50 CFR Part 665 — Fisheries in the Western Pacific

PART 665—FISHERIES IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Source: 75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, unless otherwise noted. Subpart A—General § 665.1 Purpose and scope. (a) The regulations in this part govern fishing for Pacific Island management unit species (MUS) and ecosystem component species (ECS) by vessels of the United States that operate or are based inside the outer boundary of the U.S. EEZ around American Samoa, Hawaii, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Kingman Reef, Jarvis Island, Baker Island, Howland Island, Johnston Atoll, and Wake Island. (b) General regulations governing fishing by all vessels of the United States and by fishing vessels other than vessels of the United States are contained in 50 CFR parts 300 and 600. (c) Regulations governing the harvest, possession, landing, purchase, and sale of shark fins are found in 50 CFR part 600 subpart N. (d) This subpart contains regulations that are common to all western Pacific fisheries managed under Fishery Ecosystem Plans (FEPs) prepared by the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. (e) Regulations specific to individual areas and fisheries are included in subparts B through F of this part. (f) Nothing in subparts B through F of this part is intended to supersede any valid state or Federal regulations that are more restrictive than those published here. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 80 FR 62501, Oct. 16, 2015; 84 FR 2768, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.2 Relation to other laws. NMFS recognizes that any state law pertaining to vessels registered under the laws of that state while operating in the fisheries regulated under this part, that is consistent with this part and the FEPs implemented by this part, shall continue in effect with respect to fishing activities regulated under this part. § 665.3 Licensing and registration. Any person who is required to do so by applicable state law or regulation must comply with licensing and registration requirements in the exact manner required by applicable state law or regulation. § 665.4 Annual catch limits. (a) General. (b) Overage adjustments. (c) Exceptions. (d) Annual catch target. (e) Procedures and timing. (2) No later than 30 days before the start of a fishing year, the Regional Administrator shall publish in the Federal Register (3) No later than the start of a fishing year, the Regional Administrator shall publish in the Federal Register (f) Accountability measures. Federal Register (1) The notice will include an advisement that fishing for that stock or stock complex will be restricted beginning on a specified date, which shall not be earlier than 7 days after the date of filing the notice for public inspection at the Office of the Federal Register. The restriction may include, but is not limited to, closure of the fishery, closure of specific areas, changes to bag limits, or restrictions in effort. The restriction will remain in effect until the end of the fishing year, except that the Regional Administrator may, based on a recommendation from the Council, remove or modify the restriction before the end of the fishing year. (2) It is unlawful for any person to conduct fishing in violation of the restrictions specified in the notification issued pursuant to paragraph (f)(1) of this section. [76 FR 37286, June 27, 2011, as amended at 84 FR 2768, Feb. 8, 2019; 85 FR 26624, May 5, 2020] §§ 665.5-665.11 [Reserved] § 665.12 Definitions. In addition to the definitions in the Magnuson-Stevens Act, § 600.10 of this chapter, and subparts B through F of this part, general definitions for western Pacific fisheries have the following meanings: American Samoa FEP Bottomfish FMP Carapace length Circle hook Commercial fishing Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Coral Reef Ecosystems FMP Council Crustacean receiving vessel Crustaceans FMP Customary exchange Dead coral Ecosystem component species (ECS) EFP First level buyer (1) The first person who purchases, with the intention to resell, management unit species (MUS) or ECS, or portions thereof, that were harvested by a vessel that holds a permit or is otherwise regulated under crustacean fisheries in subparts B through E of this part; or (2) A person who provides recordkeeping, purchase, or sales assistance in the first transaction involving MUS or ECS (such as the services provided by a wholesale auction facility). Fishing gear, (1) Bottom trawl, which means a trawl in which the otter boards or the footrope of the net are in contact with the sea bed; (2) Gillnet, (see § 600.10); (3) Hook-and-line, which means one or more hooks attached to one or more lines; (4) Set net, which means a stationary, buoyed, and anchored gill net; and (5) Trawl, (see § 600.10). Fishing trip Fishing year Freeboard Harvest guideline Hawaiian Archipelago Hawaii FEP Hookah breather Incidental catch or incidental species Land or landing Large vessel Length overall (LOA) or length Live coral Live rock Low-use marine protected area (MPA) Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) Mariana Archipelago Mariana FEP Medium vessel, Non-commercial fishing Non-precious coral Non-selective gear Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) No-take MPA Offload Offset circle hook Owner, Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO) Pacific remote island areas (PRIA, or U.S. island possessions in the Pacific Ocean) Pelagics FEP Pelagics FMP Precious Corals FMP PRIA FEP Protected species Receiving vessel Recreational fishing Regional Administrator Selective gear Small vessel Special Agent-In-Charge (SAC) Special permit SSC State of Hawaii commercial marine license Transship Trap U.S. harvested coral Vessel monitoring system unit (VMS unit) Western Pacific fishery management area [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 76 FR 37286, June 27, 2011; 78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013; 79 FR 64111, Oct. 28, 2014; 84 FR 2768, Feb. 8, 2019; 84 FR 29396, June 24, 2019; 86 FR 55745, Oct. 7, 2021] § 665.13 Permits and fees. (a) Applicability. (b) Validity. (c) Application. (2) A minimum of 15 days after the day PIRO receives a complete application should be allowed for processing the application for fisheries under subparts B through I of this part. If an incomplete or improperly completed application is filed, NMFS will notify the applicant of the deficiency. If the applicant fails to correct the deficiency within 30 days following the date of the letter of notification of deficiency, the application will be administratively closed. (d) Change in application information. (e) Issuance. (f) Fees. (2) PIRO will charge a non-refundable processing fee for each application (including transfer and renewal) for each permit listed in paragraphs (f)(2)(i) through (f)(2)(xiii) of this section. The amount of the fee is calculated in accordance with the procedures of the NOAA Finance Handbook for determining the administrative costs incurred in processing the permit. The fee may not exceed such costs. The appropriate fee is specified with each application form and must accompany each application. Failure to pay the fee will preclude the issuance, transfer, or renewal of any of the following permits: (i) Hawaii longline limited access permit. (ii) Mau Zone limited access permit. (iii) Coral reef ecosystem special permit. (iv) American Samoa longline limited access permit. (v) MHI non-commercial bottomfish permit. (vi) Western Pacific squid jig permit. (vii) Crustacean permit. (viii) CNMI commercial bottomfish permit. (ix) Marianas Trench Monument non-commercial permit. (x) Marianas Trench Monument recreational charter permit. (xi) Pacific Remote Islands Monument recreational charter permit. (xii) Rose Atoll Monument non-commercial permit. (xiii) Rose Atoll Monument recreational charter permit. (g) Expiration. (h) Replacement. (i) Transfer. (j) Alteration. (k) Display. (l) Sanctions. (m) Permit appeals. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013; 78 FR 39583, July 2, 2013; 84 FR 2769, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.14 Reporting and recordkeeping. (a) State reporting. (b) Fishing record forms Applicability Paper records. (ii) Electronic records. (B) After the Regional Administrator has notified a permit holder subject to this section of the requirement to submit records electronically, and after the vessel has acquired the necessary NMFS-certified equipment, the vessel and any vessel operator must use the electronic logbook. A vessel operator must obtain an individually assigned user account from NMFS for use with the electronic logbook. (C) Permit holders and vessel operators shall not be assessed any fee or other charges to obtain and use an electronic logbook that is owned and provided by NMFS. If a permit holder or vessel operator subject to this section does not use a NMFS-owned electronic logbook, the permit holder and operator must provide and maintain an alternative NMFS-certified electronic logbook. (D) If a vessel operator is unable to maintain or transmit electronic records because NMFS has not provided an electronic logbook, or if NMFS or a vessel operator identifies that the electronic logbook has experienced equipment (hardware or software) or transmission failure, the operator must maintain on board the vessel an accurate and complete record of catch, effort, and other data electronically or on paper report forms provided by the Regional Administrator. (iii) Recording. (iv) State reporting. (2) Timeliness of submission. (ii) If fishing was authorized under a permit pursuant to § 665.203(a)(2), the vessel operator or vessel owner must submit the original logbook form for each day of the fishing trip to the Regional Administrator within 72 hours of the end of each fishing trip. (iii) If fishing was authorized under a PRIA bottomfish permit pursuant to § 665.603(a), PRIA pelagic troll and handline permit pursuant to § 665.801(f), crustacean fishing permit for the PRIA (Permit Area 4) pursuant to § 665.642(a), or a precious coral fishing permit for Permit Area X-P-PI pursuant to § 665.662, the original logbook form for each day of fishing within EEZ waters around the PRIA must be submitted to the Regional Administrator within 30 days of the end of each fishing trip. (iv) If fishing was authorized under a permit pursuant to § 665.124, § 665.224, § 665.424, § 665.624, § 665.905, § 665.935, or § 665.965, the original logbook information for each day of fishing must be submitted to the Regional Administrator within 30 days of the end of each fishing trip. (c) Transshipment logbooks. (d) Sales report. (e) Packing or weigh-out slips. (f) Modification of reporting and recordkeeping requirements. (g) Availability of records for inspection. (i) The name of the vessel involved in each transaction and the owner and operator of the vessel. (ii) The weight, number, and size of each species of fish involved in each transaction. (iii) Prices paid by the buyer and proceeds to the seller in each transaction. (2) Crustaceans. (i) The name of the vessel involved in each transaction and the owner or operator of the vessel. (ii) The amount, number, and size of each MUS or ECS involved in each transaction. (iii) Prices paid by the buyer and proceeds to the seller in each transaction. (3) Bottomfish and seamount groundfish. (4) Coral reefs. (h) State reporting. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013; 78 FR 39583, July 2, 2013; 84 FR 2769, Feb. 8, 2019; 86 FR 42745, Aug. 5, 2021; 86 FR 60182, Nov. 1, 2021; 86 FR 55745, Oct. 7, 2021] § 665.15 Prohibitions. In addition to the prohibitions in § 600.725 of this chapter, it is unlawful for any person to: (a) Engage in fishing without a valid permit or facsimile of a valid permit on board the vessel and available for inspection by an authorized officer, when a permit is required under §§ 665.13 or 665.17, unless the vessel was at sea when the permit was issued under § 665.13, in which case the permit must be on board the vessel before its next trip. (b) File false information on any application for a fishing permit under § 665.13 or an EFP under § 665.17. (c) Fail to file reports in the exact manner required by any state law or regulation, as required in § 665.14. (d) Falsify or fail to make, keep, maintain, or submit any logbook or logbook form or other record or report required under §§ 665.14 and 665.17. (e) Refuse to make available to an authorized officer or a designee of the Regional Administrator for inspection or copying, any records that must be made available in accordance with § 665.14. (f) Fail to affix or maintain vessel or gear markings, as required by §§ 665.16, 665.128, 665.228, 665.246, 665.428, 665.628, or 665.804. (g) Violate a term or condition of an EFP issued under § 665.17. (h) Fail to report any take of or interaction with protected species as required by § 665.17(k). (i) Fish without an observer on board the vessel after the owner or agent of the owner has been directed by NMFS to make accommodations available for an observer under §§ 665.17, 665.105, 665.145, 665.207, 665.247, 665.407, 665.445, 665.606, 665.645, or 665.808. (j) Refuse to make accommodations available for an observer when so directed by the Regional Administrator under §§ 665.105, 665.145, 665.207, 665.247, 665.407, 665.445, 665.606, 665.645, or 665.808, or under any provision in an EFP issued under § 665.17. (k) Fail to notify officials as required in §§ 665.126, 665.144, 665.205, 665.226, 665.244, 665.426, 665.444, 665.626, 665.644, 665.803, or 665.808. (l) Fish for, take or retain within a no-take MPA, defined in § 665.99, § 665.199, § 665.399, or § 665.599, any bottomfish MUS or ECS, crustacean MUS or ECS, western Pacific pelagic MUS, precious coral MUS or ECS, seamount groundfish MUS, or coral reef ecosystem ECS. (m) Fail to comply with a term or condition governing the vessel monitoring system in violation of § 665.19. (n) Fish for, catch, or harvest MUS or ECS without an operational VMS unit on board the vessel after installation of the VMS unit by NMFS, in violation of § 665.19(e)(2). (o) Possess MUS or ECS, that were harvested after NMFS has installed the VMS unit on the vessel, on board that vessel without an operational VMS unit, in violation of § 665.19(e)(2). (p) Interfere with, tamper with, alter, damage, disable, or impede the operation of a VMS unit or attempt any of the same; or move or remove a VMS unit without the prior permission of the SAC in violation of § 665.19(e)(3). (q) Make a false statement, oral or written, to an authorized officer, regarding the use, operation, or maintenance of a VMS unit, in violation of § 665.19(e). (r) Interfere with, impede, delay, or prevent the installation, maintenance, repair, inspection, or removal of a VMS unit, in violation of § 665.19(e). (s) Interfere with, impede, delay, or prevent access to a VMS unit by a NMFS observer, in violation of § 665.808(f)(4). (t) Connect or leave connected additional equipment to a VMS unit without the prior approval of the SAC, in violation of § 665.19(f). (u) Fail to comply with the restrictions specified in the notification issued pursuant to § 665.4(f)(1), in violation of § 665.15(f)(2). [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 76 FR 37287, June 27, 2011; 84 FR 2769, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.16 Vessel identification. (a) Applicability. Each fishing vessel subject to this part, except those identified in paragraph (e) of this section, must be marked for identification purposes, as follows: (1) A vessel that is registered for use with a valid permit issued under § 665.801 and used to fish on the high seas within the Convention Area as defined in § 300.211 of this title must be marked in accordance with the requirements at §§ 300.14 and 300.217 of this title. (2) A vessel that is registered for use with a valid permit issued under § 665.801 of this part and not used to fish on the high seas within the Convention Area must be marked in accordance with either: (i) Sections 300.14 and 300.217 of this title, or (ii) Paragraph (b) of this section. (3) A vessel that is registered for use with a valid permit issued under subparts B through E and subparts G through I of this part must be marked in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section. (b) Identification. Each vessel subject to this section must be marked as follows: (1) The vessel's official number must be affixed to the port and starboard sides of the deckhouse or hull, and on an appropriate weather deck, so as to be visible from enforcement vessels and aircraft. Marking must be legible and of a color that contrasts with the background. (2) For fishing and receiving vessels of 65 ft (19.8 m) LOA or longer, the official number must be displayed in block Arabic numerals at least 18 inches (45.7 cm) in height, except that vessels in precious coral fisheries that are 65 ft (19.8 m) LOA or longer must be marked in block Arabic numerals at least 14 inches (35.6 cm) in height. (3) For all other vessels, the official number must be displayed in block Arabic numerals at least 10 inches (25.4 cm) in height. (c) The vessel operator must ensure that the official number is clearly legible and in good repair. (d) The vessel operator must ensure that no part of the vessel, its rigging, or its fishing gear obstructs the view of the official number from an enforcement vessel or aircraft. (e) The following fishing vessels are exempt from the vessel identification requirements in this section: (1) A vessel registered for use under a MHI non-commercial bottomfish permit that is in compliance with State of Hawaii bottomfish vessel registration and marking requirements. (2) A vessel less than 40 ft (12.2 m) LOA registered for use under a CNMI commercial bottomfish permit that is in compliance with CNMI bottomfish vessel registration and marking requirements. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 75 FR 3417, Jan. 21, 2010; 78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013; 78 FR 39583, July 2, 2013] § 665.17 Experimental fishing. (a) General. (b) Observers. (c) Application. (1) The date of the application. (2) The applicant's name, mailing address, and telephone number. (3) A statement of the purposes and goals of the experiment for which an EFP is needed, including a general description of the arrangements for disposition of all species harvested under the EFP. (4) A statement of whether the proposed experimental fishing has broader significance than the applicant's individual goals. (5) For each vessel to be covered by the EFP: (i) Vessel name. (ii) Name, address, and telephone number of owner and operator. (iii) USCG documentation, state license, or registration number. (iv) Home port. (v) Length of vessel. (vi) Net tonnage. (vii) Gross tonnage. (6) A description of the species (directed and incidental) to be harvested under the EFP and the amount of such harvest necessary to conduct the experiment. (7) For each vessel covered by the EFP, the approximate times and places fishing will take place, and the type, size, and amount of gear to be used. (8) The signature of the applicant. (d) Incomplete applications. (e) Issuance. Federal Register (i) The current utilization of domestic annual harvesting and processing capacity (including existing experimental harvesting, if any) of the directed and incidental species for which an EFP is being requested. (ii) A citation of the regulation or regulations that, without the EFP, would prohibit the proposed activity. (iii) Biological information relevant to the proposal. (2) At a Council meeting following receipt of a complete application, the Regional Administrator will consult with the Council and the Director of the affected state fishery management agency concerning the permit application. The applicant will be notified in advance of the meeting at which the application will be considered, and invited to appear in support of the application, if the applicant desires. (3) Within 5 working days after the consultation in paragraph (e)(2) of this section, or as soon as practicable thereafter, NMFS will notify the applicant in writing of the decision to grant or deny the EFP and, if denied, the reasons for the denial. Grounds for denial of an EFP include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) The applicant has failed to disclose material information required, or has made false statements as to any material fact, in connection with his or her application. (ii) According to the best scientific information available, the harvest to be conducted under the permit would detrimentally affect any species of fish in a significant way. (iii) Issuance of the EFP would inequitably allocate fishing privileges among domestic fishermen or would have economic allocation as its sole purpose. (iv) Activities to be conducted under the EFP would be inconsistent with the intent of this section or the management objectives of the FEP. (v) The applicant has failed to demonstrate a valid justification for the permit. (vi) The activity proposed under the EFP would create a significant enforcement problem. (4) The decision to grant or deny an EFP is final and unappealable. If the permit is granted, NMFS will publish a notice in the Federal Register (i) The maximum amount of each species that can be harvested and landed during the term of the EFP, including trip limits, where appropriate. (ii) The number, sizes, names, and identification numbers of the vessels authorized to conduct fishing activities under the EFP. (iii) The times and places where experimental fishing may be conducted. (iv) The type, size, and amount of gear which may be used by each vessel operated under the EFP. (v) The condition that observers be carried aboard vessels operating under an EFP. (vi) Data reporting requirements. (vii) Such other conditions as may be necessary to assure compliance with the purposes of the EFP consistent with the objectives of the FEP. (f) Duration. (g) Alteration. (h) Transfer. (i) Inspection. (j) Sanctions. (k) Protected species. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2769, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.18 Framework adjustments to management measures. Framework measures described below for each specific fishery are valid for all management areas, except where specifically noted in this section. (a) Pelagic measures Introduction. (2) Annual report. (3) Procedure for established measures. (ii) The Council may recommend to the Regional Administrator that established measures be modified, removed, or reinstituted. Such recommendation shall include supporting rationale and analysis, and shall be made after advance public notice, public discussion, and consideration of public comment. NMFS may implement the Council's recommendation by rulemaking if approved by the Regional Administrator. (4) Procedure for new measures. (ii) The Council will publicize, including by Federal Register Federal Register (b) Crustacean measures Introduction. (2) Annual report. (3) Procedure for established measures. (ii) The Council may recommend to the Regional Administrator that established measures be modified, removed, or reinstituted. Such recommendation shall include supporting rationale and analysis, and shall be made after advance public notice, public discussion, and consideration of public comment. NMFS may implement the Council's recommendation by rulemaking if approved by the Regional Administrator. (4) Procedure for new measures. (ii) The Council will publicize, including by a Federal Register Federal Register (c) Bottomfish measures Annual reports. (i) Fishery performance data. (ii) Summary of recent research and survey results. (iii) Habitat conditions and recent alterations. (iv) Enforcement activities and problems. (v) Administrative actions (e.g., data collection and reporting, permits). (vi) State and territorial management actions. (vii) Assessment of need for Council action (including biological, economic, social, enforcement, administrative, and state/Federal needs, problems, and trends). Indications of potential problems warranting further investigation may be signaled by the following indicator criteria: (A) Mean size of the catch of any species in any area is a pre-reproductive size. (B) Ratio of fishing mortality to natural mortality for any species. (C) Harvest capacity of the existing fleet and/or annual landings exceed best estimate of MSY in any area. (D) Significant decline (50 percent or more) in bottomfish catch per unit of effort from baseline levels. (E) Substantial decline in ex-vessel revenue relative to baseline levels. (F) Significant shift in the relative proportions of gear in any one area. (G) Significant change in the frozen/fresh components of the bottomfish catch. (H) Entry/exit of fishermen in any area. (I) Per-trip costs for bottomfish fishing exceed per-trip revenues for a significant percentage of trips. (J) Significant decline or increase in total bottomfish landings in any area. (K) Change in species composition of the bottomfish catch in any area. (L) Research results. (M) Habitat degradation or environmental problems. (N) Reported interactions between bottomfish fishing operations and protected species in the NWHI. (viii) Recommendations for Council action. (ix) Estimated impacts of recommended action. (2) Recommendation of management action. (ii) The Council will evaluate the team's reports and recommendations, and the indicators of concern. The Council will assess the need for one or more of the following types of management action: Catch limits, size limits, closures, effort limitations, access limitations, or other measures. (iii) The Council may recommend management action by either the state/territorial governments or by Federal regulation. (3) Federal management action. (ii) The Regional Administrator will consider the Council's recommendation and accompanying data, and, if he or she concurs with the Council's recommendation, will propose regulations to carry out the action. If the Regional Administrator rejects the Council's proposed action, a written explanation for the denial will be provided to the Council within 2 weeks of the decision. (iii) The Council may appeal a denial by writing to the Assistant Administrator, who must respond in writing within 30 days. (iv) The Regional Administrator and the Assistant Administrator will make their decisions in accord with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, other applicable law, and the bottomfish measures of the FEPs. (v) To minimize conflicts between the Federal and state management systems, the Council will use the procedures in paragraph (c)(2) of this section to respond to state/territorial management actions. Council consideration of action would normally begin with a representative of the state or territorial government bringing a potential or actual management conflict or need to the Council's attention. (4) Access limitation procedures. (ii) If access limitation is proposed for adoption or subsequent modification through the process described in this paragraph (c)(4), the following requirements must be met: (A) The bottomfish monitoring team must consider and report to the Council on present participation in the fishery; historical fishing practices in, and dependence on, the fishery; economics of the fishery; capability of fishing vessels used in the fishery to engage in other fisheries; cultural and social framework relevant to the fishery; and any other relevant considerations. (B) Public hearings must be held specifically addressing the limited access proposals. (C) A specific advisory subpanel of persons experienced in the fishing industry will be created to advise the Council and the Regional Administrator on administrative decisions. (D) The Council's recommendation to the Regional Administrator must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the voting members. (5) Five-year review. (d) Precious coral measures Introduction. (2) Annual report. (3) Procedure for established measures. (ii) The Council may recommend to the Regional Administrator that established measures be modified, removed, or reinstituted. Such recommendation will include supporting rationale and analysis and will be made after advance public notice, public discussion, and consideration of public comment. NMFS may implement the Council's recommendation by rulemaking if approved by the Regional Administrator. (4) Procedure for new measures. (ii) The Council will publicize, including by a Federal Register Federal Register (e) Coral reef ecosystem measures Procedure for established measures. (ii) The Council may recommend to the Regional Administrator that established measures be modified, removed, or reinstituted. Such recommendation shall include supporting rationale and analysis, and shall be made after advance public notice, public discussion and consideration of public comment. NMFS may implement the Council's recommendation by rulemaking if approved by the Regional Administrator. (2) Procedure for new measures. (ii) The Regional Administrator will publicize, including by Federal Register (A) The Regional Administrator will consider the Council's recommendation and supporting rationale and analysis, and, if the Regional Administrator concurs with the Council's recommendation, will propose regulations to carry out the action. If the Regional Administrator rejects the Council's proposed action, the Regional Administrator will provide a written explanation for the denial within 2 weeks of the decision. (B) The Council may appeal a denial by writing to the Assistant Administrator, who must respond in writing within 30 days. (C) The Regional Administrator and the Assistant Administrator will make their decisions in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, other applicable laws, and the FEPs. (D) To minimize conflicts between the Federal and state/territorial/commonwealth management systems, the Council will use the procedures in this paragraph (e)(2)(ii) to respond to state/territorial/commonwealth management actions. The Council's consideration of action would normally begin with a representative of the state, territorial or commonwealth government bringing a potential or actual management conflict or need to the Council's attention. (3) Annual report. (i) Fishery performance data, summaries of new information and assessments of need for Council action. (ii) Recommendation for Council action. The Council will evaluate the annual report and advisory body recommendations and may recommend management action by either the state/territorial/commonwealth governments or by Federal regulation. (iii) If the Council believes that management action should be considered, it will make specific recommendations to the Regional Administrator after considering the views of its advisory bodies. § 665.19 Vessel monitoring system. (a) Applicability. (1) Hawaii longline limited access permit issued pursuant to § 665.801(b); (2) American Samoa large vessel longline limited entry permit issued pursuant to § 665.801(c); (3) Vessels permitted to fish in Crustacean Permit Area 1 VMS Subarea; or (4) CNMI commercial bottomfish permit, if the vessel is a medium or large bottomfish vessel, issued pursuant to § 665.404(a)(2). (b) VMS unit. (c) Notification. (d) Fees and charges. (e) Permit holder duties. (1) Provide opportunity for the SAC to install and make operational a VMS unit after notification. (2) Carry and continuously operate the VMS unit on board whenever the vessel is at sea. (3) Not remove, relocate, or make non-operational the VMS unit without prior approval from the SAC. (f) Authorization by the SAC. