US HB3714

Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to require the Secretary of Commerce to establish a formal definition of "forage fish" within 12 months, based on criteria including low trophic level, small to intermediate size, schooling behavior, and importance as prey for other marine species

Requires Regional Fishery Management Councils to develop lists of unmanaged forage fish in their jurisdictions and prohibit new directed forage fish fisheries until scientific evaluation of ecosystem impacts is completed and a management plan receives final approval

Mandates that annual catch limits for forage fish fisheries account for the dietary needs of predator fish species, marine mammals, and seabirds that rely on forage fish, with this requirement taking effect 5 years after enactment

Directs the Secretary of Commerce within 180 days to add river herring (blueback herring and alewife) and shad (American shad and hickory shad) as managed stocks in Atlantic fishery management plans and provide at-sea observers or electronic monitoring on at least 50% of mid-water trawl fishing trips

Requires the Secretary to establish forage fish management guidelines within 18 months through workshops with Regional Councils and scientific, fisheries, and conservation stakeholders