# 119-hr-6939: Bycatch Reduction and Research Act of 2026

119-hr-6939, Bycatch Reduction and Research Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Begich, Nicholas J. [R-AK-At Large] (R-AK); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-05-02).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6939
- As of: 2026-05-02
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-6939
- Congress: 119
- Title: Bycatch Reduction and Research Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-01-06
- Sponsor: Rep. Begich, Nicholas J. [R-AK-At Large] (R-AK)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-05-02

## Summary

**Reduce bycatch and habitat contact from trawl gear.** This bill would create a coordinated set of research, testing, and grant programs focused on the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska. It would reconstitute the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force into a NOAA Bycatch Reduction and Research Task Force and add two academic experts to guide priorities.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Grants and testing for gear makers: benefit, medium. This bill would fund testing and grants to help develop gear and technology that reduce salmon bycatch. NOAA would enter public‑private partnerships and build a flume tank for testing trawl gear and sensors. A Flume Tank Assistance Fund would pay for prototypes, instruments, sensors, and training.…
- Reform and reconstitute task force: benefit, low. This bill would re-form the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force as the Bycatch Reduction and Research Task Force. The Secretary of Commerce would add two academic experts in groundfish and invertebrate ecology. The Task Force would be exempt from the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The Task Force wou…
- New rules and pilots for monitoring: mixed, medium. This bill would make it easier for NOAA to run electronic monitoring pilots and to streamline experimental or exempted fishing permits for testing new gear. NOAA would produce a data integration plan to fold electronic monitoring into stock assessments and reduce data delays. NMFS regional offices…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3633: Digital Asset Market Clarity Act
- 119-hr-471: Fix Our Forests Act
- 119-hr-7613: ALERT Act
- 119-hr-4075: Fire Weather Development Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5351: NSF AI Education Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-6939 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6939)

## Related
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-3633: Digital Asset Market Clarity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3633)
- [119-hr-471: Fix Our Forests Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-471)
- [119-hr-7613: ALERT Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7613)
- [119-hr-4075: Fire Weather Development Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4075)
- [119-hr-5351: NSF AI Education Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5351)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6939 (as of 2026-05-02).