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 86 FR 55745, Oct. 7, 2021] § 665.20 Western Pacific Community Development Program. (a) General. (b) Eligibility. (1) Be located in American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, or the Northern Mariana Islands (collectively, the western Pacific); (2) Consist of community residents descended from aboriginal people indigenous to the western Pacific who conducted commercial or subsistence fishing using traditional fishing practices in the waters of the western Pacific; (3) Consist of individuals who reside in their ancestral homeland; (4) Have knowledge of customary practices relevant to fisheries of the western Pacific; (5) Have a traditional dependence on fisheries of the western Pacific; (6) Are currently experiencing economic or other constraints that have prevented full participation in the western Pacific fisheries and, in recent years, have not had harvesting, processing or marketing capability sufficient to support substantial participation in fisheries in the area; and (7) Develop and submit a community development plan to the Council and the NMFS that meets the requirements in paragraph (c) of this section. (c) Community development plan. (1) A statement of the purposes and goals of the plan. (2) A description and justification for the specific fishing activity being proposed, including: (i) Location of the proposed fishing activity. (ii) Management unit species to be harvested, and any potential bycatch. (iii) Gear type(s) to be used. (iv) Frequency and duration of the proposed fishing activity. (3) A statement describing the degree of involvement by the indigenous community members, including the name, address, telephone and other contact information of each individual conducting the proposed fishing activity. (4) A description of how the community and or its members meet each of the eligibility criteria in paragraph (b) of this section. (5) If a vessel is to be used by the community to conduct fishing activities, for each vessel: (i) Vessel name and official number (USCG documentation, state, territory, or other registration number). (ii) Vessel length overall, displacement, and fish holding capacity. (iii) Any valid federal fishing permit number(s). (iv) Name, address, and telephone number of the vessel owner(s) and operator(s). (d) Council review. (e) Agency review and approval. (2) If the Regional Administrator determines that a plan contains the required information and is consistent with paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this section, and other applicable laws, NMFS will publish a notice in the Federal Register (i) A description of the fishing activity to be conducted. (ii) The current utilization of domestic annual harvesting and processing capacity (including existing experimental harvesting, if any) of the target, incidental, and bycatch species. (iii) A summary of any regulations that would otherwise prohibit the proposed fishing activity. (iv) Biological and environmental information relevant to the plan, including appropriate statements of environmental impacts on target and non-target stocks, marine mammals, and threatened or endangered species. (3) Within 90 days from the end of the comment period on the plan, the Regional Administrator will notify the applicant in writing of the decision to approve or disapprove the plan. (4) If disapproved, the Regional Administrator will provide the reasons for the plan's disapproval and provide the community with the opportunity to modify the plan and resubmit it for review. Reasons for disapproval may include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) The applicant failed to disclose material information or made false statements related to the plan. (ii) The harvest would contribute to overfishing or would hinder the recovery of an overfished stock, according to the best scientific information available. (iii) The activity would be inconsistent with an applicable law. (iv) The activity would create a significant enforcement, monitoring, or administrative problem, as determined by the Regional Administrator. (5) If approved, the Regional Administrator will publish a notice of the authorization in the Federal Register, (i) The maximum amount of each management unit species and potential bycatch species that may be harvested and landed during the term of the authorization. (ii) The number, sizes, names, identification numbers, and federal permit numbers of the vessels authorized to conduct fishing activities. (iii) Type, size, and amount of gear used by each vessel, including trip limits. (iv) The times and places where fishing may or may not be conducted. (v) Notification, observer, vessel monitoring, and reporting requirements. (f) Duration. (g) Transfer. (h) Sanctions. (i) Program review. [75 FR 54046, Sept. 3, 2010] Subpart B—American Samoa Fisheries § 665.98 Management area. The American Samoa fishery management area is the EEZ seaward of the Territory of American Samoa with the inner boundary coterminous with the seaward boundaries of the Territory of American Samoa and the outer boundary designated as a line drawn in such a manner that each point on it is 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the territorial sea is measured, or is coterminous with adjacent international maritime boundaries. § 665.99 Area restrictions. Fishing is prohibited in all no-take MPAs. The following U.S. EEZ waters around American Samoa are no-take MPAs: Landward of the 50 fm (91.5 m) curve around Rose Atoll, as depicted on National Ocean Survey Chart Number 83484. § 665.100 American Samoa bottomfish fisheries. [Reserved] § 665.101 Definitions. As used in §§ 665.100 through 665.119: American Samoa bottomfish ecosystem component species (American Samoa bottomfish ECS) American Samoa bottomfish management unit species (American Samoa bottomfish MUS) Local name Common name Scientific name palu-gutusiliva red snapper, silvermouth Aphareus rutilans. asoama gray snapper, jobfish Aprion virescens. tafauli black trevally, jack Caranx lugubris. papa, velo lunartail grouper Variola louti. palu malau red snapper Etelis carbunculus. palu-loa red snapper Etelis coruscans. filoa-paomumu redgill emperor Lethrinus rubrioperculatus. savane blueline snapper Lutjanus kasmira. palu-èna èna pink snapper Pristipomoides filamentosus. palu-sina yelloweye snapper Pristipomoides flavipinnis. palu-ula, palu-sega Snapper Pristipomoides zonatus. [84 FR 2769, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.103 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter and § 665.15, it is unlawful for any person to fish for American Samoa bottomfish MUS or ECS using gear prohibited under § 665.104. [89 FR 88171, Nov. 7, 2024] § 665.104 Gear restrictions. (a) Bottom trawls and bottom set gillnets. (b) Possession of gear. (c) Poisons and explosives. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2770, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.105 At-sea observer coverage. All fishing vessels subject to §§ 665.100 through 665.105 must carry an observer when directed to do so by the Regional Administrator. § 665.106 American Samoa annual catch limits (ACL). (a) Annual catch limits (ACL). Table 1 to Paragraph ( a Species Samoan name ACL Aphareus rutilans Palu-gutusiliva 8,554 Aprion virescens Asoama 4,872 Caranx lugubris Tafauli 3,086 Etelis coruscans Palu-loa 4,872 Lethrinus rubrioperculatus Filoa-paomumu 8,554 Lutjanus kasmira Savane 16,645 Pristipomoides flavipinnis Palu-sina 2,579 Pristipomoides zonatus Palu-ula 1,521 Variola louti Velo 2,205 (b) Post-season accountability measure (AM). (c) Indicator species. E. coruscans E. carbunculus P. flavipinnis P. filamentosus. E. carbunculus P. filamentosus. E. carbunculus E. coruscans P. filamentosus P. flavipinnis [89 FR 88171, Nov. 7, 2024] §§ 665.107-665.119 [Reserved] § 665.120 American Samoa coral reef ecosystem fisheries. [Reserved] § 665.121 Definitions. As used in §§ 665.120 through 665.139, American Samoa coral reef ecosystem component species (American Samoa coral reef ECS) [84 FR 2770, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.122 [Reserved] § 665.123 Relation to other laws. To ensure consistency between the management regimes of different Federal agencies with shared management responsibilities of fishery resources within the American Samoa fishery management area, fishing for American Samoa coral reef ECS is not allowed within the boundary of a National Wildlife Refuge unless specifically authorized by the USFWS, regardless of whether that refuge was established by action of the President or the Secretary of the Interior. [84 FR 2770, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.124 Permits and fees. (a) Applicability. (1) Special permit. (i) American Samoa coral reef ECS in low-use MPAs as defined in § 665.99; (ii) American Samoa coral reef ECS in the coral reef ecosystem management area; or (iii) American Samoa coral reef ECS in the coral reef ecosystem management area with any gear not specifically allowed in this subpart. (2) Transshipment permit. (3) Exceptions. (i) Any person issued a permit to fish under any FEP who incidentally catches American Samoa coral reef ECS while fishing for bottomfish MUS or ECS, crustacean ECS, western Pacific pelagic MUS, precious coral ECS, or seamount groundfish MUS; (ii) Any person fishing for American Samoa coral reef ECS outside of an MPA, who does not retain any American Samoa coral reef ECS; and (iii) Any person collecting marine organisms for scientific research as described in § 665.17, or § 600.745 of this chapter. (b) Validity. (c) General requirements. (d) Special permit. (1) Application. i.e., (2) Incomplete applications. (3) Issuance. (ii) Within 60 days following receipt of a complete application, the Regional Administrator will consult with the Council through its Executive Director, USFWS, and the Director of the affected state fishery management agency concerning the permit application and will receive their recommendations for approval or disapproval of the application based on: (A) Information provided by the applicant; (B) The current domestic annual harvesting and processing capacity of the directed and incidental species for which a special permit is being requested; (C) The current status of resources to be harvested in relation to the overfishing definition in the FEP; (D) Estimated ecosystem, habitat, and protected species impacts of the proposed activity; and (E) Other biological and ecological information relevant to the proposal. The applicant will be provided with an opportunity to appear in support of the application. (iii) Following a review of the Council's recommendation and supporting rationale, the Regional Administrator may: (A) Concur with the Council's recommendation and, after finding that it is consistent with the goals and objectives of the FEP, the national standards, the Endangered Species Act, and other applicable laws, approve or deny a special permit; or (B) Reject the Council's recommendation, in which case, written reasons will be provided by the Regional Administrator to the Council for the rejection. (iv) If the Regional Administrator does not receive a recommendation from the Council within 60 days of Council receipt of the permit application, the Regional Administrator can make a determination of approval or denial independently. (v) Within 30 working days after the consultation in paragraph (d)(3)(ii) of this section, or as soon as practicable thereafter, NMFS will notify the applicant in writing of the decision to grant or deny the special permit and, if denied, the reasons for the denial. Grounds for denial of a special permit include the following: (A) The applicant has failed to disclose material information required, or has made false statements as to any material fact, in connection with his or her application. (B) According to the best scientific information available, the directed or incidental catch in the season or location specified under the permit would detrimentally affect any coral reef resource or coral reef ecosystem in a significant way, including, but not limited to issues related to, spawning grounds or seasons, protected species interactions, EFH, and habitat areas of particular concern (HAPC). (C) Issuance of the special permit would inequitably allocate fishing privileges among domestic fishermen or would have economic allocation as its sole purpose. (D) The method or amount of harvest in the season and/or location stated on the permit is considered inappropriate based on previous human or natural impacts in the given area. (E) NMFS has determined that the maximum number of permits for a given area in a given season has been reached and allocating additional permits in the same area would be detrimental to the resource. (F) The activity proposed under the special permit would create a significant enforcement problem. (vi) The Regional Administrator may attach conditions to the special permit, if it is granted, consistent with the management objectives of the FEP, including, but not limited to: (A) The maximum amount of each resource that can be harvested and landed during the term of the special permit, including trip limits, where appropriate. (B) The times and places where fishing may be conducted. (C) The type, size, and amount of gear which may be used by each vessel operated under the special permit. (D) Data reporting requirements. (E) Such other conditions as may be necessary to ensure compliance with the purposes of the special permit consistent with the objectives of the FEP. (4) Appeals of permit actions. (ii) Upon receipt of an appeal authorized by this section, the Regional Administrator will notify the permit applicant, or permit holder, as appropriate, and will request such additional information and in such form as will allow action upon the appeal. Upon receipt of sufficient information, the Regional Administrator will rule on the appeal in accordance with the permit eligibility criteria set forth in this section and the FEP, as appropriate, based upon information relative to the application on file at NMFS and the Council and any additional information, the summary record kept of any hearing and the hearing officer's recommended decision, if any, and such other considerations as deemed appropriate. The Regional Administrator will notify all interested persons of the decision, and the reasons therefore, in writing, normally within 30 days of the receipt of sufficient information, unless additional time is needed for a hearing. (iii) If a hearing is requested, or if the Regional Administrator determines that one is appropriate, the Regional Administrator may grant an informal hearing before a hearing officer designated for that purpose after first giving notice of the time, place, and subject matter of the hearing in the Federal Register. Federal Register, (iv) The Regional Administrator may adopt the hearing officer's recommended decision, in whole or in part, or may reject or modify it. In any event, the Regional Administrator will notify interested persons of the decision, and the reason(s) therefore, in writing, within 30 days of receipt of the hearing officer's recommended decision. The Regional Administrator's action constitutes final action for the agency for the purposes of the Administrative Procedure Act. (5) The Regional Administrator may, for good cause, extend any time limit prescribed in this section for a period not to exceed 30 days either upon his or her own motion or upon written request from the Council, appellant or applicant stating the reason(s) therefore. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2770, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.125 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter and § 665.15 of this part, it is unlawful for any person to do any of the following: (a) Fish for, take, retain, possess or land any American Samoa coral reef ecosystem ECS in any low-use MPA as defined in § 665.99 unless: (1) A valid permit has been issued for the hand harvester or the fishing vessel operator that specifies the applicable area of harvest; (2) A permit is not required, as outlined in § 665.124; or (3) The American Samoa coral reef ECS possessed on board the vessel originated outside the management area, and this can be demonstrated through receipts of purchase, invoices, fishing logbooks or other documentation. (b) Fish for, take, or retain any American Samoa coral reef ECS: (1) That is determined overfished with subsequent rulemaking by the Regional Administrator; (2) By means of gear or methods prohibited under § 665.127; (3) In a low-use MPA without a valid special permit; or (4) In violation of any permit issued under §§ 665.13, 665.123, or 665.124. (c) Fish for, take, or retain any wild live rock or live hard coral except under a valid special permit for scientific research, aquaculture seed stock collection or traditional and ceremonial purposes by indigenous people. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2770, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.126 Notifications. Any special permit holder subject to the requirements of this subpart must contact the appropriate NMFS enforcement agent in American Samoa, Guam, or Hawaii at least 24 hours before landing any American Samoa coral reef ECS harvested under a special permit and report the port and the approximate date and time at which the catch will be landed. [84 FR 2770, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.127 Allowable gear and gear restrictions. (a) American Samoa coral reef ECS may be taken only with the following allowable gear and methods: (1) Hand harvest; (2) Spear; (3) Slurp gun; (4) Hand net/dip net; (5) Hoop net for Kona crab; (6) Throw net; (7) Barrier net; (8) Surround/purse net that is attended at all times; (9) Hook-and-line (includes handline (powered or not), rod-and-reel, and trolling); (10) Crab and fish traps with vessel ID number affixed; and (11) Remote-operating vehicles/submersibles. (b) American Samoa coral reef ECS may not be taken by means of poisons, explosives, or intoxicating substances. Possession or use of these materials by any permit holder under this subpart who is established to be fishing for coral reef ECS in the management area is prohibited. (c) Existing FEP fisheries shall follow the allowable gear and methods outlined in their respective plans. (d) Any person who intends to fish with new gear not included in this section must describe the new gear and its method of deployment in the special permit application. A decision on the permissibility of this gear type will be made by the Regional Administrator after consultation with the Council and the director of the affected state fishery management agency. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2770, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.128 Gear identification. (a) Gear marking. (b) Enforcement action. (2) Unattended surround nets or bait seine nets found deployed in the coral reef ecosystem management area will be considered unclaimed or abandoned property, and may be disposed of in any manner considered appropriate by NMFS or an authorized officer. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2770, Feb. 8, 2019] §§ 665.129-665.139 [Reserved] § 665.140 American Samoa Crustacean Fisheries. [Reserved] § 665.141 Definitions. As used in §§ 665.140 through 665.159: American Samoa crustacean ecosystem component species (American Samoa crustacean ECS) Crustacean Permit Area 3 (Permit Area 3) [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2770, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.142 Permits. (a) Applicability. (2) The owner of any vessel used to fish for deepwater shrimp in Crustacean Permit Area 3 must have a permit issued for that vessel. (b) General requirements. (c) Application. § 665.143 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter and § 665.15, in Crustacean Permit Area 3, it is unlawful for any person to fish for, take, or retain deepwater shrimp without a permit issued under § 665.142. § 665.144 Notifications. (a) The operator of any vessel fishing subject to the requirements of this subpart must: (1) Report, not less than 24 hours, but not more than 36 hours, before landing, the port, the approximate date and the approximate time at which spiny and slipper lobsters will be landed. (2) Report, not less than 6 hours and not more than 12 hours before offloading, the location and time that offloading of spiny and slipper lobsters will begin. (b) The Regional Administrator will notify permit holders of any change in the reporting method and schedule required in paragraphs (a)(1) and (a)(2) of this section at least 30 days prior to the opening of the fishing season. § 665.145 At-sea observer coverage. All fishing vessels subject to §§ 665.140 through 665.145 and subpart A of this part must carry an observer when requested to do so by the Regional Administrator. §§ 665.146-665.159 [Reserved] § 665.160 American Samoa precious coral fisheries. [Reserved] § 665.161 Definitions. As used in §§ 665.160 through 665.169: American Samoa precious coral ecosystem component species (American Samoa precious coral ECS) American Samoa precious coral permit area (1) Established beds. [ Reserved (2) Conditional beds. [ Reserved (3) Refugia. [ Reserved (4) Exploratory Area. Permit Area X-P-AS includes all coral beds, other than established beds, conditional beds, or refugia, in the EEZ seaward of American Samoa. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2771, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.162 Permits. (a) Any vessel of the United States fishing for, taking, or retaining American Samoa precious coral ECS in any American Samoa precious coral permit area must have a permit issued under § 665.13. (b) Each permit will be valid for fishing only in the permit area specified on the permit. Precious Coral Permit Areas are defined in § 665.161. (c) No more than one permit will be valid for any one vessel at any one time. (d) No more than one permit will be valid for any one person at any one time. (e) The holder of a valid permit to fish one permit area may obtain a permit to fish another permit area only upon surrendering to the Regional Administrator any current permit for the precious coral fishery issued under § 665.13. (f) General requirements governing application information, issuance, fees, expiration, replacement, transfer, alteration, display, sanctions, and appeals for permits for the precious coral fishery are contained in § 665.13. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2771, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.163 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter and in § 665.15, it is unlawful for any person to: (a) Use any vessel to fish for, take, retain, possess or land precious coral in any precious coral permit area, unless a permit has been issued for that vessel and area as specified in § 665.13 and that permit is on board the vessel. (b) Fish for, take, or retain any species of American Samoa precious coral ECS in any precious coral permit area: (1) By means of gear or methods prohibited by § 665.164. (2) In refugia specified in § 665.161. (3) In a bed for which the quota specified in § 665.167 has been attained. (4) In violation of any permit issued under § 665.13 or § 665.17. (5) In a bed that has been closed pursuant to §§ 665.166 or 665.169. (c) Take and retain, possess, or land any live Hemicorallium laauense, Pleurocorallium secundum, Corallium (1) A valid EFP was issued under § 665.17 for the vessel and the vessel was operating under the terms of the permit; or (2) The coral originated outside coral beds listed in this paragraph, and this can be demonstrated through receipts of purchase, invoices, or other documentation. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2771, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.164 Gear restrictions. Only selective gear may be used to harvest coral from any precious coral permit area. § 665.165 Size restrictions. The height of a live coral specimen shall be determined by a straight line measurement taken from its base to its most distal extremity. The stem diameter of a living coral specimen shall be determined by measuring the greatest diameter of the stem at a point no less than 1 inch (2.54 cm) from the top surface of the living holdfast. (a) Live Hemicorallium laauense, Pleurocorallium secundum, Corallium (b) Live black coral harvested from any precious coral permit area must have attained either a minimum stem diameter of 1 inch (2.54 cm), or a minimum height of 48 inches (122 cm). [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2771, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.166 Closures. (a) If the Regional Administrator determines that the harvest quota for any coral bed will be reached prior to the end of the fishing year, NMFS shall publish a notice to that effect in the Federal Register (b) A closure is also effective for a permit holder upon the permit holder's actual harvest of the applicable quota. § 665.167 Quotas. (a) General. The quotas limiting the amount of precious coral that may be taken in any precious coral permit area during the fishing year are listed in § 665.167(d). Only live coral is counted toward the quota. The accounting period for all quotas begins July 1, 1983. (b) Conditional bed closure. (c) Reserves and reserve release. (1) At the start of the fishing year, the reserve for the American Samoa exploratory area will equal the quota minus the estimated domestic annual harvest for that year. (2) As soon as practicable after December 31 each year, the Regional Administrator will determine the amount harvested by vessels of the United States between July 1 and December 31 of the year that just ended on December 31. (3) NMFS will release to TALFF an amount of precious coral for each exploratory area equal to the quota minus two times the amount harvested by vessels of the United States in that July 1-December 31 period. (4) NMFS will publish in the Federal Register (d) Exploratory areas. