Prioritizing foundational investigations and ecosystem analyses to reduce bycatch and seafloor impacts

(a) Reconstitution of the alaska salmon research task force (1) In general 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 task force The reconstituted membership described in paragraph (1) shall be referred to as the Bycatch Reduction Task Force. (3) Members The Secretary of Commerce shall appoint an additional 7 representatives to the Bycatch Reduction Task Force as follows: (A) 3 members who are academic experts, of which 1 member shall be an expert in salmon ecology, 1 member shall be an expert in groundfish ecology, and 1 member shall be an expert in invertebrate ecology. (B) 1 member who is a resident of the Bering Sea or Aleutian Islands region and 1 member who is a resident of the Gulf of Alaska region. (C) 2 members who are subject matter experts with trawl fishing gear technology and its operations. (4) Duties The Bycatch Reduction Task Force shall— (A) review all research conducted and reports published under this section; and (B) in consultation with the Administrator, provide priority recommendations for future work as described in subsection (d)(2). (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 Task Force. Notwithstanding the inapplicability of chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code, the Administrator shall, to the maximum extent practicable and consistent with protection of confidential and proprietary information, make publicly available on an internet website— (A) the membership of the Bycatch Reduction Task Force; (B) meeting dates and agendas of the Bycatch Reduction Task Force; (C) non-proprietary materials provided to or produced by the Bycatch Reduction Task Force; and (D) a mechanism for the public to submit written statements for consideration by the Bycatch Reduction 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 (i) In general 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. (ii) Satellite tagging studies The satellite tagging or other intelligent tagging described in clause (i) shall aim to conduct— (I) genetic determination of stock-of-origin on all tagged salmon; (II) an analysis of movement, behavior, and habitat use for different genetic stocks; (III) systematic sampling across different ages, sizes, run timings, and cohorts rather than opportunistic tagging; and (IV) research on depth occupancy patterns, vertical migration behavior, and 3-dimensional habitat associations. (iii) Data stewardship and analyses (I) In general The Administrator shall ensure the results and analyses under this subsection are publicly accessible, usable, and directly applicable to better understanding Alaska origin salmon migrations and distributions, and to reduce bycatch in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska. (II) Methods In carrying out all analyses under this subsection, the Administrator, in consultation with the Bycatch Reduction Task Force and applicable public-private partnerships described under subparagraph (A), shall use modern analytical methods that may include machine learning or artificial intelligence for predictive modeling, to the extent practicable. (III) Public availability All— (aa) methods and models used to carry out this subsection shall be publicly available and accessible for use in peer-reviewed venues or technical reports and shall include all algorithms and analytical code; and (bb) developed or produced tools, guides, visualizations, or decision-support products used to carry out this subsection shall be made publicly available and usable. (IV) Open standards All satellite tagging data collected under this subsection shall abide by open data standards and be deposited in publicly accessible repositories (such as the Ocean Tracking Network or the Animal Telemetry Network) using standardized formats. (D) 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 partnerships described in subparagraph (A). (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) off Alaska). (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 tagging research conducted under paragraph (1) and the findings of the genetic analyses grant program conducted under paragraph (2) that details how the salmon tagging 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, including relevant international data and research from comparable marine ecosystems, of how contact from nonpelagic 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 heat waves; (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) carrying capacity; (xi) impacts from hatchery released species, with particular attention to foreign hatchery releases; and (xii) 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) involve 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. (3) Data stewardship and analyses (A) In general The Administrator shall ensure the results and literature review analyses under this subsection are publicly accessible, usable, and directly applicable to the research conducted under this subsection. (B) Methods In carrying out all analyses under this subsection, the Administrator, in consultation with the Bycatch Reduction Task Force and applicable public-private partnerships described under subparagraph (2) shall use modern analytical methods that may include machine learning or artificial intelligence for predictive modeling, to the extent practicable. (C) Public availability All— (i) methods and models used to carry out this subsection shall be publicly available and accessible for use in peer-reviewed venues or technical reports and shall include all algorithms and analytical code; and (ii) developed or produced tools, guides, visualizations, or decision-support products used to carry out this subsection shall be made publicly available and usable. (D) Open standards All newly produced ecosystem data collected under this subsection shall abide by open data standards and be deposited in publicly accessible repositories using standardized formats. (4) Juvenile recruitment of species As part of the essential fish habitat (EFH) review, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council shall analyze areas closed to 1 or more commercial fishing gear types that overlap with habitats that support juvenile recruitment of important commercial, subsistence, or recreational species. The review shall include an evaluation of the potential benefits associated with such closures, and whether these habitat closure areas should be expanded to other commercial fishing gear types. (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 literature review analyses 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) descriptions of explicit mechanisms to connect research outputs to management processes through research products that document specific examples of how research findings are being incorporated into management decisions, fishery regulations, or industry practices; (B) recommendations to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council on creating feedback loops that ensure collaboration through establishing regular workshops or working groups that bring together researchers, managers, industry representatives, and fishermen to coordinate research efforts and share findings related to bycatch reduction; (C) 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 (D) other findings and recommendations for future work under this section.