The Fisheries Science Modernization Act of 2026 aims to enhance the assessment of fish populations in U.S. waters through the use of advanced environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques. This legislation seeks to improve the accuracy and efficiency of fisheries stock assessments, which are vital for sustainable fishing and conservation efforts. Central to the Act is the establishment of a multi-year pilot study designed to evaluate eDNA for estimating fish abundance across various federally managed fisheries. This study will compare eDNA methods with traditional fishery-independent survey techniques.