Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 120.djvu/3643

 120 STAT. 3612

PUBLIC LAW 109–479—JAN. 12, 2007 management decisions, and its usefulness for social and economic analyses; and ‘‘(ii) providing for ongoing technical evaluation and modification as needed to meet emerging management needs. ‘‘(C) METHODOLOGY.—Unless the Secretary determines that alternate methods will achieve this goal more efficiently and effectively, the program shall, to the extent possible, include— ‘‘(i) an adequate number of intercepts to accurately estimate recreational catch and effort; ‘‘(ii) use of surveys that target anglers registered or licensed at the State or Federal level to collect participation and effort data; ‘‘(iii) collection and analysis of vessel trip report data from charter fishing vessels; ‘‘(iv) development of a weather corrective factor that can be applied to recreational catch and effort estimates; and ‘‘(v) an independent committee composed of recreational fishermen, academics, persons with expertise in stock assessments and survey design, and appropriate personnel from the National Marine Fisheries Service to review the collection estimates, geographic, and other variables related to dockside intercepts and to identify deficiencies in recreational data collection, and possible correction measures. ‘‘(D) DEADLINE.—The Secretary shall complete the program under this paragraph and implement the improved Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey not later than January 1, 2009. ‘‘(4) REPORT.—Within 24 months after establishment of the program, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress that describes the progress made toward achieving the goals and objectives of the program.’’.

SEC. 202. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION.

Section 402(a) (16 U.S.C. 1881a(a)) is amended— (1) by striking ‘‘(a) COUNCIL REQUESTS.—’’ in the subsection heading and inserting ‘‘(a) COLLECTION PROGRAMS.—’’; (2) by resetting the text following ‘‘(a) COLLECTION PROGRAMS.—’’ as a new paragraph 2 ems from the left margin; (3) by inserting ‘‘(1) COUNCIL REQUESTS.—’’ before ‘‘If a Council’’; (4) by striking ‘‘subsection’’ in the last sentence and inserting ‘‘paragraph’’; (5) by striking ‘‘(other than information that would disclose proprietary or confidential commercial or financial information regarding fishing operations or fish processing operations)’’ each place it appears; and (6) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(2) SECRETARIAL INITIATION.—If the Secretary determines that additional information is necessary for developing, implementing, revising, or monitoring a fishery management plan, or for determining whether a fishery is in need of management, the Secretary may, by regulation, implement an information

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