Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 110 Part 5.djvu/529

 PUBLIC LAW 104-297—OCT. 11, 1996 110 STAT. 3603 and regulations for its implementation. The Secretary may not adopt a final implementation plan involving industry fees or debt obligation unless an industry fee system has been approved by a referendum under this section.". (b) STUDY OF FEDERAL INVESTMENT.— The Secretary of Commerce shall establish a task force comprised of interested parties to study and report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives within 2 years of the date of enactment of this Act on the role of the Federal Government in— (1) subsidizing the expansion and contraction of fishing capacity in fishing fleets managed under the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.); and (2) otherwise influencing the aggregate capital investments in fisheries. (c) Section 2(b)(1)(A) of the Act of August 11, 1939 (15 U.S.C. 713c3(b)(l)(A)) is amended— (1) by striking "and" at the end of clause (ii); (2) by striking the period at the end of clause (iii) and inserting a semicolon and the word "and"; and (3) by adding at the end the following new clause: "(iv) to fund the Federal share of a fishing capacity reduction program established under section 312 of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act; and". SEC. 117. NORTH PACIFIC AND NORTHWEST ATLANTIC OCEAN FISH- ERIES. (a) NORTH PACIFIC FISHERIES CONSERVATION.— Section 313 (16 U.S.C. 1862) is amended— (1) by striking "RESEARCH PLAN" in the section heading and inserting "CONSERVATION"; (2) in subsection (a) by striking "North Pacific Fishery Management Council" and inserting "North Pacific Council"; and (3) by adding at the end the following: "(f) BYCATCH REDUCTION.— In implementing section 303(a)(ll) and this section, the North Pacific Council shall submit conservation and management measures to lower, on an annual basis for a period of not less than four years, the total amount of economic discards occurring in the fisheries under its jurisdiction. "(g) BYCATCH REDUCTION INCENTIVES.—(1) Notwithstanding section 304(d), the North Pacific Council may submit, and the Secretary may approve, consistent with the provisions of this Act, a system of fines in a fishery to provide incentives to reduce bycatch and bycatch rates; except tnat such fines shall not exceed $25,000 per vessel per season. Any fines collected shall be deposited in the North Pacific Fishery (5bserver Fund, and may be made available by the Secretary to oflfset costs related to the reduction of bycatch in the fishery from which such fines were derived, including conservation and management measures and research, and to the State of Alaska to offset costs incurred by the State in the fishery from which such penalties were derived or in fisheries in which the State is directly involved in management or enforcement and which are directly sfeiected by the fishery from which such penalties were derived. Establishment. Reports. 16 USC 1861a note. 15 USC 713C-3.

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