Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans Act

Key Points

• This bill requires the Commerce Department to create a public website with digital maps of federal waters. These maps will show exactly where people can fish, boat, or dive, and where certain activities are restricted or banned.
• People who use the ocean for fun—like fishers, boaters, and divers—will benefit from having all the rules in one place. Instead of guessing where a "no-fishing" zone starts, they will be able to check a map on their phone or computer to see the exact boundaries.
• Right now, ocean rules can be confusing and hard to find across different government agencies. This policy aims to fix that by making the data easy to read and updated regularly, including alerts for things like dangerous algae blooms that might make an area unsafe.
• The government has about 31 months to set the standards for the data and four years to launch the full website. Once it is live, the maps for fishing rules must be updated in real-time, while other navigation info must be updated at least twice a year.
• To protect sensitive areas, the maps will not show the locations of shipwrecks or cultural sites. The policy also protects private information from commercial fishing businesses and does not change any existing laws about who controls the water.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.