Research

(a) Reconstitution of the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force (1) In general The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (referred to in this Act as the Administrator) shall reconstitute the membership of the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force, as described in the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act (Public Law 117–328; 136 Stat. 5271). (2) Bycatch Reduction and Research Task Force The reconstituted membership described in paragraph (1) shall be referred to as the Bycatch Reduction and Research Task Force. (3) Members The Secretary of Commerce shall appoint an additional 2 representatives who are academic experts in groundfish ecology and invertebrate ecology to the Bycatch Reduction and Research Task Force. (4) Duties The Bycatch Reduction and Research Task Force shall— (A) review all research conducted and reports published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under this section; and (B) in consultation with the Administrator, provide priority recommendations for future work as described in subsection (d)(2)(B). (5) Inapplicability of Federal Advisory Committee Act Chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the Federal Advisory Committee Act), shall not apply to the Bycatch Reduction and Research Task Force. (b) Salmon life history research (1) Salmon tagging (A) In general The Administrator shall enter into public-private partnerships with State agencies, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))), Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)), and research institutions to research the marine life history of Alaska origin salmon species in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska. (B) Partnerships In entering into partnerships described in subparagraph (A), the Administrator— (i) shall involve a diverse group of Alaska salmon experts, including Alaska Natives, fishing industry representatives, commercial fishermen, and individuals who possess personal knowledge of, and direct experience with, subsistence uses in Alaska; and (ii) may include cooperative research efforts with privately owned commercial or charter fishing vessel owners. (C) Research At a minimum, the research required under subparagraph (A) shall include satellite tagging or other intelligent tagging methodologies to better understand migration and distributions of Alaska origin salmon during their marine life history in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, or Gulf of Alaska. (2) Genetic sampling grant program The Administrator shall conduct a competitive grant program to support improving the turnaround time of genetic analyses of biological samples collected at-sea or shoreside to provide real-time, or near-real-time, in-season genetic stock identification and age composition estimates of Alaska origin salmon caught incidentally in commercial fisheries conducted in the exclusive economic zone (as defined in section 3 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1802)). (3) Reporting Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall publish a report— (A) on the findings of the salmon life history research conducted under paragraph (1) and the findings of the genetic analyses grant program conducted under paragraph (2) that details how the research and genetic analyses can better inform Alaska origin salmon stock status and distributions; and (B) that includes potential uses of artificial intelligence or machine learning technology to perform predictive modeling to inform potential Alaska salmon bycatch avoidance areas. (c) Ecosystem analyses (1) In general The Administrator shall conduct— (A) research, through studies and models that incorporate existing data, literature, and ongoing research, of how contact from non-pelagic trawl and pelagic trawl gear impact shallow shelves or other marine benthic habitats in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska; (B) a review of existing data, literature, and ongoing research efforts on fluctuations in Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska marine ecosystems that may affect the survivability or energetic condition of commercially or culturally important wild marine and anadromous species, including examining— (i) harmful algal blooms; (ii) marine heatwaves; (iii) in-river temperatures; (iv) sea ice extent and thickness; (v) ocean acidification; (vi) diseases; (vii) nutrient or prey availability; (viii) density dependence; (ix) shifting stock distributions; (x) impacts from hatchery released species, with particular attention to foreign hatchery releases; and (xi) predator-prey interactions; and (C) new research, using the review of data, literature, and ongoing research efforts under subparagraph (B), to prioritize data collection that support conservation of commercially or culturally important wild marine and anadromous species. (2) Diverse group involvement In conducting research under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall— (A) enter into public-private partnerships with relevant entities, such as State agencies, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))), and Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); and (B) include a framework that involves a diverse group of experts in commercially or culturally important wild marine and anadromous species, including Alaska Natives, fishing industry representatives, commercial fishermen, and individuals who possess personal knowledge of, and direct experience with, subsistence uses in Alaska. (d) Reports (1) In general The Administrator shall publish interim annual reports and a final report (not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act)— (A) on findings and results of the research and review conducted under subsection (c)(1), and the status of milestones reached for all research initiatives under this section; (B) on the results from the salmon tagging and genetic sampling research under subsection (b), including modeled Alaska origin salmon migration routes and potential applications to inform how best to minimize Alaska salmon bycatch; and (C) that includes results from the ecosystem analyses under subsection (c). (2) Recommendations; findings The reports described under paragraph (1) shall include— (A) recommendations for applying the results from the ecosystem analyses review to model potential impacts on commercially or culturally important wild marine and anadromous species in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska to support informed management actions; and (B) other findings and recommendations for future work under this section.