# 119-s-4938: Bycatch Reduction Act

119-s-4938, Bycatch Reduction Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] (R-AK); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-07).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4938
- As of: 2026-10-07
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4938
- Congress: 119
- Title: Bycatch Reduction Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-06-24
- Sponsor: Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] (R-AK)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-07

## Summary

**This bill would create a program to reduce trawl bycatch and protect seafloor habitat** in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska by setting gear standards, building monitoring and research systems, and supporting gear innovation and testing. - Commercial fishermen and quota groups would be subject to new gear performance standards and monitoring rules. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council must identify baselines within 1 year and phase in compliance timelines with 1-year requirements for pelagic adjustments and 2-year requirements for nonpelagic gear. - Researchers, gear innovators, and industry partners would gain testing and funding support. The bill creates a flume tank partnership, a donor-administered assistance fund for gear upgrades, and authorizes $10.0 million per year for FY2027 through FY2031 for the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program. - Seafood importers and foreign fleets would face stricter trade rules. Imports from foreign vessels would be barred unless the Secretary of Commerce finds the fishery meets U.S. conservation comparability standards and could be seized if they violate the ban. *Would authorize $10.0 million per year for FY2027–FY2031 for the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program.*

## Provisions PRIA read

- Faster permits and better monitoring: benefit, low. If enacted, NOAA would speed and simplify reviews for exempted fishing permits and electronic monitoring pilot projects in North Pacific fisheries. NOAA would hold stakeholder consultations at least every 3 years with a 60-day comment period. The agency would publish a data integration plan and a r…
- New grants and engineering funding: benefit, low. If enacted, the NMFS Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program would be authorized $10,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2027–2031 to support gear development and testing. The bill would also create a Bycatch Mitigation and Habitat Protection Assistance Fund run by the National Fish and Wildlife Founda…
- More open council meetings rules: benefit, low. If enacted, regional fishery councils would record votes on all non‑procedural matters and publish roll call minutes. Councils would post webcasts, audio, or transcripts within 30 days and the Secretary would keep a permanent online archive. The North Pacific Council must update its public comment…
- Salmon and habitat research boost: benefit, low. If enacted, the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force would become a Bycatch Reduction Task Force with seven added experts and public posting of non‑proprietary materials. NOAA would run grants to speed genetic stock ID testing and require satellite or intelligent tagging with genetic stock determinati…
- New nonpelagic trawl rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, NOAA would report a baseline for nonpelagic trawl gear within 1 year and the Council would set gear performance standards. Vessels defined as 'applicable' would have a 1-year phase-in for modified footropes and sweeps and must be fully compliant within 2 years. Noncompliance would be tr…
- New pelagic trawl gear rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, the North Pacific Council would identify a pelagic trawl baseline within 1 year and the National Academies would review it. NOAA would write rules to cut seafloor impacts and could require seafloor-contact detectors and area prohibitions. Each pelagic trawl vessel would need an approved…

## Related bills

- 119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-1541: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-s-2142: GOLDEN DOME Act of 2025
- 119-s-306: Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025
- 119-s-688: Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvests Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-4938 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4938)

## Related
- [119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-524)
- [119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3923)
- [119-s-1541: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1541)
- [119-s-2142: GOLDEN DOME Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2142)
- [119-s-306: Fire Ready Nation Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-306)
- [119-s-688: Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvests Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-688)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4938 (as of 2026-10-07).