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2771, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.168 Seasons. The fishing year for precious coral begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 the following year. § 665.169 Gold coral harvest moratorium. Fishing for, taking, or retaining any gold coral in any precious coral permit area is prohibited through June 30, 2028. [88 FR 88836, Dec. 26, 2023] Subpart C—Hawaii Fisheries § 665.198 Management area. The Hawaii fishery management area is the EEZ seaward of the State of Hawaii, including the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI), with the inner boundary a line coterminous with the seaward boundaries of the State of Hawaii and the outer boundary a line drawn in such a manner that each point on it is 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the territorial sea is measured. § 665.199 Area restrictions [Reserved] § 665.200 Hawaii bottomfish and seamount groundfish fisheries. [Reserved] § 665.201 Definitions. As used in §§ 665.200 through 665.219: Deep 7 bottomfish Local name Common name Scientific name (1) lehi silver jaw jobfish Aphareus rutilans (2) ehu squirrelfish snapper Etelis carbunculus (3) onaga longtail snapper Etelis coruscans (4) hapuupuu sea bass Hyporthodus quernus (5) opakapaka pink snapper Pristipomoides filamentosus (6) kalekale pink snapper Pristipomoides sieboldii (7) gindai snapper Pristipomoides zonatus Deep 7 bottomfish fishing year Hawaii bottomfish ecosystem component species (Hawaii bottomfish ECS) Hawaii bottomfish management unit species (Hawaii bottomfish MUS) Local name Common name Scientific name (1) lehi silver jaw jobfish Aphareus rutilans (2) uku gray jobfish Aprion virescens (3) ehu squirrelfish snapper Etelis carbunculus (4) onaga longtail snapper Etelis coruscans (5) hapuupuu sea bass Hyporthodus quernus (6) opakapaka pink snapper Pristipomoides filamentosus (7) kalekale pink snapper Pristipomoides sieboldii (8) gindai snapper Pristipomoides zonatus Main Hawaiian Islands non-commercial bottomfish permit Protected species study zone Name N. lat. W. long. Nihoa Island 23°05′ 161°55′ Necker Island 23°35′ 164°40′ French Frigate Shoals 23°45′ 166°15′ Gardner Pinnacles 25°00′ 168°00′ Maro Reef 25°25′ 170°35′ Laysan Island 25°45′ 171°45′ Lisianski Island 26°00′ 173°55′ Pearl and Hermes Reef 27°50′ 175°50′ Midway Island 28°14′ 177°22′ Kure Island 28°25′ 178°20′ Seamount Groundfish Common name Scientific name Armorhead Pentaceros wheeleri. Alfonsin Beryx splendens. Raftfish Hyperoglyphe japonica. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2771, Feb. 8, 2019; 84 FR 29396, June 24, 2019] § 665.202 Management subareas. (a) The Hawaii fishery management area is divided into subareas with the following designations and boundaries: (1) Main Hawaiian Islands means the U.S. EEZ around the Hawaiian Archipelago lying to the east of 161°20′ W. long. (2) Northwestern Hawaiian Islands means the EEZ around the Hawaiian Archipelago lying to the west of 161°20′ W. long. For the purposes of regulations issued under this subpart, Midway Island is treated as part of the NWHI Subarea. (i) Ho'omalu Zone means that portion of the EEZ around the NWHI west of 165° W. long. (ii) Mau Zone means that portion of the EEZ around the NWHI between 161°20′ W. long. and 165° W. long. (3) Hancock Seamounts Ecosystem Management Area means that portion of the EEZ in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands west of 180° W. long. and north of 28° N. lat. (b) The inner boundary of each management subarea is a line coterminous with the seaward boundaries of the State of Hawaii. (c) The outer boundary of each management subarea is a line drawn in such a manner that each point on it is 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the territorial sea is measured. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 75 FR 69015, Nov. 10, 2010] § 665.203 Permits. (a) Applicability Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. (2) MHI non-commercial. (b) Submission. (2) Ho'omalu Zone limited access permit. In addition to an application under § 665.13(c), each applicant for a Ho'omalu Zone permit must also submit a supplementary information sheet provided by PIRO, which must be signed by the vessel owner or a designee and include the following information: (i) The qualification criterion that the applicant believes he or she meets for issuance of a limited access permit; (ii) A copy of landings receipts or other documentation, with a certification from a state or Federal agency that this information is accurate, to demonstrate participation in the NWHI bottomfish fishery; and (iii) If the application is filed by a partnership or corporation, the names of each of the individual partners or shareholders and their respective percentages of ownership of the partnership or corporation. (3) Mau Zone limited access permit. PIRO will not accept applications for a new Mau Zone permit after June 14, 1999. In addition to an application under § 665.13(c), each applicant for a Mau Zone permit must also submit a supplementary information sheet provided by PIRO, which must be signed by the vessel owner or a designee and include the following information: (i) The qualification criterion that the applicant believes he or she meets for issuance of a limited access permit; (ii) Copy of State of Hawaii catch report(s) to demonstrate that the permitted vessel had made qualifying landings of bottomfish from the Mau Zone; and (iii) If the application is filed by a partnership or corporation, the names of each of the individual partners or shareholders and their respective percentage of ownership of the partnership or corporation. (c) Sale or transfer of Ho'omalu limited access permits to new vessel owners. (1) A Ho'omalu zone permit may not be sold or otherwise transferred to a new owner. (2) A Ho'omalu zone permit or permits may be held by a partnership or corporation. If 50 percent or more of the ownership of the vessel passes to persons other than those listed in the original application, the permit will lapse and must be surrendered to the Regional Administrator. (d) Transfer of Ho'omalu Zone limited access permits to replacement vessels. (1) Upon application by the owner of a permitted vessel, the Regional Administrator will transfer that owner's permit to a replacement vessel owned by that owner, provided that the replacement vessel does not exceed 60 ft (18.3 m) LOA. The replacement vessel must be put into service no later than 12 months after the owner applies for the transfer, or the transfer shall be void. (2) An owner of a permitted vessel may apply to the Regional Administrator for transfer of that owner's permit to a replacement vessel greater than 60 ft (18.3 m) LOA. The Regional Administrator may transfer the permit upon determining, after consultation with the Council and considering the objectives of the limited access program, that the replacement vessel has catching power that is comparable to the rest of the vessels holding permits for the fishery, or has catching power that does not exceed that of the original vessel, and that the transfer is not inconsistent with the objectives of the program. The Regional Administrator shall consider vessel length, range, hold capacity, gear limitations, and other appropriate factors in making determinations of catching power equivalency and comparability of the catching power of vessels in the fishery. (e) Ho'omalu Zone limited access permit renewal. (1) A qualifying landing for Ho'omalu Zone permit renewal is a landing of at least 2,500 lb (1,134 kg) of Hawaii bottomfish MUS or ECS from the Ho'omalu Zone or a landing of at least 2,500 lb (1,134 kg) of fish from the Ho'omalu Zone, of which at least 50 percent by weight was Hawaii bottomfish MUS or ECS. A permit is eligible for renewal for the next calendar year if the vessel covered by the permit made three or more qualifying landings during the current calendar year. (2) The owner of a permitted vessel that did not make three or more qualifying landings of bottomfish in a year may apply to the Regional Administrator for a waiver of the landing requirement. If the Regional Administrator finds that failure to make three landings was due to circumstances beyond the owner's control, the Regional Administrator may renew the permit. A waiver may not be granted if the failure to make three landings was due to general economic conditions or market conditions, such that the vessel operations would not be profitable. (f) Issuance of new Ho'omalu Zone limited access permits. The Regional Administrator may issue new Ho'omalu Zone limited access permits under § 665.13 if the Regional Administrator determines, in consultation with the Council, that bottomfish stocks in the Ho'omalu Zone are able to support additional fishing effort. (g) Eligibility for new Ho'omalu Zone limited access permits. When the Regional Administrator has determined that new permits may be issued, they shall be issued to applicants based upon eligibility, determined as follows: (1) Point system. (A) Any amount of Hawaii bottomfish MUS, regardless of weight, if made on or before August 7, 1985; (B) At least 2,500 lb (1,134 kg) of Hawaii bottomfish MUS, if made after August 7, 1985; or (C) At least 2,500 lb (1,134 kg) of any fish lawfully harvested from the NWHI, of which at least 50 percent by weight was bottomfish, if made after August 7, 1985. (ii) One point will be assigned for each year in which the applicant was owner or captain of a vessel that landed at least 6,000 lb (2,722 kg) of bottomfish from the MHI. (iii) For any one year, points will be assigned under either paragraph (g)(1)(i) or (g)(1)(ii) of this section, but not under both paragraphs. (iv) Before the Regional Administrator issues a Ho'omalu zone permit to fish for bottomfish under this section, the primary operator and relief operator named on the application form must have completed a protected species workshop conducted by NMFS. (2) Restrictions. (3) Order of issuance. (4) Notification. Federal Register (h) Eligibility for new Mau Zone limited access permits. (1) PIRO will issue an initial Mau Zone permit to a vessel owner who qualifies for at least three points under the following point system: (i) An owner who held a Mau Zone permit on or before December 17, 1991, and whose permitted vessel made at least one qualifying landing of Hawaii bottomfish MUS on or before December 17, 1991, shall be assigned 1.5 points. (ii) An owner whose permitted vessel made at least one qualifying landing of Hawaii bottomfish MUS during 1991 shall be assigned 0.5 point. (iii) An owner whose permitted vessel made at least one qualifying landing of Hawaii bottomfish MUS during 1992 shall be assigned 1.0 point. (iv) An owner whose permitted vessel made at least one qualifying landing of Hawaii bottomfish MUS during 1993 shall be assigned 1.5 points. (v) An owner whose permitted vessel made at least one qualifying landing of Hawaii bottomfish MUS during 1994 shall be assigned 2.0 points. (vi) An owner whose permitted vessel made at least one qualifying landing of Hawaii bottomfish MUS during 1995 shall be assigned 2.5 points. (vii) An owner whose permitted vessel made at least one qualifying landing of Hawaii bottomfish MUS during 1996 shall be assigned 3.0 points. (viii) Before PIRO issues a Mau Zone permit to fish for bottomfish under this section, the primary operator and relief operator named on the application form must have completed a protected species workshop conducted by NMFS. (2) For purposes of this paragraph (h), a “qualifying landing” means any amount of Hawaii bottomfish MUS lawfully harvested from the Mau Zone and offloaded for sale. No points shall be assigned to an owner for any qualifying landings reported to the State of Hawaii more than 1 year after the landing. (3) More than one Mau Zone permit may be issued to an owner of two or more vessels, provided each of the owner's vessels for which a permit will be registered for use has made the required qualifying landings for the owner to be assigned at least three eligibility points. (4) A Mau Zone permit holder who does not own a vessel at the time initial permits are issued must register the permit for use with a vessel owned by the permit holder within 12 months from the date the permit was issued. In the interim, the permit holder may register the permit for use with a leased or chartered vessel. If within 12 months of initial permit issuance, the permit holder fails to apply to PIRO to register the permit for use with a vessel owned by the permit holder, then the permit shall expire. (5) For each of paragraphs (h)(1)(i) through (h)(1)(viii) of this section, PIRO shall assign points based on the landings of one permitted vessel to only one owner if the vessel did not have multiple owners during the time frame covered by the subordinate paragraphs. If a vessel had multiple owners during a time frame covered by any of paragraphs (h)(1)(i) through (h)(1)(viii) of this section (including joint owners, partners, or shareholders of a corporate owner), PIRO will assign the points for that subordinate paragraph to a single owner if only one owner submits an application with respect to the landings of that vessel during that time frame. If multiple owners submit separate applications with respect to the same landings of the same vessel during the same time frame, then PIRO shall: (i) Adhere to any written agreement between the applicants with respect to who among them shall be assigned the aggregate point(s) generated by landings during such time frame(s), or (ii) If there is no agreement: (A) Shall issue the applicants a joint permit provided the vessel's landings during such time frames generated at least three points, or (B) In the event the vessel's landings during such time frame(s) generated less than three points, shall not assign any points generated by the vessel's landings during such time frame(s). (i) Ownership requirements and registration of Mau Zone limited access permits for use with other vessels. (1) A Mau Zone permit may be held by an individual, partnership, or corporation. No more than 49 percent of the underlying ownership interest in a Mau Zone permit may be sold, leased, chartered, or otherwise transferred to another person or entity. If more than 49 percent of the underlying ownership of the permit passes to persons or entities other than those listed in the original permit application supplemental information sheet, then the permit expires and must be surrendered to PIRO. (2) A Mau Zone permit holder may apply under § 665.13 to PIRO to register the permit for use with another vessel if that vessel is owned by the permit holder, and is no longer than 60 ft (18.3 m) LOA. (3) If a Mau Zone permit holder sells the vessel for which the permit is registered for use, the permit holder must, within 12 months of the date of sale, apply to PIRO to register the permit for use with a vessel owned by the permit holder. If the permit holder has not applied to register a replacement vessel within 12 months, then the permit expires. (4) If a permitted vessel owned by the permit holder is sold or becomes unseaworthy, the Mau Zone permit with which the vessel was registered may be registered for use with a leased or chartered vessel for a period not to exceed 12 months from the date of registration of the leased or chartered vessel. If by the end of that 12-month period the permit holder fails to apply to PIRO to register the permit for use with a vessel owned by the permit holder, then the permit expires. (j) Mau Zone limited access permit renewal. (1) A Mau Zone permit will be eligible for renewal if the vessel for which the permit is registered for use made at least five separate fishing trips with landings of at least 500 lb (227 kg) of Hawaii bottomfish MUS or ECS per trip during the calendar year. Only one landing of bottomfish MUS or ECS per fishing trip to the Mau Zone will be counted toward the landing requirement. (2) If the vessel for which the permit is registered for use fails to meet the landing requirement of paragraph (j)(1) of this section, the owner may apply to the Regional Administrator for a waiver of the landing requirement. Grounds for a waiver are limited to captain incapacitation, vessel breakdowns, and the loss of the vessel at sea if the event prevented the vessel from meeting the landing requirement. Unprofitability is not sufficient for waiver of the landing requirement. (3) Failure of the permit holder to register a vessel for use under the permit does not exempt a permit holder from the requirements specified in this paragraph. (k) Appeals of permit actions. (1) Except as provided in subpart A of 15 CFR part 904, any applicant for a permit or a permit holder may appeal the granting, denial, or revocation of his or her permit to the Regional Administrator. (2) In order to be considered by the Regional Administrator, such appeal must be in writing, must state the action appealed, and the reasons therefore, and must be submitted within 30 days of the appealed action. The appellant may request an informal hearing on the appeal. (3) The Regional Administrator, in consultation with the Council, will decide the appeal in accordance with the FEP and implementing regulations and based upon information relative to the application on file at NMFS and the Council, the summary record kept of any hearing, the hearing officer's recommended decision, if any, and any other relevant information. (4) If a hearing is requested, or if the Regional Administrator determines that one is appropriate, the Regional Administrator may grant an informal hearing before a hearing officer designated for that purpose. The applicant or permit holder may appear personally and/or be represented by counsel at the hearing and submit information and present arguments as determined appropriate by the hearing officer. Within 30 days of the last day of the hearing, the hearing officer shall recommend in writing a decision to the Regional Administrator. (5) The Regional Administrator may adopt the hearing officer's recommended decision, in whole or in part, or may reject or modify it. The Regional Administrator's decision on the application is the final administrative decision of the Department of Commerce, and is effective on the date the Administrator signs the decision. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2772, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.204 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter and § 665.15, it is unlawful for any person to do any of the following: (a) Fish for Hawaii bottomfish MUS or ECS, or seamount groundfish MUS using gear prohibited under § 665.206. (b) Fish for, or retain on board a vessel, Hawaii bottomfish MUS or ECS in the Ho'omalu Zone or the Mau Zone without the appropriate permit registered for use with that vessel issued under § 665.13. (c) Serve as primary operator or relief operator on a vessel with a Mau or Ho'omalu Zone permit without completing a protected species workshop conducted by NMFS, as required by § 665.203. (d) Fail to notify the USCG at least 24 hours prior to making any landing of bottomfish taken in the Ho'omalu Zone, as required by § 665.205. (e) Fish within any protected species study zone in the NWHI without notifying the Regional Administrator of the intent to fish in these zones, as required under § 664.205. (f) Falsify or fail to make or file reports of all fishing activities shoreward of the outer boundary of the MHI management subarea, in violation of § 665.14(a) or (b). (g) Own a vessel or fish from a vessel that is used to fish non-commercially for any Hawaii bottomfish MUS or ECS in the MHI management subarea without either a MHI non-commercial bottomfish permit or a State of Hawaii Commercial Marine License, in violation of § 665.2 or § 665.203(a)(2). (h) Fish for or possess any bottomfish MUS as defined in § 665.201, in the MHI management subarea after a closure of its respective fishery, in violation of § 665.211. (i) Sell or offer for sale any bottomfish MUS as defined in § 665.201, after a closure of its respective fishery, in violation of § 665.211. (j) Harvest, possess, or land more than a total of five fish (all species combined) identified as Deep 7 bottomfish in § 665.201 from a vessel in the MHI management subarea, while holding a MHI non-commercial bottomfish permit, or while participating as a charter boat customer, in violation of § 665.212. (k) Fish for or possess any Hawaii bottomfish MUS or ECS, or seamount groundfish MUS in the Hancock Seamounts Ecosystem Management Area, in violation of § 665.209. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 75 FR 69015, Nov. 10, 2010; 84 FR 2772, Feb. 8, 2019; 84 FR 29397, June 24, 2019; 85 FR 26624, May 5, 2020] § 665.205 Notification. (a) The owner or operator of a fishing vessel subject to § 665.203(a)(1) must inform PIRO at least 72 hours (not including weekends and holidays) before leaving port, of his or her intent to fish within the protected species study zones defined in § 665.201. The notice must include the name of the vessel, name of the operator, intended departure and return date, and a telephone number at which the owner or operator may be contacted during the business day (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) to indicate whether an observer will be required on the subject fishing trip. (b) The operator of a fishing vessel that has taken Hawaii bottomfish MUS or ECS in the Ho'omalu Zone must contact the USCG, by radio or otherwise, at the 14th District, Honolulu, HI; Pacific Area, San Francisco, CA; or 17th District, Juneau, AK, at least 24 hours before landing, and report the port and the approximate date and time at which the bottomfish will be landed. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2772, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.206 Gear restrictions. (a) Bottom trawls and bottom set gillnets. (b) Possession of gear. (c) Poisons and explosives. [84 FR 2772, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.207 At-sea observer coverage. (a) All fishing vessels subject to §§ 665.200 though 665.212 must carry an observer when directed to do so by the Regional Administrator. (b) PIRO will advise the vessel owner or operator of any observer requirement within 72 hours (not including weekends or holidays) of receipt of the notice provided pursuant to § 665.205(a). If an observer is required, the owner or operator will be informed of the terms and conditions of observer coverage, and the time and place of embarkation of the observer. (c) All observers must be provided with sleeping, toilet, and eating accommodations at least equal to that provided to a full crew member. A mattress or futon on the floor, or a cot, is not acceptable in place of a regular bunk. Meal and other galley privileges must be the same for the observer as for other crew members. (d) Female observers on a vessel with an all-male crew must be accommodated either in a single-person cabin or, if reasonable privacy can be ensured by installing a curtain or other temporary divider, in a two-person cabin shared with a licensed officer of the vessel. If the cabin assigned to a female observer does not have its own toilet and shower facilities that can be provided for the exclusive use of the observer, then a schedule for time-sharing of common facilities must be established and approved by the Regional Administrator prior to the vessel's departure from port. § 665.208 Protected species conservation. The Regional Administrator may change the size of the protected species study zones defined in § 665.201 of this subpart: (a) If the Regional Administrator determines that a change in the size of the study zones would not result in fishing for bottomfish in the NWHI that would adversely affect any species listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA. (b) After consulting with the Council. (c) Through notification in the Federal Register § 665.209 Fishing moratorium at Hancock Seamounts. Fishing for, and possession of, Hawaii bottomfish MUS or ECS, or seamount groundfish MUS in the Hancock Seamounts Ecosystem Management Area is prohibited until the Regional Administrator determines that the armorhead stock is rebuilt. [84 FR 2772, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.210 [Reserved] § 665.211 Annual Catch Limits (ACL) and Annual Catch Targets (ACT). (a) In accordance with § 665.4, the ACLs and ACTs for MHI bottomfish fishery for each fishing year are as follows: Table 1 to Paragraph ( a Fishery 2025-26 2026-27 Deep 7 bottomfish 493,000 493,000 Table 2 to Paragraph ( a Fishery 2022 ACL 2023 ACL 2024 ACL 2025 ACL Uku 295,419 295,419 295,419 295,419 Table 3 to Paragraph ( a Fishery 2022 ACT 2023 ACT 2024 ACT 2025 ACT Uku 291,010 291,010 291,010 291,010 (b) When a bottomfish ACL or ACT is projected to be reached based on analyses of available information, the Regional Administrator shall publish a document to that effect in the Federal Register (c) On and after the date specified in paragraph (b) of this section, no person may fish for or possess any bottomfish MUS from a closed fishery in the MHI management subarea, except as otherwise allowed in this section. (d) On and after the date specified in paragraph (b) of this section, no person may sell or offer for sale any bottomfish MUS from a closed fishery, except as otherwise authorized by law. (e) If landings of MHI Deep 7 bottomfish exceed the specified ACL in a fishing year, the Regional Administrator will reduce the ACL for the subsequent year by the amount of the overage in a separate rulemaking. (f) If the average total landings of uku in the most recent three years exceed the specified ACL in a fishing year, the Regional Administrator will reduce the uku ACL and ACT for the subsequent year by the amount of the overage in a separate rulemaking. (g) Fishing for, and the resultant possession or sale of, any bottomfish MUS by vessels legally registered to Mau Zone, Ho'omalu Zone, or PRIA bottomfish fishing permits and conducted in compliance with all other laws and regulations, is exempted from this section. [85 FR 26624, May 5, 2020, as amended at 87 FR 3047, Jan. 20, 2022; 87 FR 17196, Mar. 28, 2022; 87 FR 78876, Dec. 23, 2022; 91 FR 21266, Apr. 21, 2026] § 665.212 Non-commercial bag limits. No more than a total of five fish (all species combined) identified as Deep 7 bottomfish may be harvested, possessed, or landed by any individual participating in a non-commercial vessel-based fishing trip in the MHI management subarea. Charter boat customers are also subject to the non-commercial bag limit. [84 FR 29397, June 24, 2019] §§ 665.213-665.219 [Reserved] § 665.220 Hawaii coral reef ecosystem fisheries. [Reserved] § 665.221 Definitions. As used in §§ 665.220 through 665.239, Hawaii coral reef ecosystem component species (Hawaii coral reef ECS) [84 FR 2772, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.222 Management area. The Hawaii coral reef ecosystem management area is as follows: (a) The U.S. EEZ around the Hawaiian Archipelago lying to the east of 160°50′ W. long. (b) The inner boundary of the management area is the seaward boundary of the State of Hawaii. (c) The outer boundary of the management area is the outer boundary of the U.S. EEZ. § 665.223 Relation to other laws. To ensure consistency between the management regimes of different Federal agencies with shared management responsibilities of fishery resources within the Hawaii coral reef ecosystem management area, fishing for Hawaii coral reef