Title 16ConservationRelease 119-73

§777k Payments of funds to and cooperation with Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Virgin Islands

Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 10B— - FISH RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT PROJECTS › § 777k

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of the Interior can work with the Puerto Rico Secretary of Agriculture, the Mayor of the District of Columbia, and the governors of Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands to run fish restoration and management projects. He can set fair terms for those projects and give each place money from the program’s available funds. The limits in any one year are: Puerto Rico up to 1 percent of the total, and each of the other five places up to one‑third of 1 percent. No cooperating agency can be forced to pay more than 25 percent of a project’s cost. Any unused money given to a place can be spent there the next year on approved projects. If it is still unused at the end of that next year, the Secretary may add it to the 58.012 percent share of the remaining annual appropriation that is distributed among the States.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §777k

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to cooperate with the Secretary of Agriculture of Puerto Rico, the Mayor of the District of Columbia, the Governor of Guam, the Governor of American Samoa, the Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Governor of the Virgin Islands, in the conduct of fish restoration and management projects, as defined in section 777a of this title, upon such terms and conditions as he shall deem fair, just, and equitable, and is authorized to apportion to Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands, out of money available for apportionment under this chapter, such sums as he shall determine, not exceeding for Puerto Rico 1 per centum, for the District of Columbia one-third of 1 per centum, for Guam one-third of 1 per centum, for American Samoa one-third of 1 per centum, for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands one-third of 1 per centum, and for the Virgin Islands one-third of 1 per centum of the total amount apportioned in any one year, but the Secretary shall in no event require any of said cooperating agencies to pay an amount which will exceed 25 per centum of the cost of any project. Any unexpended or unobligated balance of any apportionment made pursuant to this section shall be made available for expenditure in Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Virgin Islands, as the case may be, in the succeeding year, on any approved projects, and if unexpended or unobligated at the end of such year is authorized to be made available for expenditure by the Secretary of the Interior to supplement the 58.012 percent of the balance of each annual appropriation to be apportioned among the States under section 777c(c) of this title.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2015—Pub. L. 114–94 substituted “58.012 percent” for “57 percent” and “under section 777c(c) of this title” for “under section 777c(b) of this title”. 2005—Pub. L. 109–59 substituted “to supplement the 57 percent of the balance of each annual appropriation to be apportioned among the States under section 777c(b) of this title” for “in carrying on the research program of the Fish and Wildlife Service in respect to fish of material value for sport or recreation” before period at end. 1984—Pub. L. 98–369 inserted “the Mayor of the District of Columbia,” after “the Secretary of Agriculture of Puerto Rico,”, “for the District of Columbia one-third of 1 per centum,” after “for Puerto Rico 1 per centum,” and “the District of Columbia,” after “Puerto Rico,” in two places. 1980—Pub. L. 96–597 inserted references to the Governor and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 1970—Pub. L. 91–503 substituted “Secretary of Agriculture of Puerto Rico” for “Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce of Puerto Rico”, added American Samoa to the list of recipients, and substituted maximum limits of apportionment of one percent for Puerto Rico, one-third of one percent for Guam, one-third of one percent for American Samoa and one-third of one percent for Virgin Islands for maximum limit of $10,000 for Puerto Rico, Guam and Virgin Islands together. 1959—Pub. L. 86–70 struck out provisions which authorized cooperation with the Alaska Game Commission and permitted apportionment of not more than $75,000 in any one year to the Territory of Alaska. 1956—Act Aug. 1, 1956, inserted “the Governor of Guam” after “Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce of Puerto Rico,” and “Guam” after “Puerto Rico” in three remaining places those words appear. Act July 2, 1956, struck out provisions which authorized the Secretary to cooperate with the Division of Game and Fish of the Board of Commissioners of Agriculture and Forestry of Hawaii, struck out limitation of $25,000 on the amount of funds which could be apportioned to Hawaii in any one year, and substituted “Territory of Alaska” for “Territories” in two places.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2015 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 114–94 effective Oct. 1, 2015, see section 1003 of Pub. L. 114–94, set out as a note under section 5313 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Effective Date

of 2005

Amendments

From Aug. 10, 2005, to end of fiscal year 2005, section considered to read as immediately before enactment of Pub. L. 109–59, see section 101(b) of Pub. L. 109–74, set out as a note under section 777b of this title. Amendment by Pub. L. 109–59 effective Oct. 1, 2005, see section 10102 of Pub. L. 109–59, set out as a note under section 777b of this title.

Effective Date

of 1984 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 98–369 effective Oct. 1, 1984, and applicable with respect to fiscal years beginning after Sept. 30, 1984, see section 1014(b) of Pub. L. 98–369, set out as a note under section 777 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1956 AmendmentAmendment by act
July 2, 1956, as applicable only with respect to fiscal years beginning after
July 2, 1956, see section 5 of act
July 2, 1956, set out as a note under section 669a of this title.

Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions

to Secretary of Commerce from Secretary of the Interior by Reorg. Plan No. 4 of 1970, eff. Oct. 3, 1970, 35 F.R. 15627, 84 Stat. 2090, see note set out under section 777 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 777k

Title 16Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73