Title 16ConservationRelease 119-73

§1891b Fisheries Conservation and Management Fund

Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 38— - FISHERY CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER VI— - MISCELLANEOUS › § 1891b

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must create and keep a Fisheries Conservation and Management Fund made up of money put into it as allowed below. The Commerce Secretary can use the fund without needing yearly appropriations and the money does not expire at the end of a fiscal year. The fund can pay for seven types of work, including better fish catch data and monitoring (like electronic reporting, electronic monitoring, and VMS), cooperative research, new methods or tech to improve fish quality and safety, testing fish for health benefits and contaminants, marketing U.S. sustainable fish and consumer education, better recreational fishery data, and help for fishermen to pay to change gear or practices to meet federal rules. Money may come from council quota set‑asides that are designated for the fund, from appropriations, or from state, public, private, or nonprofit contributions. Every 2 years the Secretary must divide the money among the 8 Council regions using council recommendations and priorities, but no region can get less than 5 percent in each allocation. Funds may only be used for the purposes listed above.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §1891b

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary shall establish and maintain a fund, to be known as the “Fisheries Conservation and Management Fund”, which shall consist of amounts retained and deposited into the Fund under subsection (c).
(b)Subject to the allocation of funds described in subsection (d), amounts in the Fund shall be available to the Secretary of Commerce, without appropriation or fiscal year limitation, to disburse as described in subsection (e) for—
(1)efforts to improve fishery harvest data collection including—
(A)expanding the use of electronic catch reporting programs and technology; and
(B)improvement of monitoring and observer coverage through the expanded use of electronic monitoring devices and satellite tracking systems such as VMS on small vessels;
(2)cooperative fishery research and analysis, in collaboration with fishery participants, academic institutions, community residents, and other interested parties;
(3)development of methods or new technologies to improve the quality, health safety, and value of fish landed;
(4)conducting analysis of fish and seafood for health benefits and risks, including levels of contaminants and, where feasible, the source of such contaminants;
(5)marketing of sustainable United States fishery products, including consumer education regarding the health or other benefits of wild fishery products harvested by vessels of the United States;
(6)improving data collection under the Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey in accordance with section 401(g)(3) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1881(g)(3)); and
(7)providing financial assistance to fishermen to offset the costs of modifying fishing practices and gear to meet the requirements of this Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), and other Federal laws in pari materia.
(c)(1)Any amount generated through quota set-asides established by a Council under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) and designated by the Council for inclusion in the Fishery Conservation and Management Fund, may be deposited in the Fund.
(2)In addition to amounts received pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection, the Fishery Conservation and Management Fund may also receive funds from—
(A)appropriations for the purposes of this section; and
(B)States or other public sources or private or non-profit organizations for purposes of this section.
(d)The Secretary shall, every 2 years, apportion monies from the Fund among the eight Council regions according to recommendations of the Councils, based on regional priorities identified through the Council process, except that no region shall receive less than 5 percent of the Fund in each allocation period.
(e)No amount made available from the Fund may be used to defray the costs of carrying out requirements of this Act or the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) other than those uses identified in this section.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This Act, referred to in subsecs. (b)(7) and (e), is Pub. L. 109–479, Jan. 12, 2007, 120 Stat. 3575, known as the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

of 2007 Amendment note set out under section 1801 of this title and Tables. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, referred to in subsecs. (b)(7), (c)(1), and (e), is Pub. L. 94–265, Apr. 13, 1976, 90 Stat. 331, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1801 of this title and Tables. Codification Section was enacted as part of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006, and not as part of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act which comprises this chapter.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 1891b

Title 16Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73