ECS is not allowed within the boundary of a National Wildlife Refuge unless specifically authorized by the USFWS, regardless of whether that refuge was established by action of the President or the Secretary of the Interior. [84 FR 2772, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.224 Permits and fees. (a) Applicability. (1) Special permit. (i) Hawaii coral reef ECS in low-use MPAs as defined in § 665.199; (ii) Hawaii coral reef ECS in the coral reef ecosystem management area; or (iii) Hawaii coral reef ECS in the coral reef ecosystem management area with any gear not specifically allowed in this subpart. (2) Transshipment permit. (3) Exceptions. (i) Any person issued a permit to fish under any FEP who incidentally catches Hawaii coral reef ECS while fishing for bottomfish MUS or ECS, crustacean MUS, western Pacific pelagic MUS, precious corals, or seamount groundfish; (ii) Any person fishing for Hawaii coral reef ECS outside of an MPA, who does not retain any Hawaii coral reef ECS; and (iii) Any person collecting marine organisms for scientific research as described in § 665.17, or § 600.745 of this chapter. (b) Validity. (c) General requirements. (d) Special permit. (1) Application. i.e., (2) Incomplete applications. (3) Issuance. (ii) Within 60 days following receipt of a complete application, the Regional Administrator will consult with the Council through its Executive Director, USFWS, and the Director of the affected state fishery management agency concerning the permit application and will receive their recommendations for approval or disapproval of the application based on: (A) Information provided by the applicant; (B) The current domestic annual harvesting and processing capacity of the directed and incidental species for which a special permit is being requested; (C) The current status of resources to be harvested in relation to the overfishing definition in the FEP; (D) Estimated ecosystem, habitat, and protected species impacts of the proposed activity; and (E) Other biological and ecological information relevant to the proposal. The applicant will be provided with an opportunity to appear in support of the application. (iii) Following a review of the Council's recommendation and supporting rationale, the Regional Administrator may: (A) Concur with the Council's recommendation and, after finding that it is consistent with the goals and objectives of the FEP, the national standards, the Endangered Species Act, and other applicable laws, approve or deny a special permit; or (B) Reject the Council's recommendation, in which case, written reasons will be provided by the Regional Administrator to the Council for the rejection. (iv) If the Regional Administrator does not receive a recommendation from the Council within 60 days of Council receipt of the permit application, the Regional Administrator can make a determination of approval or denial independently. (v) Within 30 working days after the consultation in paragraph (d)(3)(ii) of this section, or as soon as practicable thereafter, NMFS will notify the applicant in writing of the decision to grant or deny the special permit and, if denied, the reasons for the denial. Grounds for denial of a special permit include the following: (A) The applicant has failed to disclose material information required, or has made false statements as to any material fact, in connection with his or her application. (B) According to the best scientific information available, the directed or incidental catch in the season or location specified under the permit would detrimentally affect any coral reef resource or coral reef ecosystem in a significant way, including, but not limited to, issues related to spawning grounds or seasons, protected species interactions, EFH, and habitat areas of particular concern (HAPC). (C) Issuance of the special permit would inequitably allocate fishing privileges among domestic fishermen or would have economic allocation as its sole purpose. (D) The method or amount of harvest in the season and/or location stated on the permit is considered inappropriate based on previous human or natural impacts in the given area. (E) NMFS has determined that the maximum number of permits for a given area in a given season has been reached and allocating additional permits in the same area would be detrimental to the resource. (F) The activity proposed under the special permit would create a significant enforcement problem. (vi) The Regional Administrator may attach conditions to the special permit, if it is granted, consistent with the management objectives of the FEP, including, but not limited to: (A) The maximum amount of each resource that can be harvested and landed during the term of the special permit, including trip limits, where appropriate. (B) The times and places where fishing may be conducted. (C) The type, size, and amount of gear which may be used by each vessel operated under the special permit. (D) Data reporting requirements. (E) Such other conditions as may be necessary to ensure compliance with the purposes of the special permit consistent with the objectives of the FEP. (4) Appeals of permit actions. (ii) Upon receipt of an appeal authorized by this section, the Regional Administrator will notify the permit applicant, or permit holder as appropriate, and will request such additional information in such form as will allow action upon the appeal. Upon receipt of sufficient information, the Regional Administrator will rule on the appeal in accordance with the permit eligibility criteria set forth in this section and the FEP, as appropriate, based on information relative to the application on file at NMFS and the Council and any additional information, the summary record kept of any hearing and the hearing officer's recommended decision, if any, and such other considerations as deemed appropriate. The Regional Administrator will notify all interested persons of the decision, and the reasons therefore, in writing, normally within 30 days of the receipt of sufficient information, unless additional time is needed for a hearing. (iii) If a hearing is requested, or if the Regional Administrator determines that one is appropriate, the Regional Administrator may grant an informal hearing before a hearing officer designated for that purpose after first giving notice of the time, place, and subject matter of the hearing in the Federal Register. Federal Register, (iv) The Regional Administrator may adopt the hearing officer's recommended decision, in whole or in part, or may reject or modify it. In any event, the Regional Administrator will notify interested persons of the decision, and the reason(s) therefore, in writing, within 30 days of receipt of the hearing officer's recommended decision. The Regional Administrator's action constitutes final action for the agency for the purposes of the Administrative Procedure Act. (5) Any time limit prescribed in this section may be extended for good cause, for a period not to exceed 30 days, by the Regional Administrator, either upon his or her own motion or upon written request from the Council, appellant or applicant stating the reason(s) therefore. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2772, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.225 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter and § 665.15 of this part, it is unlawful for any person to do any of the following: (a) Fish for, take, retain, possess or land any Hawaii coral reef ECS in any low-use MPA as defined in § 665.99 unless: (1) A valid permit has been issued for the hand harvester or the fishing vessel operator that specifies the applicable area of harvest; (2) A permit is not required, as outlined in § 665.224; or (3) The Hawaii coral reef ECS possessed on board the vessel originated outside the management area and this can be demonstrated through receipts of purchase, invoices, fishing logbooks or other documentation. (b) Fish for, take, or retain any Hawaii coral reef ECS: (1) That is determined overfished with subsequent rulemaking by the Regional Administrator. (2) By means of gear or methods prohibited under § 665.227. (3) In a low-use MPA without a valid special permit. (4) In violation of any permit issued under §§ 665.13 or 665.224. (c) Fish for, take, or retain any wild live rock or live hard coral except under a valid special permit for scientific research, aquaculture seed stock collection or traditional and ceremonial purposes by indigenous people. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2773, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.226 Notifications. Any special permit holder subject to the requirements of this subpart must contact the appropriate NMFS enforcement agent in American Samoa, Guam, or Hawaii at least 24 hours before landing any Hawaii coral reef ECS harvested under a special permit, and report the port and the approximate date and time at which the catch will be landed. [84 FR 2773, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.227 Allowable gear and gear restrictions. (a) Hawaii coral reef ECS may be taken only with the following allowable gear and methods: (1) Hand harvest; (2) Spear; (3) Slurp gun; (4) Hand net/dip net; (5) Hoop net for Kona crab; (6) Throw net; (7) Barrier net; (8) Surround/purse net that is attended at all times; (9) Hook-and-line (includes handline (powered or not), rod-and-reel, and trolling); (10) Crab and fish traps with vessel ID number affixed; and (11) Remote-operating vehicles/submersibles. (b) Hawaii coral reef ECS may not be taken by means of poisons, explosives, or intoxicating substances. Possession or use of these materials by any permit holder under this subpart who is established to be fishing for coral reef ECS in the management area is prohibited. (c) Existing FEP fisheries shall follow the allowable gear and methods outlined in their respective plans. (d) Any person who intends to fish with new gear not included in this section must describe the new gear and its method of deployment in the special permit application. A decision on the permissibility of this gear type will be made by the Regional Administrator after consultation with the Council and the director of the affected state fishery management agency. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2773, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.228 Gear identification. (a) The vessel number must be affixed to all fish and crab traps on board the vessel or deployed in the water by any vessel or person holding a permit under § 665.13 or § 665.124 or that is otherwise established to be fishing for Hawaii coral reef ECS in the management area. (b) Enforcement action. (2) Unattended surround nets or bait seine nets found deployed in the Hawaii coral reef ecosystem management area will be considered unclaimed or abandoned property, and may be disposed of in any manner considered appropriate by NMFS or an authorized officer. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2773, Feb. 8, 2019] §§ 665.229-665.239 [Reserved] § 665.240 Hawaii crustacean fisheries. [Reserved] § 665.241 Definitions. As used in §§ 665.240 through 665.259: Hawaii crustacean management area (1) Crustacean Permit Area 1 (Permit Area 1) (2) Crustacean Permit Area 2 (Permit Area 2) (3) Crustacean Permit Area 1 VMS Subarea Name N. lat. W. long. Nihoa Island 23°05′ 161°55′ Necker Island 23°35′ 164°40′ French Frigate Shoals 23°45′ 166°15′ Gardner Pinnacles 25°00′ 168°00′ Maro Reef 25°25′ 170°35′ Laysan Island 25°45′ 171°45′ Lisianski Island 26°00′ 173°55′ Pearl and Hermes Reef 27°50′ 175°50′ Midway Island 28°14′ 177°22′ Kure Island 28°25′ 178°20′ The remainder of the VMS subarea is delimited by parallel lines tangent to and connecting the 50-nm areas around the following: from Nihoa Island to Necker Island; from French Frigate Shoals to Gardner Pinnacles; from Gardner Pinnacles to Maro Reef; from Laysan Island to Lisianski Island; and from Lisianski Island to Pearl and Hermes Reef. Hawaii crustacean ecosystem component species (Hawaii crustacean ECS) Hawaii crustacean management unit species (Hawaii crustacean MUS) Local name Common name Scientific name papa`i kua loa Kona crab Ranina ranina. deepwater shrimp, nylon shrimp Heterocarpus Interested parties Lobster grounds (1) Necker Island Lobster Grounds—waters bounded by straight lines connecting the following coordinates in the order presented: 24°00′ N. lat., 165°00′ W. long.; 24°00′ N. lat., 164°00′ W. long.; 23°00′ N. lat., 164°00′ W. long.; and 23°00′ N. lat., 165°00′ W. long. (2) Gardner Pinnacles Lobster Grounds—waters bounded by straight lines connecting the following coordinates in the order presented: 25°20′ N. lat., 168°20′ W. long.; 25°20′ N. lat., 167°40′ W. long.; 24°20′ N. lat., 167°40′ W. long.; and 24°20′ N. lat., 168°20′ W. long. (3) Maro Reef Lobster Grounds—waters bounded by straight lines connecting the following coordinates in the order presented: 25°40′ N. lat., 171°00′ W. long.; 25°40′ N. lat., 170°20′ W. long.; 25°00′ N. lat., 170°20′ W. long.; and 25°00′ N. lat., 171°00′ W. long. (4) General NWHI Lobster Grounds—all waters within Crustacean Permit Area 1 except for the Necker Island, Gardner Pinnacles, and Maro Reef Lobster Grounds. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2773, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.242 Permits. (a) Applicability. (2) The owner of any vessel used to fish for lobster in Permit Area 2 must have a permit issued for such a vessel. (3) The owner of any vessel used to fish for deepwater shrimp in Crustacean Permit Areas 1 or 2 must have a permit issued for that vessel. (4) Harvest of Hawaii crustacean MUS or ECS within the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument is subject to the requirements of 50 CFR part 404. (b) General requirements. (c) Application. (d) Lobster Limited Access Permit Requirements. (2) Only one permit will be assigned to any vessel. (3) No vessel owner will have permits for a single vessel to harvest lobsters in Permit Areas 1 and 2 at the same time. (4) A maximum of 15 limited access permits can be valid at any time. (e) Transfer or sale of limited access permits. (2) If 50 percent or more of the ownership of a limited access permit is passed to persons other than those listed on the permit application, PIRO must be notified of the change in writing and provided copies of the appropriate documents confirming the changes within 30 days. (3) Upon the transfer or sale of a limited access permit, a new application must be submitted by the new permit owner according to the requirements of § 665.13. The transferred permit is not valid until this process is completed. (f) Replacement of a vessel covered by a limited access permit. (g) Issuance of limited access permits to future applicants. (2) When the Regional Administrator has determined that limited access permits may be issued to new persons, a notice shall be placed in the Federal Register, (3) A period of 90 days will be provided after publication of the Federal Register (4) Limited access permits issued under this paragraph (g) will be issued first to applicants qualifying under paragraph (g)(4)(i) of this section. If the number of limited access permits available is greater than the number of applicants that qualify under paragraph (g)(4)(i) of this section, then limited access permits will be issued to applicants under paragraph (g)(4)(ii) of this section. (i) First priority to receive limited access permits under this paragraph (g) goes to owners of vessels that were used to land lobster from Permit Area 1 during the period 1983 through 1990, and who were excluded from the fishery by implementation of the limited access system. If there are insufficient permits for all such applicants, the new permits shall be issued by the Regional Administrator through a lottery. (ii) Second priority to receive limited access permits under paragraph (g) goes to owners with the most points, based upon a point system. If two or more owners have the same number of points and there are insufficient permits for all such owners, the Regional Administrator shall issue the permits through a lottery. Under the point system, limited access permits will be issued, in descending order, beginning with owners who have the most points and proceeding to owners who have the least points, based on the following: (A) Three points shall be assigned for each calendar year after August 8, 1985, that the applicant was the operator of a vessel that was used to land lobster from Permit Area 1. (B) Two points shall be assigned for each calendar year or partial year after August 8, 1985, that the applicant was the owner, operator, or crew member of a vessel engaged in either commercial fishing in Permit Area 2 for lobster, or fishing in Permit Area 1 for fish other than lobster with an intention to sell all or part of the catch. (C) One point shall be assigned for each calendar year or partial year after August 8, 1985, that the applicant was the owner, operator, or crew member of a vessel engaged in any other commercial fishing in the EEZ surrounding Hawaii. (5) A holder of a new limited access permit must own at least a 50 percent share in the vessel that the permit would cover. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2773, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.243 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in 50 CFR §§ 600.725 and 665.15, it is unlawful for any person to do any of the following: (a) In Permit Area 1, it is unlawful for any person to— (1) Fish for, take, or retain lobsters— (i) Without a limited access permit issued under § 665.242. (ii) By methods other than lobster traps or by hand for lobsters, as specified in § 665.245. (iii) From closed areas for lobsters, as specified in § 665.251. (iv) During a closed season, as specified in § 665.250. (v) After the closure date, as specified in § 665.252, and until the fishery opens again in the following calendar year. (vi) In a lobster grounds after closure of that grounds as specified in § 665.252(b). (2) Fail to report before landing or offloading as specified in § 665.244. (3) Fail to comply with any protective measures implemented under § 665.248. (4) Leave a trap unattended in the Hawaii crustacean management area except as provided in § 665.245. (5) Maintain on board the vessel or in the water more than 1,200 traps per fishing vessel, of which no more than 1,100 can be assembled traps, as specified in § 665.245. (6) Land lobsters taken in Permit Area 1 after the closure date, as specified in § 665.252, until the fishery opens again the following year. (7) Refuse to make available to an authorized officer and employee of NMFS designated by the Regional Administrator for inspection and copying any records that must be made available in accordance with § 665.14(g)(2). (8) Possess on a fishing vessel that has a limited access permit issued under § 665.242 any lobster trap in Crustacean Permit Area 1 when fishing for lobster is prohibited as specified in §§ 665.248, 665.250(a), or 665.252, or except as allowed under § 665.245(a)(7). (9) Possess on a fishing vessel that has a limited access permit issued under this subpart any lobster trap in Crustacean Permit Area 1 VMS Subarea when fishing for lobsters is prohibited as specified in §§ 665.248, 665.250(a), or 665.252, except as allowed under § 665.245(a)(8). (10) Interfere with, tamper with, alter, damage, disable, or impede the operation of a VMS unit or to attempt any of the same while engaged in the Permit Area 1 fishery; or to move or remove a VMS unit while engaged in the Permit Area 1 fishery without first notifying the Regional Administrator. (11) Make a false statement, oral or written, to the Regional Administrator or an authorized officer, regarding the certification, use, operation, or maintenance of a VMS unit used in the fishery. (12) Fail to allow an authorized officer to inspect and certify a VMS unit used in the fishery. (13) Possess, on a fishing vessel that has a limited access permit issued under this subpart, any lobster trap in a lobster grounds that is closed under § 665.252(b), unless the vessel has an operational VMS unit, certified by NMFS, on board. (b) In Permit Area 2, it is unlawful for any person to— (1) Fish for, take, or retain lobsters— (i) By methods other than lobster traps or by hand, as specified in § 665.245; or (ii) During a closed season, as specified in § 665.250(b). (2) Retain or possess on a fishing vessel any lobster taken in Permit Area 2 that is less than the minimum size specified in § 665.249. (3) Possess on a fishing vessel any lobster or lobster part taken in Permit Area 2 in a condition where the lobster is not whole and undamaged as specified in § 665.249. (4) Retain or possess on a fishing vessel, or remove the eggs from, any egg-bearing lobster, as specified in § 665.249. (5) Possess on a fishing vessel that has a permit for Permit Area 2 issued under this subpart any lobster trap in Permit Area 2 when fishing for lobster in the MHI is prohibited during the months of May, June, July, and August. (c) In Crustacean Permit Areas 1 and 2, it is unlawful for any person to fish for, take, or retain deepwater shrimp without a permit issued under § 665.242. (d) In Crustacean Permit Area 2, it is unlawful for any person to fish for, possess, sell, or offer for sale any Kona crab from a closed fishery in the Federal waters of the MHI in violation of § 665.253(b). [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 85 FR 79929, Dec. 11, 2020] § 665.244 Notifications. (a) The operator of any vessel subject to the requirements of this subpart must: (1) Report, not less than 24 hours, but not more than 36 hours, before landing, the port, the approximate date and the approximate time at which spiny and slipper lobsters will be landed. (2) Report, not less than 6 hours and not more than 12 hours before offloading, the location and time that offloading of spiny and slipper lobsters will begin. (b) The Regional Administrator will notify permit holders of any change in the reporting method and schedule required in paragraph (a) of this section at least 30 days prior to the opening of the fishing season. § 665.245 Gear restrictions. (a) Permit Area 1. (2) The smallest opening of an entry way of any lobster trap may not allow any sphere or cylinder greater than 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) in diameter to pass from outside the trap to inside the trap. (3) Each lobster trap must have a minimum of two escape vent panels that meet the following requirements: (i) Panels must have at least four unobstructed circular holes no smaller than 67 mm in diameter, with centers at least 82 mm apart. (ii) The lowest part of any opening in an escape vent panel must not be more than 85 mm above the floor of the trap. (iii) Panels must be placed opposite one another in each trap. (4) A vessel fishing for or in possession of lobster in any permit area may not have on board the vessel any trap that does not meet the requirements of paragraphs (a)(1), (2), and (3) of this section. (5) A maximum of 1,200 traps per vessel may be maintained on board or in the water, provided that no more than 1,100 assembled traps are maintained on board or in the water. If more than 1,100 traps are maintained, the unassembled traps may be carried as spares only, in order to replace assembled traps that may be lost or become unusable. (6) Traps shall not be left unattended in any permit area, except in the event of an emergency, in which case the vessel operator must notify the SAC of the emergency that necessitated leaving the traps on the grounds, and the location and number of the traps, within 24 hours after the vessel reaches port. (7) A vessel whose owner has a limited access permit issued under this subpart and has an operating VMS unit certified by NMFS may enter Crustacean Permit Area 1 with lobster traps on board on or after June 25, but must remain outside the Crustacean Permit Area 1 VMS Subarea until the NWHI lobster season opens on July 1. (8) A vessel whose owner has a limited access permit issued under this subpart and has on board an operational VMS unit certified by NMFS may transit Crustacean Permit Area 1, including Crustacean Permit Area 1 VMS Subarea, with lobster traps on board for the purpose of moving to another lobster grounds or returning to port following the closure date, as specified in § 665.252, providing the vessel does not stop or fish and is making steady progress to another lobster grounds or back to port as determined by NMFS. (9) The operator of a permitted vessel must notify the Regional Administrator or an authorized officer no later than June 15 of each year if the vessel will use a VMS unit in the fishery and allow for inspection and certification of the unit. (b) Permit Area 2. Lobsters may be taken only with lobster traps or by hand. Lobsters may not be taken by means of poisons, drugs, other chemicals, spears, nets, hooks, or explosives. § 665.246 Gear identification. In Permit Area 1, the vessel's official number must be marked legibly on all traps and floats maintained on board the vessel or in the water by that vessel. § 665.247 At-sea observer coverage. All fishing vessels subject to §§ 665.240 though 665.252 and subpart A of this part must carry an observer when requested to do so by the Regional Administrator. § 665.248 Monk seal protective measures. (a) General. (b) Notification. (c) Investigation. (i) Verify that the incident occurred. (ii) Determine the extent of the harm to the monk seal population. (iii) Determine the probability of a similar incident recurring. (iv) Determine details of the incident such as: (A) The number of animals involved. (B) The cause of the mortality. (C) The age and sex of the dead animal(s). (D) The relationship of the incident to the reproductive cycle, for example, breeding season (March-September), non-breeding season (October-February). (E) The population estimates or counts of animals at the island where the incident occurred. (F) Any other relevant information. (v) Discover and evaluate any extenuating circumstances. (vi) Evaluate any other relevant factors. (2) The Regional Administrator will make the results of the investigation available to the interested parties and request their advice and comments. (d) Determination of relationship. (1) Advise the interested parties of his or her conclusion and the facts upon which it is based. (2) Request from the interested parties their advice on the necessity of protective measures and suggestions for appropriate protective measures. (e) Determination of response. (f) Action by the Regional Administrator. (g) Implementation of protective measures. (2) If the Assistant Administrator concurs with the Regional Administrator's recommendation, NMFS will publish an action in the Federal Register (h) Notification of “no action.” (i) Effective dates. Federal Register. (2) The protective measures will remain in effect for the shortest of the following time periods: (i) Until the Hawaii FEP and this section are amended to respond to the problem; (ii) Until other action that will respond to the problem is taken under the ESA; (iii) Until the Assistant Administrator, following the procedures set forth in paragraph (j) of this section, decides that the protective measures are no longer required and repeals the measures; or (iv) For the period of time set forth in the Federal Register (j) Repeal. (2) The Assistant Administrator will consider all relevant information obtained by the Regional Administrator or submitted by interested parties in deciding whether to repeal the protective measures. (3) If the Assistant Administrator decides to repeal the protective measures— (i) Interested parties will be notified of the decision; and (ii) Notification of repeal and the reasons for the repeal will be published in the Federal Register. (k) Monk seal emergency protective measures Determination of emergency. (i) Notify the interested parties of this determination and request their immediate advice and comments. (ii) Forward a recommendation for emergency action and any advice and comments received from interested parties to the Assistant Administrator. (2) Implementation of emergency measures. (i) The Regional Administrator will determine the appropriate emergency protective measures. (ii) NMFS will publish the emergency protective measures in the Federal Register. (iii) The Regional Administrator will notify the interested parties