Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 120.djvu/3645

 120 STAT. 3614

PUBLIC LAW 109–479—JAN. 12, 2007

observers, observer employers, and the Secretary prohibiting disclosure of the information by the observers or observer employers, in order— ‘‘(i) to allow the sharing of observer information among observers and between observers and observer employers as necessary to train and prepare observers for deployments on specific vessels; or ‘‘(ii) to validate the accuracy of the observer information collected.’’; and (3) by striking ‘‘(1)(E).’’ in paragraph (3), as redesignated, and inserting ‘‘(2)(A).’’. (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 404(c)(4) (16 U.S.C. 1881c(c)(4)) is amended by striking ‘‘under section 401’’. SEC. 204. COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.

Title III (16 U.S.C. 1851 et seq.), as amended by section 119 of this Act, is further amended by adding at the end the following: 16 USC 1867.

Deadline. Regulations.

VerDate 14-DEC-2004

12:05 Jul 13, 2007

‘‘SEC. 318. COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.

‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Councils, shall establish a cooperative research and management program to address needs identified under this Act and under any other marine resource laws enforced by the Secretary. The program shall be implemented on a regional basis and shall be developed and conducted through partnerships among Federal, State, and Tribal managers and scientists (including interstate fishery commissions), fishing industry participants (including use of commercial charter or recreational vessels for gathering data), and educational institutions. ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.—The Secretary shall make funds available under the program for the support of projects to address critical needs identified by the Councils in consultation with the Secretary. The program shall promote and encourage efforts to utilize sources of data maintained by other Federal agencies, State agencies, or academia for use in such projects. ‘‘(c) FUNDING.—In making funds available the Secretary shall award funding on a competitive basis and based on regional fishery management needs, select programs that form part of a coherent program of research focused on solving priority issues identified by the Councils, and shall give priority to the following projects: ‘‘(1) Projects to collect data to improve, supplement, or enhance stock assessments, including the use of fishing vessels or acoustic or other marine technology. ‘‘(2) Projects to assess the amount and type of bycatch or post-release mortality occurring in a fishery. ‘‘(3) Conservation engineering projects designed to reduce bycatch, including avoidance of post-release mortality, reduction of bycatch in high seas fisheries, and transfer of such fishing technologies to other nations. ‘‘(4) Projects for the identification of habitat areas of particular concern and for habitat conservation. ‘‘(5) Projects designed to collect and compile economic and social data. ‘‘(d) EXPERIMENTAL PERMITTING PROCESS.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006, the Secretary, in consultation with the Councils, shall promulgate regulations that create an expedited, uniform, and regionally-based

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