# 119-hr-9953: Bycatch Reduction Act

119-hr-9953, Bycatch Reduction Act, 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 2026-08-13).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9953
- As of: 2026-08-13
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9953
- Congress: 119
- Title: Bycatch Reduction Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-27
- 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: 2026-08-13

## Summary

**Establishes mandatory gear and monitoring standards** to cut trawl bycatch, unobserved fishing mortality, and seafloor contact in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska. It also funds research and tech testing, boosts Council transparency, and blocks seafood imports that do not meet comparable U.S. conservation standards. - Fishers and vessels: Applicable trawl vessels must meet new pelagic and nonpelagic gear performance standards, install seafloor-contact detection and monitoring, and equip pelagic nets with verified salmon excluders within 1 year; full compliance for some nonpelagic vessels is phased in within 2 years. Noncompliance is treated as a Magnuson–Stevens Act violation and subject to penalties. - Science, technology, and communities: Reconstitutes a Bycatch Reduction Task Force, creates a salmon life-history research program with tagging and genetic sampling, funds a flume tank public–private testing facility, and establishes grants for rapid genetic analysis and tech trials. The bill requires data sharing, open standards, and stakeholder consultation including Alaska Natives and subsistence users. - Trade and enforcement: Prohibits importing, procuring, or selling seafood harvested by foreign vessels unless the fishery uses conservation practices comparable to U.S. standards and allows seizure of violating shipments. *Authorizes $10.0 million per year for the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program for fiscal years 2027–2031, totaling $50.0 million in authorized funding.*

## Provisions PRIA read

- Grants and testing for bycatch tech: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would fund grants and testing to help fishing businesses develop and buy gear that reduces bycatch. NOAA would partner with private groups to build a flume tank for gear testing and create a Flume Tank Assistance Fund for testing and training. A National Fish and Wildlife Found…
- More transparency for North Pacific Council: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would require Councils to record votes on non-procedural matters and publish roll call votes showing how each member voted. Councils would, as practicable, webcast or audio-record meetings and post recordings or searchable transcripts within 30 days, with a permanent online arc…
- Ban on seafood from noncompliant vessels: cost, medium. If enacted, the bill would bar importing, federal procurement, or sale in U.S. commerce of seafood from foreign vessels unless the Secretary of Commerce determines the fishery meets conservation standards comparable to the Magnuson–Stevens Act. The Secretary could seize seafood that violates the ba…
- New trawl gear rules and penalties: cost, low. If enacted, the bill would require baselines and performance standards for pelagic and nonpelagic trawl gear and have the National Academies review the methods. Certain nonpelagic catcher/processor vessels would need modified footropes and trawl sweeps with a 1-year phase-in and full compliance by…

## 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-9953 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9953)

## 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-9953 (as of 2026-08-13).