of the emergency protective measures. Holders of permits to fish in Permit Area I will be notified by certified mail. Permit holders that the Regional Administrator knows are on the fishing grounds also will be notified by radio. (3) Effective dates. (ii) Emergency protective measures are effective for 10 days from the day following the day the first permit holder is notified of the protective measures. (iii) Emergency protective measures may be extended for an additional 10 days, if necessary, to allow the completion of the procedures set out in § 665.252. § 665.249 Lobster size and condition restrictions in Permit Area 2. (a) Only spiny lobsters with a carapace length of 8.26 cm or greater may be retained (see Figure 1 to this part). (b) Any lobster with a punctured or mutilated body, or a separated carapace and tail, may not be retained. (c) A female lobster of any size may not be retained if it is carrying eggs externally. Eggs may not be removed from female lobsters. § 665.250 Closed seasons. (a) Lobster fishing is prohibited in Permit Area 1 during the months of January through June, inclusive. (b) Lobster fishing is prohibited in Permit Area 2 during the months of May, June, July, and August. § 665.251 Closed areas. All lobster fishing is prohibited: (a) Within 20 nm of Laysan Island. (b) Within the EEZ landward of the 10-fathom curve as depicted on National Ocean Survey Charts, Numbers 19022, 19019, and 19016. § 665.252 Harvest limitation program. (a) General. (1) Apply to the total catch of spiny and slipper lobsters. (2) Be expressed in terms of numbers of lobsters. (b) Harvest guideline. (2) NMFS shall publish a document indicating the annual harvest guideline in the Federal Register (3) The Regional Administrator shall determine, on the basis of the information reported to NMFS by the operator of each vessel fishing, when the harvest guideline for each lobster ground will be reached. (4) Notice of the date when the harvest guideline for a lobster ground is expected to be reached and specification of the closure date of the lobster grounds will be provided to each permit holder and/or operator of each permitted vessel at least 24 hours in advance of the closure. After a closure, the harvest of lobster in that lobster ground is prohibited, and the possession of lobster traps on board the vessel in that lobster ground is prohibited unless allowed under § 665.245(a)(8). (5) With respect to the notification in paragraph (b)(4) of this section, NMFS shall provide each permit holder and operator of each permitted vessel with the following information, as appropriate: (i) Determination of when the overall harvest guideline for Crustacean Permit Area 1 will be reached; (ii) Closure date after which harvest of lobster or possession of lobster traps on board the vessel in a lobster grounds is prohibited; (iii) Closure date after which the possession of lobster traps on board the vessel in Crustacean Permit Area 1 is prohibited by any permitted vessel that is not operating a VMS unit certified by NMFS; and (iv) Specification of when further landings of lobster will be prohibited by permitted vessels not carrying an operational VMS unit, certified by NMFS, on board. (c) Monitoring and adjustment. § 665.253 Annual Catch Limits (ACL) and Annual Catch Targets (ACT). (a) Deepwater Shrimp. Table 1 to Paragraph (a) Fishing year 2022 2023 2024 2025 ACL (lb) 250,773 250,773 250,773 250,773 (2) If the average catch of the three most recent years of deepwater shrimp exceeds the specified ACL in a fishing year, the Regional Administrator will reduce the ACL for the subsequent year by the amount of the overage. (b) MHI Kona crab. Table 1 to Paragraph ( b Fishing year 2024 2025 2026 ACL (lb) 30,802 30,802 30,802 ACT (lb) 25,491 25,491 25,491 (2) When the ACT is projected to be reached based on analyses of available information, the Regional Administrator shall publish a document to that effect in the Federal Register (3) On and after the date specified in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, no person may fish for, possess, sell, or offer for sale any Kona crab from a closed fishery in the Federal waters of the MHI, except as otherwise allowed in this section. (4) If landings exceed the specified ACL in a fishing year, the Regional Administrator will reduce the ACL and the ACT for the subsequent year by the amount of the overage. [85 FR 79929, Dec. 11, 2020, as amended at 88 FR 14082, Mar. 7, 2023; 89 FR 37986, May 7, 2024] §§ 665.254-665.259 [Reserved] § 665.260 Hawaii precious coral fisheries. [Reserved] § 665.261 Definitions. As used in §§ 665.260 through 665.270: Hawaii precious coral ecosystem component species (Hawaii precious coral ECS) Hawaii precious coral management unit species (Hawaii precious coral MUS) Common name Scientific name Pink coral Pleurocorallium secundum. Red coral Hemicorallium laauense. Gold coral Kulamanamana haumeaae. Bamboo coral Acanella Black coral Antipathes griggi, Antipathes grandis, Myriopathes ulex. Hawaii precious coral permit area (1) Established beds. (ii) Au'au Channel (Maui), Permit Area E-B-2, includes the area west and south of a point at 21°10′ N. lat., 156°40′ W. long., and east of a point at 21° N. lat., 157° W. long., and west and north of a point at 20°45′ N. lat., 156°40′ W. long. (2) Conditional beds. (ii) Kaena Point (Oahu), Permit Area C-B-2, includes the area within a radius of 0.5 nm of a point at 21°35.4′ N. lat., 158°22.9′ W. long. (iii) Brooks Bank, Permit Area C-B-3, includes the area within a radius of 2.0 nm of a point at 24°06.0′ N. lat., 166°48.0′ W. long. (iv) 180 Fathom Bank, Permit Area C-B-4, N.W. of Kure Atoll, includes the area within a radius of 2.0 nm of a point at 28°50.2′ N. lat., 178°53.4′ W. long. (3) Refugia. (4) Exploratory areas. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2773, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.262 Permits. (a) Any vessel of the United States fishing for, taking, or retaining Hawaii precious coral MUS or ECS in any Hawaiian Archipelago precious coral permit area must have a permit issued under § 665.13. (b) Each permit will be valid for fishing only in the permit area specified on the permit. Precious Coral Permit Areas are defined in § 665.261. (c) No more than one permit will be valid for any one vessel at any one time. (d) No more than one permit will be valid for any one person at any one time. (e) The holder of a valid permit to fish one permit area may obtain a permit to fish another permit area only upon surrendering to the Regional Administrator any current permit for the precious coral fishery issued under § 665.13. (f) General requirements governing application information, issuance, fees, expiration, replacement, transfer, alteration, display, sanctions, and appeals for permits for the precious coral fishery are contained in § 665.13. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2773, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.263 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in 50 CFR 600.725 and in 665.15, it is unlawful for any person to: (a) Use any vessel to fish for, take, retain, possess or land precious coral in any Hawaii precious coral permit area, unless a permit has been issued for that vessel and area as specified in § 665.13 and that permit is on board the vessel. (b) Fish for, take, or retain any species of Hawaii precious coral MUS or Hawaii precious coral ECS in any precious coral permit area: (1) By means of gear or methods prohibited by § 665.264. (2) In refugia specified in § 665.261. (3) In a bed for which the ACL specified in § 665.269 has been attained. (4) In violation of any permit issued under §§ 665.13 or 665.17. (5) In a bed that has been closed pursuant to §§ 665.268 or 665.270. (c) Take and retain, possess, or land any live Hemicorallium laauense, Pleurocorallium secundum, Corallium (1) A valid EFP was issued under § 665.17 for the vessel and the vessel was operating under the terms of the permit; or (2) The coral originated outside coral beds listed in this paragraph, and this can be demonstrated through receipts of purchase, invoices, or other documentation. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2773, Feb. 8, 2019; 85 FR 26624, May 5, 2020] § 665.264 Gear restrictions. Only selective gear may be used to harvest coral from any precious coral permit area. § 665.265 Size restrictions. The height of a live coral specimen shall be determined by a straight line measurement taken from its base to its most distal extremity. The stem diameter of a living coral specimen shall be determined by measuring the greatest diameter of the stem at a point no less than 1 inch (2.54 cm) from the top surface of the living holdfast. (a) Live Hemicorallium laauense, Pleurocorallium secundum, Corallium (b) Live black coral harvested from any precious coral permit area must have attained either a minimum stem diameter of 1 inch (2.54 cm), or a minimum height of 48 inches (122 cm). [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2774, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.266 Area restrictions. Fishing for coral on the WestPac Bed is not allowed. The specific area closed to fishing is all waters within a 2-nm radius of the midpoint of 23°18.0′ N. lat., 162°35.0′ W. long. § 665.267 Seasons. The fishing year for precious coral begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 the following year. [85 FR 26624, May 5, 2020] § 665.268 Closures. (a) If the Regional Administrator determines that the ACL for any coral bed will be reached prior to the end of the fishing year, NMFS shall publish a document to that effect in the Federal Register (b) A closure is also effective for a permit holder upon the permit holder's actual harvest of the applicable quota. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 85 FR 26624, May 5, 2020] § 665.269 Annual Catch Limits (ACL). (a) General. (b) Reserves and reserve release. (1) At the start of the fishing year, the reserve for the Hawaii exploratory areas will equal the ACL minus the estimated domestic annual harvest for that year. (2) As soon as practicable after December 31 each year, the Regional Administrator will determine the amount harvested by vessels of the United States between July 1 and December 31 of the year that just ended on December 31. (3) NMFS will release to TALFF an amount of Hawaii precious coral for each exploratory area equal to the ACL minus two times the amount harvested by vessels of the United States in that July 1-December 31 period. (4) NMFS will publish in the Federal Register (c) Precious coral. Table 1 to Paragraph (c) Type of coral bed Area and coral group 2022-23 ACL (lb) 2023-24 ACL (lb) 2024-25 ACL (lb) Established bed Auau Channel—Black coral 5,512 5,512 5,512 Makapuu Bed—Pink and red coral 2,205 2,205 2,205 Makapuu Bed—Bamboo coral 551 551 551 Conditional Beds 180 Fathom Bank—Pink and red coral 489 489 489 180 Fathom Bank—Bamboo coral 123 123 123 Brooks Bank—Pink and red coral 979 979 979 Brooks Bank—Bamboo coral 245 245 245 Kaena Point Bed—Pink and red coral 148 148 148 Kaena Point Bed—Bamboo coral 37 37 37 Keahole Bed—Pink and red coral 148 148 148 Keahole Bed—Bamboo coral 37 37 37 Exploratory Area Hawaii—precious coral 2,205 2,205 2,205 Note 1 to § 665.269: No fishing for coral is authorized in refugia. Note 2 to § 665.269: A moratorium on gold coral harvesting is in effect through June 30, 2028. [85 FR 26624, May 5, 2020, as amended at 88 FR 14082, Mar. 7, 2023; 88 FR 88836, Dec. 26, 2023] § 665.270 Gold coral harvest moratorium. Fishing for, taking, or retaining any gold coral in any precious coral permit area is prohibited through June 30, 2028. [88 FR 88836, Dec. 26, 2023] Subpart D—Mariana Archipelago Fisheries § 665.398 Management area. The Mariana fishery management area is the EEZ seaward of Guam and CNMI with the inner boundary a line coterminous with the seaward boundaries of Guam and CNMI and the outer boundary a line drawn in such a manner that each point on it is 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the territorial sea is measured, or is coterminous with adjacent international maritime boundaries. § 665.399 Area restrictions. Anchoring by all fishing vessels over 50 ft (15.25 m) LOA is prohibited in the U.S. EEZ seaward of Guam west of 144°30′ E. long. except in the event of an emergency caused by ocean conditions or by a vessel malfunction that can be documented. § 665.400 Mariana bottomfish fisheries. [Reserved] § 665.401 Definitions. As used in §§ 665.400 through 665.419: CNMI commercial bottomfish permit Guam bottomfish permit Mariana bottomfish ecosystem component species (Mariana bottomfish ECS) Mariana bottomfish management unit species (Mariana bottomfish MUS) Local name Common name Scientific name (1) lehi/maroobw red snapper, silvermouth Aphareus rutilans. (2) tarakitu/etam giant trevally, jack Caranx ignobilis. (3) tarakiton attelong, orong black trevally, jack Caranx lugubris. (4) bueli, bwele lunartail grouper Variola louti. (5) buninas agaga', falaghal moroobw red snapper Etelis carbunculus. (6) abuninas, taighulupegh red snapper Etelis coruscans. (7) mafuti, atigh redgill emperor Lethrinus rubrioperculatus. (8) funai, saas blueline snapper Lutjanus kasmira. (9) buninas, falaghal-maroobw yellowtail snapper Pristipomoides auricilla. (10) buninas, pakapaka, falaghal-maroobw, pink snapper Pristipomoides filamentosus. (11) buninas, falaghal-maroobw yelloweye snapper Pristipomoides flavipinnis. (12) buninas, falaghal-maroobw pink snapper Pristipomoides sieboldii. (13) buninas rayao amariyu, falaghal-maroobw flower snapper Pristipomoides zonatus. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2774, Feb. 8, 2019; 84 FR 29397, June 24, 2019] § 665.402 Management subareas. The Mariana fishery management area is divided into bottomfish management subareas with the following designations and boundaries: (a) Guam Management Subarea (b) CNMI Management Subarea (c) The outer boundary of each fishery management area is a line drawn in such a manner that each point on it is 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the territorial sea is measured, or is coterminous with adjacent international maritime boundaries. The boundary between the fishery management areas of Guam and the CNMI extends to those points that are equidistant between Guam and the island of Rota in the CNMI. CNMI and Guam management subareas are divided by a line intersecting these two points: 148° E. long., 12° N. lat., and 142° E. long., 16° N. lat. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 81 FR 61626, Sept. 7, 2016] § 665.403 Bottomfish fishery area management. (a) Guam large vessel bottomfish prohibited area (Area GU-1). Point N. lat. E. long. GU-1-A 14°16′ 144°17′ GU-1-B 13°50′ 143°52′ GU-1-C 13°17′ 143°46′ GU-1-D 12°50′ 143°54′ GU-1-E 12°30′ 144°14′ GU-1-F 12°25′ 144°51′ GU-1-G 12°57′ 145°33′ GU-1-H 13°12′ 145°43′ GU-1-I 13°29′44″ 145°48′27″ GU-1-A 14°16′ 144°17′ (b) [Reserved] [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 81 FR 61626, Sept. 7, 2016; 84 FR 2774, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.404 Permits. (a) Applicability Guam large vessel. (2) Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) commercial. (b) Submission. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2774, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.405 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter and § 665.15, it is unlawful for any person to do any of the following: (a) Fish for Mariana bottomfish MUS or ECS using gear prohibited under § 665.406. (b) Use a large vessel that does not have a valid Guam bottomfish permit registered for use with that vessel to fish for, land, or transship Mariana bottomfish MUS or ECS shoreward of the outer boundary of the Guam management subarea of the bottomfish fishery management area in violation of § 665.404(a). (c) Use a large vessel to fish for Mariana bottomfish MUS or ECS within the Guam large vessel bottomfish prohibited area, as defined in § 665.403(a). (d) Land or transship, shoreward of the outer boundary of the Guam management subarea of the bottomfish fishery management area, Mariana bottomfish MUS or ECS that were harvested in violation of § 665.405(c). (e) Use a vessel to fish commercially for Mariana bottomfish MUS or ECS in the CNMI management subarea without a valid CNMI commercial bottomfish permit registered for use with that vessel, in violation of § 665.404(a)(2). (f) Falsify or fail to make, keep, maintain, or submit a Federal logbook as required under § 665.14(b) when using a vessel to engage in commercial fishing for Mariana bottomfish MUS or ECS in the CNMI management subarea in violation of § 665.14(b). (g) Fish for or possess any Mariana Bottomfish MUS as defined in § 665.401 in the Guam Management Subarea after a closure of the fishery in violation of § 665.409(d). (h) Sell or offer for sale any Mariana Bottomfish MUS as defined in § 665.401 in the Guam Management Subarea after a closure of the fishery in violation of § 665.409(e). [84 FR 2774, Feb. 8, 2019, as amended at 87 FR 9272, Feb. 18, 2022] § 665.406 Gear restrictions. (a) Bottom trawls and bottom set gillnets. Fishing for bottomfish with bottom trawls and bottom set gillnets is prohibited. (b) Possession of gear. (c) Poisons and explosives. § 665.407 At-sea observer coverage. All fishing vessels subject to §§ 665.400 through 665.407 must carry an observer when directed to do so by the Regional Administrator. § 665.408 CNMI Annual Catch Limits (ACL) and Annual Catch Targets (ACT). (a) In accordance with § 665.4, the ACL and ACT for Mariana bottomfish MUS in the CNMI Management Subarea for each fishing year are as follows: Table 1 to Paragraph (a) 2024 2025 ACL (lb) 82,000 82,000 ACT (lb) 75,000 75,000 (b) If the average catch of the three most recent years exceeds the specified ACL in a fishing year, the Regional Administrator will reduce the ACL and the ACT for the subsequent year by the amount of the overage in a separate rulemaking. [87 FR 9272, Feb. 18, 2022, as amended at 89 FR 61357, July 31, 2024] § 665.409 Guam Annual Catch Limits (ACL). (a) In accordance with § 665.4, the ACL for Mariana bottomfish MUS in the Guam Management Subarea is 31,000 lb. (b) When NMFS projects the ACL will be reached, the Regional Administrator shall publish a document to that effect in the Federal Register (c) If the ACL is exceeded in any fishing year, the Regional Administrator shall publish a document to that effect in the Federal Register (d) On and after the date the fishery is closed as specified in paragraphs (b) or (c) of this section, fishing for and possession of Mariana bottomfish MUS is prohibited in the Guam Management Subarea, except as otherwise authorized by law. (e) On and after the date the fishery is closed as specified in paragraphs (b) or (c) of this section, sale, offering for sale, and purchase of any Mariana bottomfish MUS caught in the Guam Management Subarea is prohibited. [87 FR 9272, Feb. 18, 2022] §§ 665.410-665.419 [Reserved] § 665.420 Mariana coral reef ecosystem fisheries. [Reserved] § 665.421 Definitions. As used in §§ 665.420 through 665.439, Mariana coral reef ecosystem component species Mariana coral reef ECS) [84 FR 2774, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.422 Management area. The Mariana coral reef management area consists of the U.S. EEZ around Guam and the offshore area of the CNMI or that portion of the U.S. EEZ around CNMI between three nautical miles offshore and the outer boundary of the U.S. EEZ. The inner boundary of the management area is the seaward boundaries of the Territory of Guam, and a line three nautical miles seaward from the shoreline of CNMI. The outer boundary of the management area is the outer boundary of the U.S. EEZ or adjacent international maritime boundaries. The CNMI and Guam management area is divided by a line intersecting these two points: 148° E. long., 12° N. lat., and 142° E. long., 16° N. lat. § 665.423 Relation to other laws. To ensure consistency between the management regimes of different Federal agencies with shared management responsibilities of fishery resources within the Mariana coral reef ecosystem management area, fishing for Mariana coral reef ECS is not allowed within the boundary of a National Wildlife Refuge unless specifically authorized by the USFWS, regardless of whether that refuge was established by action of the President or the Secretary of the Interior. [84 FR 2774, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.424 Permits and fees. (a) Applicability. (1) Special permit. (i) Mariana coral reef ecosystem MUS ECS in low-use MPAs as defined in § 665.399; (ii) Mariana coral reef ECS in the coral reef ecosystem management area; or (iii) Mariana coral reef ECS in the Mariana coral reef ecosystem management area with any gear not specifically allowed in this subpart. (2) Transshipment permit. (3) Exceptions. (i) Any person issued a permit to fish under any FEP who incidentally catches Mariana coral reef ECS while fishing for bottomfish MUS or ECS, crustacean ECS, western Pacific pelagic MUS, precious coral ECS, or seamount groundfish MUS. (ii) Any person fishing for Mariana coral reef ECS outside of an MPA, who does not retain any Mariana coral reef ECS. (iii) Any person collecting marine organisms for scientific research as described in § 665.17, or § 600.745 of this chapter. (b) Validity. (c) General requirements. (d) Special permit. (1) Application. i.e. (2) Incomplete applications. (3) Issuance. (ii) Within 60 days following receipt of a complete application, the Regional Administrator will consult with the Council through its Executive Director, USFWS, and the Director of the affected state fishery management agency concerning the permit application, and will receive their recommendations for approval or disapproval of the application based on: (A) Information provided by the applicant; (B) The current domestic annual harvesting and processing capacity of the directed and incidental species for which a special permit is being requested; (C) The current status of resources to be harvested in relation to the overfishing definition in the FEP; (D) Estimated ecosystem, habitat, and protected species impacts of the proposed activity; and (E) Other biological and ecological information relevant to the proposal. The applicant will be provided with an opportunity to appear in support of the application. (iii) Following a review of the Council's recommendation and supporting rationale, the Regional Administrator may: (A) Concur with the Council's recommendation and, after finding that it is consistent with the goals and objectives of the FEP, the national standards, the Endangered Species Act, and other applicable laws, approve or deny a special permit; or (B) Reject the Council's recommendation, in which case, written reasons will be provided by the Regional Administrator to the Council for the rejection. (iv) If the Regional Administrator does not receive a recommendation from the Council within 60 days of Council receipt of the permit application, the Regional Administrator can make a determination of approval or denial independently. (v) Within 30 working days after the consultation in paragraph (d)(3)(ii) of this section, or as soon as practicable thereafter, NMFS will notify the applicant in writing of the decision to grant or deny the special permit and, if denied, the reasons for the denial. Grounds for denial of a special permit include the following: (A) The applicant has failed to disclose material information required, or has made false statements as to any material fact, in connection with his or her application. (B) According to the best scientific information available, the directed or incidental catch in the season or location specified under the permit would detrimentally affect any coral reef resource or coral reef ecosystem in a significant way, including, but not limited to, issues related to spawning grounds or seasons, protected species interactions, EFH, and habitat areas of particular concern (HAPC). (C) Issuance of the special permit would inequitably allocate fishing privileges among domestic fishermen or would have economic allocation as its sole purpose. (D) The method or amount of harvest in the season and/or location stated on the permit is considered inappropriate based on previous human or natural impacts in the given area. (E) NMFS has determined that the maximum number of permits for a given area in a given season has been reached and allocating additional permits in the same area would be detrimental to the resource. (F) The activity proposed under the special permit would create a significant enforcement problem. (vi) The Regional Administrator may attach conditions to the special permit, if it is granted, consistent with the management objectives of the FEP, including, but not limited to: (A) The maximum amount of each resource that can be harvested and landed during the term of the special permit, including trip limits, where appropriate. (B) The times and places where fishing may be conducted. (C) The type, size, and amount of gear which may be used by each vessel operated under the special permit. (D) Data reporting requirements. (E) Such other conditions as may be necessary to ensure compliance with the purposes of the special permit consistent with the objectives of the FEP. (4) Appeals of permit actions. (i) Except as provided in subpart D of 15 CFR part 904, any applicant for a permit or a permit holder may appeal the granting, denial, conditioning, or suspension of their permit or a permit affecting their interests to the Regional Administrator. In order to be considered by the Regional Administrator, such appeal must be in writing, must state the action(s) appealed, and the reasons therefore, and must be submitted within 30 days of the original action(s) by the Regional Administrator. The appellant may request an informal hearing on the appeal. (ii) Upon receipt of an appeal authorized by this section, the Regional Administrator will notify the permit applicant, or permit holder as appropriate, and will request such additional information and in such form as will allow action upon the appeal. Upon receipt of sufficient information, the Regional Administrator will rule on the appeal in accordance with the permit eligibility criteria set forth in this section and the FEP, as appropriate, based upon information relative to the application on file at NMFS and the Council and any additional information, the summary record kept of any hearing and the hearing officer's recommended decision, if any, and such other considerations as deemed appropriate. The Regional Administrator will notify all interested persons of the decision, and the reasons therefore, in writing, normally within 30 days of the receipt of sufficient information, unless additional time is needed for a hearing. (iii) If a hearing is requested, or if the Regional Administrator determines that one is appropriate, the Regional Administrator may grant an informal hearing before a hearing officer designated for that purpose after first giving notice of the time, place, and subject matter of the hearing in the Federal Register. Federal Register, (iv) The Regional Administrator may adopt the hearing officer's recommended decision, in whole or in part, or may reject or modify it. In any event, the Regional Administrator will notify interested persons of the decision, and the reason(s) therefore, in writing, within 30 days of receipt of the hearing officer's recommended decision. The Regional Administrator's action constitutes final action for the agency for the purposes of the Administrative Procedure Act. (5) The Regional Administrator may extend, for good cause, any time limit prescribed in this section for a period not to exceed 30 days, either upon his or her own motion or upon written request from the Council, appellant or applicant stating the reason(s) therefore. