Approximately $1 million of this funding will go to the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission to expand the for-hire at-sea program into the western Gulf of Mexico. NOAA Fisheries and the Commission will deploy at-sea samplers in the Louisiana and Texas for-hire fishery, extending the coverage of at-sea data collection programs. This effort will enhance recreational discard data, a key priority for NOAA Fisheries, and for the first time in history all five Gulf states will have active at-sea data collection programs for for-hire fisheries in federal waters.