STUDY OF BLUEFIN TUNA REGULATIONS.

SEC. 310. STUDY OF BLUEFIN TUNA REGULATIONS. Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation of the Senate and to the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives a report on the historic rationale, effectiveness, and biological and economic efficiency of existing bluefin tuna regulations for United States Atlantic fisheries. Specifically, the biological rationale for each regional and category allocation, including directed and incidental categories, should be described in light of the average size, age, and maturity of bluefin tuna caught in each fishery and the effect of this harvest on stock rebuilding and sustainable yield. The report should examine the history and evaluate the level of wasteful discarding, and evaluate the effectiveness of non-quota regulations at constraining harvests within regions. Further, comments should be provided on levels of participation in specific fisheries in terms of vessels and trips, enforcement implications, and the importance of monitoring information provided by these allocations on the precision of the stock assessment estimates.