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2775, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.425 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter and § 665.15 of this part, it is unlawful for any person to do any of the following: (a) Fish for, take, retain, possess or land any Mariana coral reef ECS in any low-use MPA as defined in § 665.12 unless: (1) A valid permit has been issued for the hand harvester or the fishing vessel operator that specifies the applicable area of harvest; (2) A permit is not required, as outlined in § 665.424 of this part; or (3) The Mariana coral reef ECS possessed on board the vessel originated outside the management area, and this can be demonstrated through receipts of purchase, invoices, fishing logbooks or other documentation. (b) Fish for, take, or retain any Mariana coral reef ECS species: (1) That is determined overfished with subsequent rulemaking by the Regional Administrator. (2) By means of gear or methods prohibited under § 665.427. (3) In a low-use MPA without a valid special permit. (4) In violation of any permit issued under §§ 665.13 or 665.424. (c) Fish for, take, or retain any wild live rock or live hard coral except under a valid special permit for scientific research, aquaculture seed stock collection or traditional and ceremonial purposes by indigenous people. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2775, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.426 Notifications. Any special permit holder subject to the requirements of this subpart must contact the appropriate NMFS enforcement agent in American Samoa, Guam, or Hawaii at least 24 hours before landing any Mariana coral reef ECS harvested under a special permit, and report the port and the approximate date and time at which the catch will be landed. [84 FR 2775, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.427 Allowable gear and gear restrictions. (a) Mariana coral reef ECS may be taken only with the following allowable gear and methods: (1) Hand harvest; (2) Spear; (3) Slurp gun; (4) Hand net/dip net; (5) Hoop net for Kona crab; (6) Throw net; (7) Barrier net; (8) Surround/purse net that is attended at all times; (9) Hook-and-line (includes handline (powered or not), rod-and-reel, and trolling); (10) Crab and fish traps with vessel ID number affixed; and (11) Remote-operating vehicles/submersibles. (b) Mariana coral reef ECS may not be taken by means of poisons, explosives, or intoxicating substances. Possession or use of these materials by any permit holder under this subpart who is established to be fishing for coral reef ECS in the management area is prohibited. (c) Existing FEP fisheries shall follow the allowable gear and methods outlined in their respective plans. (d) Any person who intends to fish with new gear not included in this section must describe the new gear and its method of deployment in the special permit application. A decision on the permissibility of this gear type will be made by the Regional Administrator after consultation with the Council and the director of the affected state fishery management agency. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2775, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.428 Gear identification. (a) The vessel number must be affixed to all fish and crab traps on board the vessel or deployed in the water by any vessel or person holding a permit under §§ 665.13 or 665.424 or that is otherwise established to be fishing for Mariana coral reef ecosystem MUS in the management area. (b) Enforcement action. (2) Unattended surround nets or bait seine nets found deployed in the coral reef ecosystem management area will be considered unclaimed or abandoned property, and may be disposed of in any manner considered appropriate by NMFS or an authorized officer. §§ 665.429-665.439 [Reserved] § 665.440 Mariana crustacean fisheries. [Reserved] § 665.441 Definitions. As used in §§ 665.440 through 665.459: Crustacean Permit Area 5 (Permit Area 5) Mariana crustacean ecosystem component species (Mariana crustacean ECS) Mariana crustacean management unit species Local name English common name Scientific name Mahonggang spiny lobster Panulirus marginatus, Panulirus penicillatus. pa'pangpang slipper lobster Scyllaridae. Kona crab Ranina ranina. deepwater shrimp Heterocarpus [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2775, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.442 Permits. (a) Applicability. (2) The owner of any vessel used to fish for Heterocarpus (b) General requirements. (c) Application. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 81 FR 61626, Sept. 7, 2016; 84 FR 2775, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.443 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter and § 665.15, it is unlawful for any person in Crustacean Permit Area 5 to fish for, take, or retain Heterocarpus [84 FR 2775, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.444 Notifications. (a) The operator of any vessel subject to the requirements of this subpart must: (1) Report, not less than 24 hours, but not more than 36 hours, before landing, the port, the approximate date and the approximate time at which spiny and slipper lobsters will be landed. (2) Report, not less than 6 hours and not more than 12 hours before offloading, the location and time that offloading of spiny and slipper lobsters will begin. (b) The Regional Administrator will notify permit holders of any change in the reporting method and schedule required in paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section at least 30 days prior to the opening of the fishing season. § 665.445 At-sea observer coverage. All fishing vessels subject to §§ 665.440 through 665.445 and subpart A of this part must carry an observer when requested to do so by the Regional Administrator. §§ 665.446-665.459 [Reserved] § 665.460 Mariana precious coral fisheries. [Reserved] § 665.461 Definitions. As used in §§ 665.460 through 665.470: Mariana precious coral ecosystem component species (Mariana precious coral ECS) Mariana precious coral management unit species Corallium English common name Scientific name Pink coral (also known as red coral) Corallium secundum, Corallium regale, Corallium laauense. Gold coral Gerardia Callogorgia gilberti, Narella Calyptrophora Bamboo coral Lepidisis olapa, Acanella Black coral Antipathes dichotoma, Antipathes grandis, Antipathes ulex. Mariana precious coral permit area (1) Established beds. [Reserved] (2) Conditional beds. [Reserved] (3) Refugia. [Reserved] (4) Exploratory Area. (i) Permit Area X-P-G includes all coral beds, other than established beds, conditional beds, or refugia, in the EEZ seaward of Guam. (ii) Permit Area X-P-CNMI includes all coral beds, other than established beds, conditional beds, or refugia, in the EEZ seaward of points 3 nautical miles from the shoreline of the CNMI. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2775, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.462 Permits. (a) Any vessel of the United States fishing for, taking, or retaining Mariana precious coral ECS in any Mariana Archipelago precious coral permit area must have a permit issued under § 665.13. (b) Each permit will be valid for fishing only in the permit area specified on the permit. Precious Coral Permit Areas are defined in § 665.461. (c) No more than one permit will be valid for any one vessel at any one time. (d) No more than one permit will be valid for any one person at any one time. (e) The holder of a valid permit to fish one permit area may obtain a permit to fish another permit area only upon surrendering to the Regional Administrator any current permit for the precious coral fishery issued under § 665.13. (f) General requirements governing application information, issuance, fees, expiration, replacement, transfer, alteration, display, sanctions, and appeals for permits for the precious coral fishery are contained in § 665.13. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2775, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.463 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter and in § 665.15, it is unlawful for any person to: (a) Use any vessel to fish for, take, retain, possess or land Mariana precious coral ECS in any Mariana precious coral permit area, unless a permit has been issued for that vessel and area as specified in § 665.13 and that permit is on board the vessel. (b) Fish for, take, or retain any species of Mariana precious coral ECS in any Mariana precious coral permit area: (1) By means of gear or methods prohibited by § 665.464. (2) In refugia specified in § 665.461. (3) In a bed for which the quota specified in § 665.467 has been attained. (4) In violation of any permit issued under §§ 665.13 or 665.17. (5) In a bed that has been closed pursuant to §§ 665.466 or 665.469. (c) Take and retain, possess, or land any live Hemicorallium laauense, Pleurocorallium secundum, Corallium (1) A valid EFP was issued under § 665.17 for the vessel and the vessel was operating under the terms of the permit; or (2) The coral originated outside coral beds listed in this paragraph, and this can be demonstrated through receipts of purchase, invoices, or other documentation. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2775, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.464 Gear restrictions. Only selective gear may be used to harvest coral from any precious coral permit area. § 665.465 Size restrictions. The height of a live coral specimen shall be determined by a straight line measurement taken from its base to its most distal extremity. The stem diameter of a living coral specimen shall be determined by measuring the greatest diameter of the stem at a point no less than 1 inch (2.54 cm) from the top surface of the living holdfast. (a) Live Hemicorallium laauense, Pleurocorallium secundum, Corallium (b) Live black coral harvested from any precious coral permit area must have attained either a minimum stem diameter of 1 inch (2.54 cm), or a minimum height of 48 inches (122 cm). [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 2775, Feb. 8, 2019] § 665.466 Closures. (a) If the Regional Administrator determines that the harvest quota for any coral bed will be reached prior to the end of the fishing year, NMFS shall publish a notice to that effect in the Federal Register (b) A closure is also effective for a permit holder upon the permit holder's actual harvest of the applicable quota. § 665.467 Quotas. (a) General. (b) Conditional bed closure. (c) Reserves and reserve release. (1) At the start of the fishing year, the reserve for the Guam and CNMI exploratory areas will equal the quota minus the estimated domestic annual harvest for that year. (2) As soon as practicable after December 31 each year, the Regional Administrator will determine the amount harvested by vessels of the United States between July 1 and December 31 of the year that just ended on December 31. (3) NMFS will release to TALFF an amount of precious coral for each exploratory area equal to the quota minus two times the amount harvested by vessels of the United States in that July 1-December 31 period. (4) NMFS will publish in the Federal Register (d) The Guam and CNMI exploratory permit areas, X-P-GU and X-P-CNMI, each have annual quotas of 1,000 kg for all precious coral MUS combined with the exception of black corals. § 665.468 Seasons. The fishing year for precious coral begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 the following year. § 665.469 Gold coral harvest moratorium. Fishing for, taking, or retaining any gold coral in any precious coral permit area is prohibited through June 30, 2028. [88 FR 88836, Dec. 26, 2023] Subpart E—Pacific Remote Island Area Fisheries § 665.598 Management area. The PRIA fishery management area is the EEZ seaward of Palmyra Atoll, Kingman Reef, Jarvis Island, Baker Island, Howland Island, Johnston Atoll, and Wake Island, Pacific Remote Island Areas with the inner boundary a line coterminous with the seaward boundaries of the above atolls, reefs and islands PRIA and the outer boundary a line drawn in such a manner that each point on it is 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the territorial sea is measured, or is coterminous with adjacent international maritime boundaries. § 665.599 Area restrictions. Except as provided in § 665.934, fishing is prohibited in all no-take MPAs. The following U.S. EEZ waters are no-take MPAs: Landward of the 50 fathom curve at Jarvis, Howland, and Baker Islands, and Kingman Reef; as depicted on National Ocean Survey Chart Numbers 83116 and 83153. [78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013] § 665.600 PRIA bottomfish fisheries. [Reserved] § 665.601 Definitions. As used in §§ 665.600 through 665.619: PRIA bottomfish fishing permit PRIA bottomfish management unit species (PRIA bottomfish MUS) Common name Scientific name (1) Silver jaw jobfish Aphareus rutilans. (2) Giant trevally Caranx ignobilis. (3) Black jack Caranx lugubris. (4) Blacktip grouper Epinephelus fasciatus. (5) Sea bass Hyporthodus quernus. (6) Red snapper Etelis carbunculus. (7) Longtail snapper Etelis coruscans. (8) Redgill emperor Lethrinus rubrioperculatus. (9) Yellowtail snapper Pristipomoides auricilla. (10) Pink snapper Pristipomoides filamentosus. (11) Pink snapper Pristipomoides seiboldii. (12) Lunartail, lyretail grouper Variola louti. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 84 FR 29397, June 24, 2019] § 665.602 [Reserved] § 665.603 Permits. (a) Applicability. (b) Submission. § 665.604 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter and § 665.16, it is unlawful for any person to do any of the following: (a) Fish for PRIA bottomfish MUS using gear prohibited under § 665.605. (b) Fish for, or retain on board a vessel, PRIA bottomfish MUS in the PRIA without the appropriate permit registered for use with that vessel issued under § 665.13. (c) Falsify or fail to make or file all reports of PRIA bottomfish MUS landings taken in the PRIA, containing all data in the exact manner, as specified in § 665.14(b). § 665.605 Gear restrictions. (a) Bottom trawls and bottom set gillnets. (b) Possession of gear. (c) Poisons and explosives. § 665.606 At-sea observer coverage. All fishing vessels subject to §§ 665.600 through 665.606 must carry an observer when directed to do so by the Regional Administrator. §§ 665.607-665.619 [Reserved] § 665.620 PRIA coral reef ecosystem fisheries. [Reserved] § 665.621 Definitions. As used in §§ 665.620 through 665.639: PRIA coral reef ecosystem management unit species (PRIA coral reef ecosystem MUS) PRIA Currently Harvested Coral Reef Taxa: Family name English common name Scientific name Acanthuridae (Surgeonfishes) orange-spot Acanthurus olivaceus. surgeonfish yellowfin surgeonfish Acanthurus xanthopterus. convict tang Acanthurus triostegus. eye-striped surgeonfish Acanthurus dussumieri. blue-lined surgeon Acanthurus nigroris. Whitebar surgeonfish Acanthurus leucopareius. blue-banded surgeonfish Acanthurus lineatus. blackstreak surgeonfish Acanthurus nigricauda. whitecheek surgeonfish Acanthurus nigricans. white-spotted surgeonfish Acanthurus guttatus. Ringtail surgeonfish Acanthurus blochii. brown surgeonfish Acanthurus nigrofuscus. yellow-eyed surgeonfish Ctenochaetus strigosus. striped bristletooth Ctenochaetus striatus. twospot bristletooth Ctenochaetus binotatus. Yellow tang Zebrasoma flavescens. bluespine unicornfish Naso unicornus. orangespine unicornfish Naso lituratus. black tongue unicornfish Naso hexacanthus. bignose unicornfish Naso vlamingii. whitemargin unicornfish Naso annulatus. spotted unicornfish Naso brevirostris. Labridae (Wrasses) Napoleon wrasse Cheilinus undulatus. Triple-tail wrasse Cheilinus trilobatus. Floral wrasse Cheilinus chlorourus. ring-tailed wrasse Oxycheilinus unifasciatus. bandcheek wrasse Oxycheilinus diagrammus. Barred thicklip Hemigymnus fasciatus. three-spot wrasse Halichoeres trimaculatus. red ribbon wrasse Thalassoma quinquevittatum. Sunset wrasse Thalassoma lutescens. Mullidae (Goatfishes) Yellow goatfish Mulloidichthys. Orange goatfish Mulloidichthys pfleugeri. yellowstripe goatfish Mulloidichthys flavolineatus. Banded goatfish Parupeneus. Mullidae (Goatfishes) dash-dot goatfish Parupeneus barberinus. yellowsaddle goatfish Parupeneus cyclostomas. multi-barred goatfish Parupeneus multifaciatus. bantail goatfish Upeneus arge. Mugilidae (Mullets) fringelip mullet Crenimugil crenilabis. engel's mullet Moolgarda engeli. false mullet Neomyxus leuciscus. Muraenidae (Moray eels) yellowmargin moray eel Gymnothorax flavimarginatus. giant moray eel Gymnothorax javanicus. undulated moray eel Gymnothorax undulatus. Octopodidae Octopus Octopus cyanea. Octopus Octopus ornatus. Pricanthidae (Bigeye) Glasseye Heteropriacanthus cruentatus. Scaridae (Parrotfishes) Humphead parrotfish Bolbometopon muricatum. parrotfish Scarus. pacific longnose parrotfish Hipposcarus longiceps. stareye parrotfish Calotomus carolinus. Scombridae Dogtooth tuna Gymnosarda unicolor. Sphyraenidae (Barracuda) great barracuda Sphyraena barracuda. PRIA Potentially Harvested Coral Reef Taxa: English common name Scientific name wrasses (Those species not listed as CHCRT) Labridae. sharks (Those species not listed as CHCRT) Carcharhinidae, Sphyrnidae. rays and skates Myliobatidae, Mobulidae. groupers (Those species not listed as CHCRT or as BMUS) Serrandiae. jacks and scads (Those species not listed as CHCRT or as BMUS) Carangidae. solderfishes and squirrelfishes (Those species not listed as CHCRT) Holocentridae. goatfishes (Those species not listed as CHCRT) Mullidae. Batfishes Ephippidae. Sweetlips Haemulidae. Remoras Echeneidae. Tilefishes Malacanthidae. Dottybacks Pseudochromidae. Prettyfins Plesiopidae. surgeonfishes (Those species not listed as CHCRT) Acanthuridae. emperors (Those species not listed as CHCRT or as BMUS) Lethrinidae. Herrings Clupeidae. Gobies Gobiidae. snappers (Those species not listed as CHCRT or as BMUS) Lutjanidae. trigger fishes (Those species not listed as CHCRT) Balistidae. rabbitfishes (Those species not listed as CHCRT) Siganidae. eels (Those species not listed as CHCRT) Muraenidae, Chlopsidae, Congridae, Ophichthidae. Cardinalfishes Apogonidae. moorish idols Zanclidae. butterfly fishes Chaetodontidae. Angelfishes Pomacanthidae. Damselfishes Pomacentridae. Scorpionfishes Scorpaenidae. Blennies Blenniidae. barracudas (Those species not listed as CHCRT) Sphyraenidae. Sandperches Pinguipedidae. rudderfishes (Those species not listed as CHCRT) Kyphosidae. Fusiliers Caesionidae. hawkfishes (Those species not listed as CHCRT) Cirrhitidae. Frogfishes Antennariidae. pipefishes, seahorses Syngnathidae. flounders, soles Bothidae. Trunkfishes Ostraciidae. puffer fishes, porcupine fishes Tetradontidae. Trumpetfish Aulostomus chinensis. Cornetfish Fistularia commersoni. blue corals Heliopora. organpipe corals Tubipora. ahermatypic corals Azooxanthellates. mushroom corals Fungiidae. small and large coral polyps fire corals Millepora. soft corals, gorgonians Anemones Actinaria. soft zoanthid corals Zoanthinaria. Hydrozoans, Bryzoans. sea squirts Tunicates. sea cucumbers and sea urchins Echinoderms. Those species not listed as CHCRT Mollusca. sea snails Gastropoda. Trochus. sea slugs Opistobranchs. black lipped pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera. giant clam Tridacnidae. other clams Other Bivalves. Cephalopods. lobsters, shrimps/mantis shrimps, true crabs and hermit crabs Crustaceans. Sponges Porifera. lace corals Stylasteridae. hydroid corals Solanderidae. segmented worms Annelids. Seaweed Algae. Live rock. All other PRIA coral reef ecosystem MUS that are marine plants, invertebrates, and fishes that are not listed in the PRIA CHCRT table or are not PRIA bottomfish, crustacean, precious coral, or western Pacific pelagic MUS. § 665.622 [Reserved] § 665.623 Relation to other laws. To ensure consistency between the management regimes of different Federal agencies with shared management responsibilities of fishery resources within the PRIA fishery management area, fishing for PRIA coral reef ecosystem MUS is not allowed within the boundary of a National Wildlife Refuge unless specifically authorized by the USFWS, regardless of whether that refuge was established by action of the President or the Secretary of the Interior. § 665.624 Permits and fees. (a) Applicability. (1) Special permit. (i) [Reserved] (ii) PRIA Potentially Harvested Coral Reef Taxa in the PRIA coral reef ecosystem management area; or (iii) PRIA Coral reef ecosystem MUS in the PRIA coral reef ecosystem management area with any gear not specifically allowed in this subpart. (2) Transshipment permit. (3) Exceptions. (i) Any person issued a permit to fish under any FEP who incidentally catches PRIA coral reef ecosystem MUS while fishing for bottomfish MUS, crustacean MUS, western Pacific pelagic MUS, precious coral, or seamount groundfish. (ii) Any person fishing for PRIA CHCRT outside of an MPA, who does not retain any incidentally caught PRIA PHCRT. (iii) Any person collecting marine organisms for scientific research as described in § 665.17, or § 600.745 of this chapter. (b) Validity. (c) General requirements. (d) Special permit. (1) Application. i.e., (2) Incomplete applications. (3) Issuance. (ii) Within 60 days following receipt of a complete application, the Regional Administrator will consult with the Council through its Executive Director, USFWS, and the Director of the affected state fishery management agency concerning the permit application and will receive their recommendations for approval or disapproval of the application based on: (A) Information provided by the applicant; (B) The current domestic annual harvesting and processing capacity of the directed and incidental species for which a special permit is being requested; (C) The current status of resources to be harvested in relation to the overfishing definition in the FEP; (D) Estimated ecosystem, habitat, and protected species impacts of the proposed activity; and (E) Other biological and ecological information relevant to the proposal. The applicant will be provided with an opportunity to appear in support of the application. (iii) Following a review of the Council's recommendation and supporting rationale, the Regional Administrator may: (A) Concur with the Council's recommendation and, after finding that it is consistent with the goals and objectives of the FEP, the national standards, the Endangered Species Act, and other applicable laws, approve or deny a special permit; or (B) Reject the Council's recommendation, in which case, written reasons will be provided by the Regional Administrator to the Council for the rejection. (iv) If the Regional Administrator does not receive a recommendation from the Council within 60 days of Council receipt of the permit application, the Regional Administrator can make a determination of approval or denial independently. (v) Within 30 working days after the consultation in paragraph (d)(3)(ii) of this section, or as soon as practicable thereafter, NMFS will notify the applicant in writing of the decision to grant or deny the special permit and, if denied, the reasons for the denial. Grounds for denial of a special permit include the following: (A) The applicant has failed to disclose material information required, or has made false statements as to any material fact, in connection with his or her application. (B) According to the best scientific information available, the directed or incidental catch in the season or location specified under the permit would detrimentally affect any coral reef resource or coral reef ecosystem in a significant way, including, but not limited to issues related to, spawning grounds or seasons, protected species interactions, EFH, and habitat areas of particular concern (HAPC). (C) Issuance of the special permit would inequitably allocate fishing privileges among domestic fishermen or would have economic allocation as its sole purpose. (D) The method or amount of harvest in the season and/or location stated on the permit is considered inappropriate based on previous human or natural impacts in the given area. (E) NMFS has determined that the maximum number of permits for a given area in a given season has been reached and allocating additional permits in the same area would be detrimental to the resource. (F) The activity proposed under the special permit would create a significant enforcement problem. (vi) The Regional Administrator may attach conditions to the special permit, if it is granted, consistent with the management objectives of the FEP, including but not limited to: (A) The maximum amount of each resource that can be harvested and landed during the term of the special permit, including trip limits, where appropriate. (B) The times and places where fishing may be conducted. (C) The type, size, and amount of gear which may be used by each vessel operated under the special permit. (D) Data reporting requirements. (E) Such other conditions as may be necessary to ensure compliance with the purposes of the special permit consistent with the objectives of the FEP. (4) Appeals of permit actions. (i) Except as provided in subpart D of 15 CFR part 904, any applicant for a permit or a permit holder may appeal the granting, denial, conditioning, or suspension of their permit or a permit affecting their interests to the Regional Administrator. In order to be considered by the Regional Administrator, such appeal must be in writing, must state the action(s) appealed, and the reasons therefore, and must be submitted within 30 days of the original action(s) by the Regional Administrator. The appellant may request an informal hearing on the appeal. (ii) Upon receipt of an appeal authorized by this section, the Regional Administrator will notify the permit applicant, or permit holder as appropriate, and will request such additional information and in such form as will allow action upon the appeal. Upon receipt of sufficient information, the Regional Administrator will rule on the appeal in accordance with the permit eligibility criteria set forth in this section and the FEP, as appropriate, based upon information relative to the application on file at NMFS and the Council and any additional information, the summary record kept of any hearing and the hearing officer's recommended decision, if any, and such other considerations as deemed appropriate. The Regional Administrator will notify all interested persons of the decision, and the reasons therefor, in writing, normally within 30 days of the receipt of sufficient information, unless additional time is needed for a hearing. (iii) If a hearing is requested, or if the Regional Administrator determines that one is appropriate, the Regional Administrator may grant an informal hearing before a hearing officer designated for that purpose after first giving notice of the time, place, and subject matter of the hearing in the Federal Register. Federal Register, (iv) The Regional Administrator may adopt the hearing officer's recommended decision, in whole or in part, or may reject or modify it. In any event, the Regional Administrator shall notify interested persons of the decision, and the reason(s) therefore, in writing, within 30 days of receipt of the hearing officer's recommended decision. The Regional Administrator's action constitutes final action for the agency for the purposes of the Administrative Procedure Act. (5) The Regional Administrator may, for good cause, extend any time limit prescribed in this section for a period not to exceed 30 days, either upon his or her own motion or upon written request from the Council, appellant or applicant stating the reason(s) therefore. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013] § 665.625 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter and § 665.15, it is unlawful for any person to do any of the following: (a) [Reserved] (b) Fish for, take, or retain any PRIA coral reef ecosystem MUS species: (1) That is determined overfished with subsequent rulemaking by the Regional Administrator. (2) By means of gear or methods prohibited under § 665.627. (3) [Reserved] (4) In violation of any permit issued under §§ 665.13 or 665.624. (c) Fish for, take, or retain any wild live rock or live hard coral except under a valid special permit for scientific research, aquaculture seed stock collection or traditional and ceremonial purposes by indigenous people. