ,,seas ,act of #bjbb
 4  #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the   
following3 7#a7 ,the ,north ,atlantic   
right whale is critically endangered1   
with estimates suggesting fewer than    
#cej remain1 including fewer than #ajj  
breeding females4  7#b7 ,harvesters in  

the ,north ,atlantic have taken previous
 actions to protect whales1 including by
 implementing weak links1 replacing     
thousands of miles of floating ground   
line with whale-safe sinking line1 and  
increasing the minimum number of traps  
per trawl to remove thousands of miles  
of vertical buoy lines4  7#c7 ,seventeen
 ,north ,atlantic right whale           
mortalities were observed in #bjag1     
including many determined to have been  
caused by vessel strikes and            
entanglements1 leading to a declaration 
of a right whale ,unusual ,mortality    
,event4  7#d7 ,the ,department of       
,commerce has issued regulations        
revising the ,atlantic ,large ,whale    
,take ,reduction ,plan under section    
#bbi4cb of title #ej1 ,code of ,federal 
,regulations 7as in effect on the day   
before the date of enactment of this    
,act7 that require lobster and ,jonah   
crab harvesters to make gear            
modifications4  7#e7 ,implementing the  
federally required gear modifications1  

including markings1 is estimated to cost
 the industry tens of millions of       
dollars per year4  7#f7 ,the fishing    
industry is a vital driver of regional  
economies1 supporting our coastal       
communities and stewarding natural      
resources4  #c4 ,grant assistance for   
lobster and ,jonah crab harvester gear  
modification  7a7 ,purposes ,the        
purposes of this section are to-- 7#a7  
protect the highly endangered ,north    
,atlantic right whale population2  7#b7 
facilitate lobster and ,jonah crab      
harvesters' transition to modified and  
new gear types in accordance with the   
,atlantic ,large ,whale ,take ,reduction
 ,plan2  7#c7 assist lobster and ,jonah 
crab harvesters with the financial      
burden of this transition2 and  7#d7    
assist compliance with any subsequent   
modifications to the ,atlantic ,large   
,whale ,take ,reduction ,plan in any    
future impacted fisheries4  7b7 ,program
 authorized  7#a7 ,in general ,the      
,secretary of ,commerce 7referred to in 

this section as the ,secretary71 in     
coordination with the ,atlantic ,states 
,marine ,fisheries ,commission1 shall   
provide grants to ,states from          
allotments under paragraph 7#b7 to      
enable the ,states to assist lobster and
 ,jonah crab harvesters with the costs  
of gear modifications1 including        
markings1 in accordance with the        
,atlantic ,large ,whale ,take ,reduction
 ,plan4  7#b7 ,allotments  7,a7 ,in     
general ,except as provided in          
subparagraph 7,b71 funds made available 
for any fiscal year to carry out this   
section shall be allotted to each ,state
 in proportion to the number of active  
federally permitted lobster trap        
harvesters in each ,state4 ,for purposes
 of this subparagraph1 a federally      
permitted lobster trap harvester is     
considered in a ,state if the ,principal
 ,port in the ,federal permit           
application of the lobster trap         
harvester is in such ,state4  7,b7      
,minimum ,from the total amount         

available for any fiscal year to carry  
out this section1 each ,state with not  
less than #bj active federally permitted
 lobster trap harvesters shall be       
allotted not less than #d percent of the
 total amount4  7#c7 ,application ,a    
,state that desires to receive a grant  
under this section shall submit an      
application to the ,secretary at such   
time1 in such manner1 and accompanied by
 such information as the ,secretary may 
require4  7#d7 ,allowable uses ,a ,state
 that receives a grant under this       
section shall use the grant funds-- 7,a7
 to assist ,state-permitted and         
federally permitted lobster and ,jonah  
crab harvesters with management measures
 needed to comply with the ,atlantic    
,large ,whale ,take ,reduction ,plan1   
including the costs of federally        
required gear modification1             
configuration1 and marking within the   
,northeast lobster and ,jonah crab      
fisheries1 including requirements to    
modify gear marking1 change gear        

configurations to increase traps fished 
on trawls1 or modify buoy lines to      
accommodate new weak rope and weak      
insertions2  7,b7 to implement          
electronic tracking requirements within 
the ,american lobster and ,jonah crab   
fishery2  7,c7 to conduct research to   
inform future management actions1       
including in preparation for potential  
subsequent modifications to the         
,atlantic ,large ,whale ,take ,reduction
 ,plan2 and  7,d7 to assist fishery     
compliance with any subsequent          
modifications to the ,atlantic ,large   
,whale ,take ,reduction ,plan1 as       
necessary4  7c7 ,authorization of       
appropriations ,there are authorized to 
be appropriated to carry out this       
section #aj1jjj1jjj for fiscal year     
#bjbb and such sums as may be necessary 
for each of fiscal years #bjbc and      
#bjbd4