Sullivan's bycatch bill reaches its first Senate committee test

The Senate Commerce Committee will consider Sen. Dan Sullivan's broad Alaska bycatch bill Wednesday, giving the proposal its first opportunity to advance since he introduced it in June.

The committee's markup begins at 10 a.m. Eastern, 6 a.m. Alaska time. Members may amend, approve or reject the measure.

S. 4938, the Bycatch Reduction Act, would require performance standards intended to reduce contact between trawl gear and the seafloor in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska. Pollock vessels using pelagic trawl gear would have to carry tested salmon-excluder devices within a year.

The bill would also expand electronic monitoring, salmon tagging and genetic research; require recorded votes and greater public access at regional fishery council meetings; and set up financial assistance for fishermen testing gear designed to reduce bycatch or habitat damage.

Bycatch is fish and other marine animals caught unintentionally while vessels target another species. NOAA uses the term for discarded catch and for unobserved deaths caused by encounters with fishing vessels or gear.

What the legislation would not do is ban trawling or set numerical limits on salmon, crab or halibut bycatch. Instead, it directs NOAA and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to establish gear standards, monitoring systems and enforceable regulations.

Sullivan introduced the bill June 24. No cosponsors are listed in the public bill record, and its only formal action so far has been referral to the Commerce Committee. Wednesday's markup changes that, though committee approval would still leave the measure needing passage by the full Senate and the House.

Sullivan calls it the most comprehensive congressional bycatch legislation to date, and his office published statements of support from the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association, Alaska Marine Conservation Council, Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers and Kenai River Sportfishing Association.

Three organizations representing trawl operators were more guarded. The At-Sea Processors Association, Midwater Trawlers Cooperative and United Catcher Boats said in a joint statement that the bill contains positive provisions, but warned that federal mandates could weaken the North Pacific council's regional, science-based management process.

The measure is also part of the U.S. Senate campaign. After Sullivan and Democratic challenger Mary Peltola appeared at the Kodiak Fisheries Debate, Peltola called his legislation "too little, too late" and contrasted it with bills she introduced while representing Alaska in the House.

Her 2024 proposals included the Bottom Trawl Clarity Act and the bipartisan Bycatch Reduction and Mitigation Act. Both were referred to the House Natural Resources Committee and did not advance before that Congress ended.

Sullivan's current bill contains elements that overlap with Peltola's earlier legislation, including reauthorization of NOAA's Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program and creation of a fund to help fishermen obtain cleaner gear. Wednesday's markup will show whether Sullivan can move that broader package past introduction.