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013] § 665.626 Notifications. Any special permit holder subject to the requirements of this subpart must contact the appropriate NMFS enforcement agent in American Samoa, Guam, or Hawaii at least 24 hours before landing any PRIA coral reef ecosystem MUS unit species harvested under a special permit, and report the port and the approximate date and time at which the catch will be landed. § 665.627 Allowable gear and gear restrictions. (a) Coral reef ecosystem MUS may be taken only with the following allowable gear and methods: (1) Hand harvest; (2) Spear; (3) Slurp gun; (4) Hand net/dip net; (5) Hoop net for Kona crab; (6) Throw net; (7) Barrier net; (8) Surround/purse net that is attended at all times; (9) Hook-and-line (includes handline (powered or not), rod-and-reel, and trolling); (10) Crab and fish traps with vessel ID number affixed; and (11) Remote-operating vehicles/submersibles. (b) PRIA coral reef ecosystem MUS may not be taken by means of poisons, explosives, or intoxicating substances. Possession or use of these materials by any permit holder under this subpart who is established to be fishing for coral reef ecosystem MUS in the management area is prohibited. (c) PRIA coral reef ecosystem MUS may not be taken by means of spearfishing with SCUBA at night (from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.) in the U.S. EEZ waters around Howland Island, Baker Island, Jarvis Island, Wake Island, Kingman Reef, Johnston Atoll and Palmyra Atoll. (d) Existing FEP fisheries shall follow the allowable gear and methods outlined in their respective plans. (e) Any person who intends to fish with new gear not included in this section must describe the new gear and its method of deployment in the special permit application. A decision on the permissibility of this gear type will be made by the Regional Administrator after consultation with the Council and the director of the affected state fishery management agency. § 665.628 Gear identification. (a) The vessel number must be affixed to all fish and crab traps on board the vessel or deployed in the water by any vessel or person holding a permit under §§ 665.13 or 665.624 or that is otherwise established to be fishing for PRIA coral reef ecosystem MUS in the PRIA fishery management area. (b) Enforcement action. (2) Unattended surround nets or bait seine nets found deployed in the coral reef ecosystem management area will be considered unclaimed or abandoned property, and may be disposed of in any manner considered appropriate by NMFS or an authorized officer. §§ 665.629-665.639 [Reserved] § 665.640 PRIA crustacean fisheries. [Reserved] § 665.641 Definitions. As used in §§ 665.640 through 665.659: Crustacean Permit Area 4 (Permit Area 4) PRIA crustacean fishing permit PRIA crustacean management unit species English Scientific name Spiny lobster Panulirus marginatus, Panulirus penicillatus. Slipper lobster Scyllaridae. Kona crab Ranina ranina. Deepwater shrimp Heterocarpus. § 665.642 Permits. (a) Applicability. (2) The owner of any vessel used to fish for deepwater shrimp in Crustacean Permit Area 4 must have a permit issued for that vessel. (b) General requirements. (c) Application. § 665.643 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter and § 665.15, it is unlawful for any person in Crustacean Permit Area 4 to fish for, take, or retain deepwater shrimp without a permit issued under § 665.642. § 665.644 Notifications. (a) The operator of any vessel subject to the requirements of this subpart must: (1) Report, not less than 24 hours, but not more than 36 hours, before landing, the port, the approximate date and the approximate time at which spiny and slipper lobsters will be landed. (2) Report, not less than 6 hours and not more than 12 hours before offloading, the location and time that offloading of spiny and slipper lobsters will begin. (b) The Regional Administrator will notify permit holders of any change in the reporting method and schedule required in paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section at least 30 days prior to the opening of the fishing season. § 665.645 At-sea observer coverage. All fishing vessels subject to §§ 665.640 through 665.645 and subpart A of this part must carry an observer when requested to do so by the Regional Administrator. §§ 665.646-665.659 [Reserved] § 665.660 PRIA precious coral fisheries. [Reserved] § 665.661 Definitions. As used in §§ 665.660 through 665.669: PRIA precious coral management unit species (PRIA precious coral MUS) Corallium English Scientific name Pink coral (also known as red coral) Corallium secundum, Corallium regale, Corallium laauense. Gold coral Gerardia Callogorgia gilberti, Narella Calyptrophora Bamboo coral Lepidisis olapa, Acanella Black coral Antipathes dichotoma, Antipathes grandis, Antipathes ulex. PRIA precious coral permit area (1) Established beds. [ Reserved (2) Conditional beds. [ Reserved (3) Refugia. [ Reserved (4) Exploratory Area. Permit Area X-P-PI includes all coral beds, other than established beds, conditional beds, or refugia, in the EEZ seaward Palmyra Atoll, Kingman Reef, Jarvis Island, Baker Island, Howland Island, Johnston Atoll and Wake Island. § 665.662 Permits. (a) Any vessel of the United States fishing for, taking, or retaining PRIA precious coral MUS in any PRIA precious coral permit area must have a permit issued under § 665.13. (b) Each permit will be valid for fishing only in the permit area specified on the permit. Precious Coral Permit Areas are defined in § 665.661. (c) No more than one permit will be valid for any one vessel at any one time. (d) No more than one permit will be valid for any one person at any one time. (e) The holder of a valid permit to fish one permit area may obtain a permit to fish another permit area only upon surrendering to the Regional Administrator any current permit for the precious coral fishery issued under § 665.13. (f) General requirements governing application information, issuance, fees, expiration, replacement, transfer, alteration, display, sanctions, and appeals for permits for the precious coral fishery are contained in § 665.13. § 665.663 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter and in § 665.15, it is unlawful for any person to: (a) Use any vessel to fish for, take, retain, possess or land PRIA precious coral MUS in any precious coral permit area, unless a permit has been issued for that vessel and area as specified in § 665.13 and that permit is on board the vessel. (b) Fish for, take, or retain any species of PRIA precious coral MUS in any precious coral permit area: (1) By means of gear or methods prohibited by § 665.664. (2) In refugia specified in § 665.661. (3) In a bed for which the quota specified in § 665.667 has been attained. (4) In violation of any permit issued under §§ 665.13 or 665.17. (5) In a bed that has been closed pursuant to §§ 665.666 or 665.669. (c) Take and retain, possess, or land any live pink coral or live black coral from any precious coral permit area that is less than the minimum height specified in § 665.665 unless: (1) A valid EFP was issued under § 665.17 for the vessel and the vessel was operating under the terms of the permit; or (2) The coral originated outside coral beds listed in this paragraph, and this can be demonstrated through receipts of purchase, invoices, or other documentation. § 665.664 Gear restrictions. Only selective gear may be used to harvest coral from any precious coral permit area. § 665.665 Size restrictions. The height of a live coral specimen shall be determined by a straight line measurement taken from its base to its most distal extremity. The stem diameter of a living coral specimen shall be determined by measuring the greatest diameter of the stem at a point no less than 1 inch (2.54 cm) from the top surface of the living holdfast. (a) Live pink coral harvested from any precious coral permit area must have attained a minimum height of 10 inches (25.4 cm). (b) Black coral. § 665.666 Closures. (a) If the Regional Administrator determines that the harvest quota for any coral bed will be reached prior to the end of the fishing year, NMFS shall publish a notice to that effect in the Federal Register (b) A closure is also effective for a permit holder upon the permit holder's actual harvest of the applicable quota. § 665.667 Quotas. (a) General. (b) Conditional bed closure. (c) Reserves and reserve release. Federal Register (d) PRIA exploratory permit area, X-P-PI, has an annual quota of 1,000 kg for all precious coral MUS combined with the exception of black corals. § 665.668 Seasons. The fishing year for precious coral begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 the following year. § 665.669 Gold coral harvest moratorium. Fishing for, taking, or retaining any gold coral in any precious coral permit area is prohibited through June 30, 2028. [88 FR 88836, Dec. 26, 2023] Subpart F—Western Pacific Pelagic Fisheries § 665.798 Management area. The western Pacific Pelagic fishery management area includes all areas of fishing operations in the EEZ or on the high seas for any vessels of the United States or persons that: (a) Fish for, possess, or transship western Pacific pelagic fishery MUS within the EEZ waters around American Samoa, CNMI, Guam, Hawaii, or PRIA; or (b) Land western Pacific pelagic fishery MUS in American Samoa, CNMI, Guam, Hawaii, or PRIA. § 665.799 Area restrictions. (a) Fishing is prohibited in all no-take MPAs designated in this section. (b) No-take MPAs. The following U.S. EEZ waters are no-take MPAs: (1) Landward of the 50-fathom (fm) (91.5-m) curve at Jarvis, Howland, and Baker Islands, and Kingman Reef; as depicted on National Ocean Survey Chart Numbers 83116 and 83153; (2) Landward of the 50-fm (91.5-m) curve around Rose Atoll, as depicted on National Ocean Survey Chart Number 83484. § 665.800 Definitions. Link to an amendment published at 91 FR 58385, Sept. 15, 2026. As used in §§ 665.798 through 665.818: American Samoa longline limited access permit American Samoa pelagics mailing list Basket-style longline gear Branch line dropper line Deep-set Deep-setting Effective date Fish dealer (1) Obtains, with the intention to resell, western Pacific pelagic MUS, or portions thereof, that were harvested or received by a vessel that holds a permit or is otherwise regulated under bottomfish fisheries in this subpart; or (2) Provides recordkeeping, purchase, or sales assistance in obtaining or selling such MUS (such as the services provided by a wholesale auction facility). Float line Hawaii longline limited access permit Longline fishing prohibited area Longline fishing vessel Longline gear Pelagic handline fishing Pelagic troll fishing (trolling) PRIA pelagic troll and handline fishing permit Receiving vessel permit Shallow-set or shallow-setting Squid jig fishing U.S. participating territory WCPFC Western Pacific general longline permit Western Pacific pelagic management unit species English Scientific name Tunas: Albacore Thunnus alalunga. bigeye tuna Thunnus obesus. Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares. skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis. Kawakawa Euthynnus affinis. other tuna relatives Auxis Scomber Allothunnus Billfishes: Black marlin Istiompax indica Striped marlin Kajikia audax Pacific blue marlin Makaira nigricans shortbill spearfish Tetrapturus angustirostris. Swordfish Xiphias gladius. Sailfish Istiophorus platypterus. Sharks: pelagic thresher shark Alopias pelagicus. bigeye thresher shark Alopias superciliosus. common thresher shark Alopias vulpinus. silky shark Carcharhinus falciformis. oceanic whitetip shark Carcharhinus longimanus. blue shark Prionace glauca. shortfin mako shark Isurus oxyrinchus. longfin mako shark Isurus paucus. salmon shark Lamna ditropis. Other pelagic fishes: mahimahi (dolphinfish) Coryphaena Wahoo Acanthocybium solandri. Moonfish Lampris Oilfish Gempylidae. Pomfret Bramidae. Squid: diamondback squid Thysanoteuthis rhombus. neon flying squid Ommastrephes bartramii. purpleback flying squid Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 76 FR 52889, Aug. 24, 2011; 77 FR 43722, July 26, 2012; 79 FR 64111, Oct. 28, 2014; 87 FR 25155, Apr. 28, 2022] § 665.801 Permits. (a) A vessel of the United States must be registered for use with a valid permit under the High Seas Fishing Compliance Act if that vessel is used to fish on the high seas, as required under § 300.15 of this title. (b) A vessel of the United States must be registered for use under a valid Hawaii longline limited access permit if that vessel is used: (1) To fish for western Pacific pelagic MUS using longline gear in the EEZ around the Hawaiian Archipelago; or (2) To land or transship, shoreward of the outer boundary of the EEZ around the Hawaiian Archipelago, western Pacific pelagic MUS that were harvested using longline gear. (c) A vessel of the United States must be registered for use under a valid American Samoa longline limited access permit, in accordance with § 665.816, if that vessel is used to: (1) Fish for western Pacific pelagic MUS using longline gear in the EEZ around American Samoa; (2) Land shoreward of the outer boundary of the EEZ around American Samoa western Pacific pelagic MUS that were harvested using longline gear in the EEZ around American Samoa; or (3) Transship shoreward of the outer boundary of the EEZ around American Samoa western Pacific pelagic MUS that were harvested using longline gear in the EEZ around American Samoa or on the high seas. (d) A vessel of the United States must be registered for use under a valid Western Pacific general longline permit, American Samoa longline limited access permit, or Hawaii longline limited access permit if that vessel is used to: (1) Fish for western Pacific pelagic MUS using longline gear in the EEZ around Guam, CNMI, or PRIA (with the exception of Midway Atoll); or (2) Land or transship shoreward of the outer boundary of the EEZ around Guam, CNMI, or PRIA (with the exception of Midway Atoll), western Pacific pelagic MUS that were harvested using longline gear. (e) A receiving vessel of the United States must be registered for use with a valid receiving vessel permit if that vessel is used to land or transship, shoreward of the outer boundary of the EEZ around American Samoa, Hawaii, Guam, CNMI, or PRIA, western Pacific pelagic MUS that were harvested using longline gear. (f) A vessel of the United States must be registered for use with a valid PRIA pelagic troll and handline fishing permit if that vessel is used to fish for western Pacific pelagic MUS using pelagic handline or trolling fishing methods in the EEZ around the PRIA (with the exception of Midway Atoll). (g) A vessel of the United States must be registered for use under a Western Pacific squid jig fishing permit, if that vessel is more than 50 ft (15.4 m) LOA and is used to squid jig fish in EEZ waters around American Samoa, CNMI, Guam, Hawaii, or PRIA. (h) Any required permit must be valid and on board the vessel and available for inspection by an authorized agent, except that, if the permit was issued (or registered to the vessel) during the fishing trip in question, this requirement applies only after the start of any subsequent fishing trip. (i) A permit is valid only for the vessel for which it is registered. A permit not registered for use with a particular vessel may not be used. (j) An application for a permit required under this section will be submitted to PIRO as described in § 665.13. (k) General requirements governing application information, issuance, fees, expiration, replacement, transfer, alteration, display, and sanctions for permits issued under this section, as applicable, are contained in § 665.13. (l) A Hawaii longline limited access permit may be transferred as follows: (1) The owner of a Hawaii longline limited access permit may apply to transfer the permit: (i) To a different person for registration for use with the same or another vessel; or (ii) For registration for use with another U.S. vessel under the same ownership. (2) [ Reserved (m) A Hawaii longline limited access permit will not be registered for use with a vessel that has a LOA greater than 101 ft (30.8 m). (n) Only a person eligible to own a documented vessel under the terms of 46 U.S.C. 12102(a) may be issued or may hold (by ownership or otherwise) a Hawaii longline limited access permit. (o) Permit appeals. Except as provided in subpart D of 15 CFR part 904, any applicant for a permit or any permit owner may appeal to the Regional Administrator the granting, denial, conditioning, suspension, or transfer of a permit or requested permit under this section. To be considered by the Regional Administrator, the appeal must be in writing, must state the action(s) appealed, and the reasons therefore, and must be submitted within 30 days of the action(s) by the Regional Administrator. The appellant may request an informal hearing on the appeal. (1) Upon receipt of an appeal authorized by this section, the Regional Administrator may request additional information. Upon receipt of sufficient information, the Regional Administrator will decide the appeal in accordance with the criteria set out in this part for qualifying for, or renewing, limited access permits. In making such decision, the Administrator will review relevant portions of the Western Pacific Pelagic FEP, to the extent such review would clarify the criteria in this part. Such decision will be based upon information relative to the application on file at NMFS and the Council and any additional information available; the summary record kept of any hearing and the hearing officer's recommended decision, if any, as provided in paragraph (o)(3) of this section; and such other considerations as deemed appropriate. The Regional Administrator will notify the appellant of the decision and the reasons therefore, in writing, normally within 30 days of the receipt of sufficient information, unless additional time is needed for a hearing. (2) If a hearing is requested, or if the Regional Administrator determines that one is appropriate, the Regional Administrator may grant an informal hearing before a hearing officer designated for that purpose. Such a hearing normally shall be held no later than 30 days following receipt of the appeal, unless the hearing officer extends the time. The appellant and, at the discretion of the hearing officer, other interested persons, may appear personally and/or be represented by counsel at the hearing and submit information and present arguments as determined appropriate by the hearing officer. Within 30 days of the last day of the hearing, the hearing officer shall recommend, in writing, a decision to the Regional Administrator. (3) The Regional Administrator may adopt the hearing officer's recommended decision, in whole or in part, or may reject or modify it. In any event, the Regional Administrator will notify the appellant, and interested persons, if any, of the decision, and the reason(s) therefore, in writing, within 30 days of receipt of the hearing officer's recommended decision. The Regional Administrator's action shall constitute final Agency action for purposes of the Administrative Procedure Act. (4) In the case of a timely appeal from an American Samoa longline limited access permit initial permit decision, the Regional Administrator will issue the appellant a temporary American Samoa longline limited access permit. A temporary permit will expire 20 days after the Regional Administrator's final decision on the appeal. In no event will a temporary permit be effective for longer than 60 days. (5) With the exception of temporary permits issued under paragraph (o)(4) of this section, the Regional Administrator, for good cause, may extend any time limit prescribed in this section for a period not to exceed 30 days, either upon his/her own motion or upon written request from the appellant stating the reason(s) therefore. § 665.802 Prohibitions. Link to an amendment published at 91 FR 58386, Sept. 15, 2026. In addition to the prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter, it is unlawful for any person to do any of the following: (a) Falsify or fail to make and/or file all reports of western Pacific pelagic MUS landings, containing all data and in the exact manner, as required by applicable state law or regulation, as specified in § 665.14(a), provided that the person is required to do so by applicable state law or regulation. (b) Use a vessel without a valid permit issued under the High Seas Fishing Compliance Act to fish for western Pacific pelagic MUS using longline gear, on the high seas, in violation of §§ 665.801(a), and 300.15 of this title. (c) Use a vessel in the EEZ around the Hawaiian Archipelago without a valid Hawaii longline limited access permit registered for use with that vessel, to fish for western Pacific pelagic MUS using longline gear, in violation of § 665.801(b)(1). (d) Use a vessel shoreward of the outer boundary of the EEZ around the Hawaiian Archipelago without a valid Hawaii longline limited access permit registered for use with that vessel, to land or transship western Pacific pelagic MUS that were harvested with longline gear, in violation of § 665.801(b)(2). (e) Use a vessel in the EEZ around American Samoa without a valid American Samoa longline limited access permit registered for use with that vessel, to fish for western Pacific pelagic MUS using longline gear, in violation of § 665.801(c)(1). (f) Use a vessel shoreward of the outer boundary of the EEZ around American Samoa without a valid American Samoa longline limited access permit registered for use with that vessel, to land western Pacific pelagic MUS that were caught with longline gear within the EEZ around American Samoa, in violation of § 665.801(c)(2). (g) Use a vessel within the EEZ around American Samoa without a valid American Samoa longline limited access permit registered for use with that vessel, to transship western Pacific pelagic MUS that were caught with longline gear, in violation of § 665.801(c)(3). (h) Use a vessel in the EEZ around Guam, CNMI, or PRIA (with the exception of Midway Atoll) without either a valid Western Pacific general longline permit, American Samoa longline limited access permit or a Hawaii longline limited access permit registered for use with that vessel, to fish for western Pacific pelagic MUS using longline gear, in violation of § 665.801(d)(1). (i) Use a vessel shoreward of the outer boundary of the EEZ around Guam, CNMI, or PRIA (with the exception of Midway Atoll) without either a valid Western Pacific general longline permit, American Samoa longline limited access permit or a Hawaii longline limited access permit registered for use with that vessel, to land or transship western Pacific pelagic MUS that were harvested using longline gear, in violation of § 665.801(d)(2). (j) Use a vessel shoreward of the outer boundary of the EEZ around American Samoa, CNMI, Guam, Hawaii, or PRIA, to land or transship western Pacific pelagic MUS caught by other vessels using longline gear, without a valid receiving vessel permit registered for use with that vessel, in violation of § 665.801(e). (k) Use a vessel in the EEZ around the PRIA employing handline or trolling methods to fish for western Pacific pelagic MUS without a valid PRIA pelagic troll and handline fishing permit registered for use for that vessel, in violation of § 665.801(f). (l) Fish in the fishery after failing to comply with the notification requirements in § 665.803. (m) Fail to comply with notification requirements set forth in § 665.803 or in any EFP issued under § 665.17. (n) Fail to comply with a term or condition governing longline gear configuration in § 665.813(k) if using a vessel longer than 40 ft (12.2 m) registered for use with any valid longline permit issued pursuant to § 665.801 to fish for western Pacific pelagic MUS using longline gear south of the Equator (0° lat.). (o) Use a fishing vessel to retain on board, transship, or land pelagic MUS captured by longline gear in the WCPFC Convention Area, as defined in § 300.211 of this title, in violation of any restriction announced in accordance with § 665.819(d)(2). (p)-(u) [ Reserved (v) Use longline gear to fish within a longline fishing prohibited area in violation of § 665.806, except as allowed pursuant to an exemption issued under §§ 665.17 or 665.807. (w) Fish for western Pacific pelagic MUS with longline gear within the protected species zone, in violation of § 665.806(b). (x) Fail to comply with a term or condition governing the observer program established in § 665.808, if using a vessel registered for use with a Hawaii longline limited access permit, or a vessel greater than 40 ft (12.2 m) LOA registered for use with an American Samoa longline limited access permit to fish for western Pacific pelagic MUS using longline gear. (y) Fail to comply with other terms and conditions that the Regional Administrator imposes by written notice to either the permit holder or the designated agent of the permit holder to facilitate the details of observer placement. (z) Fail to fish in accordance with the seabird take mitigation techniques set forth at § 665.815(a) when operating a vessel registered for use under a Hawaii longline limited access permit. (aa)-(bb) [ Reserved (cc) Own or operate a vessel registered for use under any longline permit issued under § 665.801 while engaged in longline fishing for western Pacific pelagic MUS and fail to be certified for completion of a NMFS protected species workshop, in violation of § 665.814(a). (dd) Own or operate a vessel registered for use under any longline permit issued under § 665.801 while engaged in longline fishing for western Pacific pelagic MUS without having on board a valid protected species workshop certificate issued by NMFS or a legible copy thereof, in violation of § 665.814(d). (ee) Possess light sticks on board a vessel registered for use under a Hawaii longline limited access permit at any time during a trip for which notification to NMFS under § 665.803(a) indicated that deep-setting would be done, in violation of § 665.813(d). (ff) Fail to carry, or fail to use, a line clipper, dip net, or dehooker on a vessel registered for use under any longline permit issued under § 665.801, in violation of § 665.812. (gg) Use or have on board longline gear with metal wire line within 1 meter of the hook when operating a vessel registered for use under a longline permit issued under § 665.801(b) at any time during a trip for which notification to NMFS under § 665.803(a) indicated that deep-setting would be done, in violation of § 665.813(d). (hh) Fail to handle and release an oceanic whitetip shark in accordance with the requirements set forth at § 665.811(a) when operating a vessel registered for use under any longline permit issued under § 665.801, in violation of § 665.811. (ii) When operating a vessel registered for use under any longline limited access permit issued under § 665.801, fail to comply with the sea turtle handling, resuscitation, and release requirements, in violation of § 665.812(b). (jj) Engage in shallow-setting from a vessel registered for use under any longline permit issued under § 665.801 north of the Equator (0° lat.) with hooks other than circle hooks sized 18/0 or larger with an offset not to exceed 10 degrees, in violation of § 665.813(f). (kk) Engage in shallow-setting from a vessel registered for use under any longline permit issued under § 665.801 north of the Equator (0° lat.) with bait other than mackerel-type bait, in violation of § 665.813(g). (ll) Fail to use weighted branch lines or a bird curtain that meets the specifications at § 665.815(a)(1)(i) through (vii) when operating a side-setting vessel that is registered for use under a Hawaii longline limited access permit, when making deep-sets or shallow-sets north of lat. 23° N, or shallow-sets south of lat. 23° N in violation of § 665.815(a)(1). (mm) Fail to use a line shooter with weighted branch lines to set the main longline, and fail to use a tori line system prior to the first hook being set that meets the specifications of § 665.815(a)(3)(i)(A) through (E) when operating a stern-setting vessel that is registered for use under a Hawaii longline limited access permit and equipped with monofilament main longline, when making deep-sets north of lat. 23° N in violation of § 665.815(a)(3). (nn) Fail to employ basket-style longline gear such that the mainline is deployed slack when operating a vessel registered for use under a Hawaii longline limited access permit north of lat. 23° N, in violation of § 665.815(a)(4). (oo) Fail to maintain and use blue dye to prepare thawed bait when operating a stern-setting vessel registered for use under a Hawaii longline limited access permit when making shallow-sets, in violation of § 665.815(a)(2)(vi) and (vii). (pp) Fail to retain, handle, and discharge fish, fish parts, and spent bait, strategically when operating a stern-setting vessel registered for use under a Hawaii longline limited access permit when making shallow-sets, in violation of § 665.815(a)(2)(i) through (iv). (qq) Fail to begin the deployment of longline gear at least 1 hour after local sunset or fail to complete the setting process before local sunrise from a stern-setting vessel registered for use under a Hawaii longline limited access permit while shallow-setting, in violation of § 665.815(a)(2)(v). (rr) Fail to handle short-tailed albatrosses that are caught by pelagic longline gear in a manner that maximizes the probability of their long-term survival, in violation of § 665.815(b). (ss) Engage in shallow-setting from a vessel registered for use under a Hawaii longline limited access permit after the shallow-set longline fishery has been closed, or upon notice that that the vessel is restricted from fishing, in violation of § 665.813(b) and (i). (tt) Fail to immediately retrieve longline fishing gear upon notice that the shallow-set longline fishery has been closed, or upon notice that that the vessel is restricted from fishing, in violation of § 665.813(b). (uu)-(vv) [ Reserved (ww) Fail to handle seabirds other than short-tailed albatrosses that are caught by pelagic longline gear in a manner that maximizes the probability of their long-term survival, in violation of § 665.815(c). (xx) Use a large vessel to fish for western Pacific Pelagic MUS within an American Samoa large vessel prohibited area in violation of § 665.806, except as allowed pursuant to an exemption issued under §§ 665.17 or 665.818. (yy) Fish for western Pacific pelagic MUS using gear prohibited under § 665.810 or not permitted by an EFP issued under § 665.17. (zz) Use a vessel that is greater than 50 ft (15.4 m) LOA to squid jig fish in EEZ waters around American Samoa, CNMI, Guam, Hawaii, or PRIA, without a Western Pacific squid jig fishing permit registered for use with that vessel, in violation of § 665.801(g). [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 76 FR 37288, June 27, 2011; 76 FR 52889, Aug. 24, 2011; 77 FR 60649, Oct. 4, 2012; 79 FR 64111, Oct. 28, 2014; 85 FR 57997, Sept. 17, 2020; 86 FR 55745, Oct. 7, 2021; 87 FR 25156, Apr. 28, 2022; 89 FR 15063, Mar. 1, 2024] § 665.803 Notifications. (a) The permit holder, or designated agent, for any vessel registered for use under a Hawaii longline limited access permit, or for any vessel greater than 40 ft (12.2 m) LOA that is registered for use under an American Samoa longline limited access permit, shall provide a notice to the Regional Administrator at least 72 hours (not including weekends and Federal holidays) before the vessel leaves port on a fishing trip, any part of which occurs in the EEZ around the Hawaiian Archipelago or American Samoa. The vessel operator will be presumed to be an agent designated by the permit holder unless the Regional Administrator is otherwise notified by the permit holder. The permit holder or designated agent for a vessel registered for use under Hawaii longline limited access permits must also provide notification of the trip type (either deep-setting or shallow-setting). (b) The permit holder, or designated agent, for any vessel registered for use under a Western Pacific squid jig fishing permit that is greater than 50 ft (15.4 m) LOA, shall provide a notice to the Regional Administrator at least 72 hours (not including weekends and Federal holidays) before the vessel leaves port on a fishing trip, any part of which occurs in western Pacific EEZ waters. The vessel operator will be presumed to be an agent designated by the permit holder unless the Regional Administrator is otherwise notified by the permit holder. (c) For purposes of this section, the notice must be provided to the office or telephone number designated by the Regional Administrator. The notice must provide the official number of the vessel, the name of the vessel, the intended departure date, time, and location, the name of the operator of the vessel, and the name and telephone number of the permit holder or designated agent to be available between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (local time) on weekdays for NMFS to contact to arrange observer placement. (d) The operator of any vessel subject to the requirements of this subpart who does not have on board a VMS unit while transiting the protected species zone as defined in § 665.806, must notify the NMFS Special-Agent-In-Charge immediately upon entering and immediately upon departing the protected species zone. The notification must include the name of the vessel, name of the operator, date and time (GMT) of access or exit from the protected species zone, and location by latitude and longitude to the nearest minute. (e) The permit holder for any American Samoa longline limited access permit, or an agent designated by the permit holder, must notify the Regional Administrator in writing within 30 days of any change to the permit holder's contact information or any change to the vessel documentation associated with a permit registered to an American Samoa longline limited access permit. Complete changes in the ownership of the vessel registered to an American Samoa longline limited access permit must also be reported to PIRO in writing within 30 days of the change. Failure to report such changes may result in a delay in processing an application, permit holders failing to receive important notifications, or sanctions pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Act at 16 U.S.C. 1858(g) or 15 CFR part 904, subpart D. § 665.804 Gear identification. (a) Identification. (b) Enforcement action. § 665.805 [Reserved] § 665.806 Prohibited area management. (a) Longline fishing prohibited areas. (1) NWHI protected species zone. Name N. lat. W. long. Nihoa Island 23°05′ 161°55′ Necker Island 23°35′ 164°40′ French Frigate Shoals 23°45′ 166°15′ Gardner Pinnacles 25°00′ 168°00′ Maro Reef 25°25′ 170°35′ Laysan Island 25°45′ 171°45′ Lisianski Island 26°00′ 173°55′ Pearl and Hermes Reef 27°50′ 175°50′ Midway Island 28°14′ 177°22′ Kure Island 28°25′ 178°20′ Where the areas are not contiguous, parallel lines drawn tangent to and connecting those semicircles of the 50-nm areas that lie between Nihoa Island and Necker Island, French Frigate Shoals and Gardner Pinnacles, Gardner Pinnacles and Maro Reef, and Lisianski Island and Pearl and Hermes Reef, delimit the remainder of the NWHI longline protected species zone. (2) Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI). Point N. lat. W. long. A 18°05′ 155°40′ B 18°20′ 156°25′ C 20°00′ 157°30′ D 20°40′ 161°40′ E 21°40′ 161°55′ F 23°00′ 161°30′ G 23°05′ 159°30′ H 22°55′ 157°30′ I 21°30′ 155°30′ J 19°50′ 153°50′ K 19°00′ 154°05′ A 18°05′ 155°40′ (3) Guam. Point N. lat. E. long. A 14°25′ 144°00′ B 14°00′ 143°38′ C 13°41′ 143°33′33“ D 13°00′ 143°25′30“ E 12°20′ 143°37′ F 11°40′ 144°09′ G 12°00′ 145°00′ H 13°00′ 145°42′ I 13°27′ 145°51′ (4) CNMI. Point N. lat. E. long. A 14°00′ 144°34′ B 15°49′ 145°29′ C 16°21′ 145°06′ D 17°03′ 145°22′ E 19°07′ 145°09′ F 20°39′ 144°19′ G 21°04′ 145°06′ H 19°19′ 146°04′ I 16°00′ 146°32′ J 13°32′ 145°32′ A 14°00′ 144°34′ (b) American Samoa large vessel prohibited areas. (1) Tutuila Island, Manua Islands, and Rose Atoll (AS-1). Point S. lat. W. long. AS-1-A 13°41′54″ 167°17′ AS-1-B 15°23′10″ 167°17′ AS-1-C 15°23′10″ 169°00′42″ AS-1-D 15°13′ 169°00′42″ and from point AS-1-A westward along latitude 13°41′54″ S. until intersecting the U.S. EEZ boundary with Samoa, and from point AS-1-D westward along latitude 15°13′ S. until intersecting the U.S. EEZ boundary with Samoa. (2) Swains Island (AS-2). Point S. lat. W. long. AS-2-A 11°48′ 171°50′ AS-2-B 11°48′ 170°20′ and from Point AS-2-A northward along the longitude 171°50′ W. until intersecting the U.S. EEZ boundary with Tokelau, and from Point AS-2-B northward along the longitude 170°20′ W. until intersecting the U.S. EEZ boundary with Tokelau. [76 FR 37289, June 27, 2011, as amended at 77 FR 34261, June 11, 2012; 77 FR 71286, Nov. 29, 2012] § 665.807 Exemptions for Hawaii longline fishing prohibited areas; procedures. (a) An exemption permitting a person to use longline gear to fish in a portion(s) of the Hawaii longline fishing prohibited area will be issued to a person who can document that he or she: (1) Currently owns a Hawaii longline limited access permit issued under this part and registered for use with his or her vessel; (2) Before 1970, was the owner or operator of a vessel when that vessel landed western Pacific pelagic MUS taken on longline gear in an area that is now within the Hawaii longline fishing prohibited area; (3) Was the owner or operator of a vessel that landed western Pacific pelagic MUS taken on longline gear in an area that is now within the Hawaii longline fishing prohibited area, in at least 5 calendar years after 1969, which need not be consecutive; and (4) In any one of the 5 calendar years, was the owner or operator of a vessel that harvested at least 80 percent of its total landings, by weight, of longline-caught western Pacific pelagic MUS in an area that is now in the Hawaii longline fishing prohibited area. (b) Each exemption shall specify the portion(s) of the Hawaii longline fishing prohibited area, bounded by longitudinal and latitudinal lines drawn to include each statistical area, as appearing on Hawaii State Commercial Fisheries Charts, in which the exemption holder made the harvest documented for the exemption application under paragraph (a)(4) of this section. (c) Each exemption is valid only within the portion(s) of the Hawaii longline fishing prohibited area specified on the exemption. (d) A person seeking an exemption under this section must submit an application and supporting documentation to PIRO at least 15 days before the desired effective date of the exemption. (e) If the Regional Administrator determines that a gear conflict has occurred and is likely to occur again in the Hawaii longline fishing prohibited area between a vessel used by a person holding an exemption under this section and a non-longline vessel, the Regional Administrator may prohibit all longline fishing in the Hawaii longline fishing prohibited area around the island where the conflict occurred, or in portions thereof, upon notice to each holder of an exemption who would be affected by such a prohibition. (f) The Council will consider information provided by persons with Hawaii longline limited access permits issued under this part who believe they have experienced extreme financial hardship resulting from the Hawaii longline area closure, and will consider recommendations of the Pelagic Advisory Review Board to assess whether exemptions under this section should continue to be allowed, and, if appropriate, revise the qualifying criteria in paragraph (a) of this section to permit additional exemptions. (1) If additional exemptions are needed, the Council will advise the Regional Administrator in writing of its recommendation, including criteria by which financial hardships will be mitigated, while retaining the effectiveness of the longline fishing prohibited area. (2) Following a review of the Council's recommendation and supporting rationale, the Regional Administrator may: (i) Reject the Council's recommendation, in which case written reasons will be provided by the Regional Administrator to the Council for the rejection; or (ii) Concur with the Council's recommendation and, after finding that it is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Pelagics FEP, the national standards, and other applicable law, initiate rulemaking to implement the Council's recommendations. § 665.808 Conditions for at-sea observer coverage. (a) NMFS shall advise the permit holder or the designated agent of any observer requirement at least 24 hours (not including weekends and Federal holidays) before any trip for which NMFS received timely notice in compliance with these regulations. (b) The “Notice Prior to Fishing Trip” requirements in this subpart commit the permit holder to the representations in the notice. The notice can be modified by the permit holder or designated agent because of changed circumstance, if the Regional Administrator is promptly provided a modification to the notice that complies with the notice requirements. The notice will also be considered modified if the Regional Administrator and the permit holder or designated agent agrees to placement changes. (c) When NMFS notifies the permit holder or designated agent of the obligation to carry an observer in response to a notification under this subpart, or as a condition of an EFP issued under § 665.17, the vessel may not engage in the fishery without taking the observer. (d) A NMFS observer shall arrive at the observer's assigned vessel 30 minutes before the time designated for departure in the notice or the notice as modified, and will wait 1 hour for departure. (e) A permit holder must accommodate a NMFS observer assigned under these regulations. The Regional Administrator's office, and not the observer, will address any concerns raised over accommodations. (f) The permit holder, vessel operator, and crew must cooperate with the observer in the performance of the observer's duties, including: (1) Allowing for the embarking and debarking of the observer. (2) Allowing the observer access to all areas of the vessel necessary to conduct observer duties. (3) Allowing the observer access to communications equipment and navigation equipment as necessary to perform observer duties. (4) Allowing the observer access to VMS units to verify operation, obtain data, and use the communication capabilities of the units for official purposes. (5) Providing accurate vessel locations by latitude and longitude or loran coordinates, upon request by the observer. (6) Providing sea turtle, marine mammal, or seabird specimens as requested. (7) Notifying the observer in a timely fashion when commercial fishing operations are to begin and end. (g) The permit holder, operator, and crew must comply with other terms and conditions to ensure the effective deployment and use of observers that the Regional Administrator imposes by written notice. (h) The permit holder must ensure that assigned observers are provided living quarters comparable to crew members and are provided the same meals, snacks, and amenities as are normally provided to other vessel personnel. A mattress or futon on the floor or a cot is not acceptable if a regular bunk is provided to any crew member, unless other arrangements are approved in advance by the Regional Administrator. (i) Reimbursement requirements are as follows: (1) Upon observer verification of vessel accommodations and the number of assigned days on board, NMFS will reimburse vessel owners a reasonable amount for observer subsistence as determined by the Regional Administrator. (2) If requested and properly documented, NMFS will reimburse the vessel owner for the following: (i) Communications charges incurred by the observer. (ii) Lost fishing time arising from a seriously injured or seriously ill observer, provided that notification of the nature of the emergency is transmitted to the Observer Program, NMFS (see address for PIRO Regional Administrator) at the earliest practical time. NMFS will reimburse the owner only for those days during which the vessel is unable to fish as a direct result of helping the NMFS employee who is seriously injured or seriously ill. Lost fishing time is based on time traveling to and from the fishing grounds and any documented out-of-pocket expenses for medical services. Payment will be based on the current target fish market prices and that vessel's average target fish catch retained per day at sea for the previous 2 years, but shall not exceed $5,000 per day or $20,000 per claim. Detailed billing with receipts and supporting records are required for allowable communication and lost fishing time claims. The claim must be completed in ink, showing the claimant's printed name, address, vessel name, observer name, trip dates, days observer was on board, an explanation of the charges, and claimant's dated signature with a statement verifying the claim to be true and correct. Requested reimbursement claims must be submitted to the Fisheries Observer Branch, Pacific Islands Region, NMFS. NMFS will not process reimbursement invoices and documentation submitted more than 120 days after the occurrence. (j) If a vessel normally has cabins for crew members, female observers on a vessel with an all-male crew must be accommodated either in a single person cabin or, if NMFS concludes that adequate privacy can be ensured by installing a curtain or other temporary divider, in a two-person shared cabin. If the vessel normally does not have cabins for crew members, alternative accommodations must be approved by NMFS. If a cabin assigned to a female observer does not have its own toilet and shower facilities that can be provided for the exclusive use of the observer, or if no cabin is assigned, then arrangements for sharing common facilities must be established and approved in advance by NMFS. § 665.809 Port privileges and transiting for unpermitted U.S. longline vessels. A U.S. longline fishing vessel that does not have a permit under subpart A of this part may enter waters of the fishery management area with western Pacific pelagic MUS on board, but may not land or transship any western Pacific pelagic MUS on board the vessel. The vessel's longline gear must be stowed or secured so it is rendered unusable during the time the vessel is in those waters. § 665.810 Prohibition of drift gillnetting. Fishing with drift gillnets in the fishery management area is prohibited, except where authorized by an EFP issued under § 665.17. § 665.811 Handling and release of oceanic whitetip sharks. (a) The owner and operator of a vessel registered for use under any longline permit issued under § 665.801 must release any oceanic whitetip shark as soon as possible after the shark is caught and brought alongside the vessel, in accordance with 50 CFR 300.226, and must take the following actions: (1) Leave the animal in the water; (2) Use a dehooker, as defined in § 665.812(a)(7), or line clippers, as defined in § 665.812(a)(5), to remove trailing gear from the animal. (3) When using line clippers, the branch line must be cut as close to the hook as possible. (b) Paragraph (a) of this section does not apply if doing so would compromise the safety of any persons or a WCPFC observer collects, or requests assistance collecting, samples of oceanic whitetip shark in the Convention Area, as defined in § 300.211 of this title and in accordance with 50 CFR 300.226. [87 FR 25156, Apr. 28, 2022] § 665.812 Sea turtle take mitigation measures. (a) Possession and use of required mitigation gear. The gear required in paragraph (a) of this section must be used according to the sea turtle handling requirements set forth in paragraph (b) of this section. (1) Hawaii longline limited access permits. Any owner or operator of a vessel registered for use under a Hawaii longline limited access permit must carry aboard the vessel line clippers meeting the minimum design standards specified in paragraph (a)(5) of this section, dip nets meeting the minimum design standards specified in paragraph (a)(6) of this section, and dehookers meeting the minimum design and performance standards specified in paragraph (a)(7) of this section. (2) Other longline vessels with freeboards of more than 3 ft (0.91m). Any owner or operator of a longline vessel with a permit issued under § 665.801 other than a Hawaii limited access longline permit and that has a freeboard of more than 3 ft (0.91 m) must carry aboard the vessel line clippers meeting the minimum design standards specified in paragraph (a)(5) of this section, dip nets meeting the minimum design standards specified in paragraph (a)(6) of this section, and dehookers meeting this minimum design and performance standards specified in paragraph (a)(7) of this section. (3) Other longline vessels with freeboards of 3 ft (0.91 m) or less. Any owner or operator of a longline vessel with a permit issued under § 665.801 other than a Hawaii limited access longline permit and that has a freeboard of 3 ft (0.91 m) or less must carry aboard their vessels line clippers capable of cutting the vessels fishing line or leader within approximately 1 ft (0.3 m) of the eye of an embedded hook, as well as wire or bolt cutters capable of cutting through the vessel's hooks. (4) Handline, troll, pole-and-line, and other vessels using hooks other than longline vessels. Any owner or operator of a vessel fishing under the Pelagics FEP with hooks other than longline gear are not required to carry specific mitigation gear, but must comply with the handling requirements set forth in paragraph (b) of this section. (5) Line clippers. (i) A protected cutting blade. The cutting blade must be curved, recessed, contained in a holder, or otherwise afforded some protection to minimize direct contact of the cutting surface with sea turtles or users of the cutting blade. (ii) Cutting blade edge. The blade must be capable of cutting 2.0-2.1 mm monofilament line and nylon or polypropylene multistrand material commonly known as braided mainline or tarred mainline. (iii) An extended reach holder for the cutting blade. The line clipper must have an extended reach handle or pole of at least 6 ft (1.82 m). (iv) Secure fastener. The cutting blade must be securely fastened to the extended reach handle or pole to ensure effective deployment and use. (6) Dip nets. (i) An extended reach handle. The dip net must have an extended reach handle of at least 6 ft (1.82 m) of wood or other rigid material able to support a minimum of 100 lb (34.1 kg) without breaking or significant bending or distortion. (ii) Size of dip net. The dip net must have a net hoop of at least 31 inches (78.74 cm) inside diameter and a bag depth of at least 38 inches (96.52 cm). The bag mesh openings may be no more than 3 inches by 3 inches (7.62 cm by 7.62 cm). (7) Dehookers. (A) Hook removal device. 5/16 7/8 (B) Extended reach handle. (ii) Long-handled dehooker for external hooks. This item is intended to be used to remove externally-hooked hooks from sea turtles that cannot be boated. The long-handled dehooker for ingested hooks described in paragraph (a)(7)(i) of this section meets this requirement. The minimum design and performance standards are as follows: (A) Construction. 5/16 (B) Handle. (iii) Long-handled device to pull an “inverted V.” This item is intended to be used to pull an “inverted V” in the fishing line when disentangling and dehooking entangled sea turtles. One long-handled device to pull an “inverted V” is required on the vessel. The minimum design and performance standards are as follows: (A) Hook end. (B) Handle. (C) The long-handled dehookers described in paragraphs (a)(7)(i) and (ii) of this section meet this requirement. (iv) Short-handled dehooker for ingested hooks. This item is intended to be used to remove ingested hooks, externally hooked hooks, and hooks in the front of the mouth of sea turtles that can be boated. One short-handled dehooker for ingested hooks is required on board. The minimum design and performance standards are as follows: (A) Hook removal device. 1/4 (B) Sliding plastic bite block. 3/4 (C) Shaft and handle. 3/4 1/4 (v) Short-handled dehooker for external hooks. This item is intended to be used to remove externally hooked hooks from sea turtles that can be boated. One short-handled dehooker for external hooks is required on board. The short-handled dehooker for ingested hooks required to comply with paragraph (a)(7)(v) of this section meets this requirement. The minimum design and performance standards are as follows: (A) Hook removal device. 5/16 (B) Shaft and handle. 3/4 1/4 (8) Tire. This item is intended to be used for supporting a turtle in an upright orientation while it is on board. One tire is required on board, but an assortment of sizes is recommended to accommodate a range of turtle sizes. The tire must be a standard passenger vehicle tire and must be free of exposed steel belts. (9) Long-nose or needle-nose pliers. This item is intended to be used to remove deeply embedded hooks from the turtle's flesh that must be twisted in order to be removed, and also to hold in place PVC splice couplings when used as mouth openers. One pair of long-nose or needle-nose pliers is required on board. The minimum design standards are as follows: The pliers must be 8 to 14 inches (20.32 to 35.56 cm) in length. It is recommended that they be constructed of stainless steel material. (10) Wire or bolt cutters. This item is intended to be used to cut through hooks in order to remove all or part of the hook. One pair of wire or bolt cutters is required on board. The minimum design and performance standards are as follows: The wire or bolt cutters must be capable of cutting hard metals, such as stainless or carbon steel hooks, and they must be capable of cutting through the hooks used by the vessel. (11) Monofilament line cutters. This item is intended to be used to cut and remove fishing line as close to the eye of the hook as possible if the hook is swallowed or cannot be removed. One pair of monofilament line cutters is required on board. The minimum design standards are as follows: Monofilament line cutters must be 6 to 9 inches (15.24 to 22.86 cm) in length. The blades must be 1 3/4 5/8 (12) Mouth openers and gags. These items are intended to be used to open the mouths of boated sea turtles, and to keep them open when removing ingested hooks in a way that allows the hook or line to be removed without causing further injury to the turtle. At least two of the seven different types of mouth openers and gags described below are required on board. The seven types and their minimum design standards are as follows. (i) A block of hard wood. A block of hard wood is intended to be used to gag open a turtle's mouth by placing it in the corner of the jaw. It must be made of hard wood of a type that does not splinter (for example, maple), and it must have rounded and smoothed edges. The dimensions must be 10 to 12 inches (24.50 to 30.48 cm) by 3/4 1/4 3/4 1/4 (ii) A set of three canine mouth gags. A canine mouth gag is intended to be used to gag open a turtle's mouth while allowing hands-free operation after it is in place. A set of canine mouth gags must include one of each of the following sizes: small (5 inches, 12.7 cm), medium (6 inches, 15.2 cm), and large (7 inches, 17.8 cm). They must be constructed of stainless steel. A 1 3/4 3/4 5/8 (iii) A set of two sturdy canine chew bones. A canine chew bone is intended to be used to gag open a turtle's mouth by placing it in the corner of the jaw. They must be constructed of durable nylon, zylene resin, or thermoplastic polymer, and strong enough to withstand biting without splintering. To accommodate a variety of turtle beak sizes, a set must include one large (5 1/2 1/2 1/2 (iv) A set of two rope loops covered with hose. A set of two rope loops covered with a piece of hose is intended to be used as a mouth opener and to keep a turtle's mouth open during hook and/or line removal. A set consists of two 3-foot (0.91 m) lengths of poly braid rope, each covered with an 8 inch (20.32 cm) section of 1/2 3/4 (v) A hank of rope. A hank of rope is intended to be used to gag open a sea turtle's mouth by placing it in the corner of the jaw. A hank of rope is made from a 6 foot (1.83 m) lanyard of braided nylon rope that is folded to create a hank, or looped bundle, of rope. The hank must be 2 to 4 inches (5.08 to 10.16 cm) in thickness. (vi) A set of four PVC splice couplings. PVC splice couplings are intended to be used to allow access to the back of the mouth of a turtle for hook and line removal by positioning them inside a turtle's mouth and holding them in place with long-nose or needle-nose pliers. The set must consist of the following Schedule 40 PVC splice coupling sizes: 1 inch (2.54 cm), 1 1/4 1/2 (vii) A large avian oral speculum. A large avian oral speculum is intended to be used to hold a turtle's mouth open and control the head with one hand while removing a hook with the other hand. It must be 9 inches (22.86 cm) in length and constructed of 3/16 5/16 3/16 (b) Handling requirements. If a sea turtle is observed to be hooked or entangled in fishing gear from any vessel fishing under the Pelagics FEP, vessel owners and operators must use the required mitigation gear set forth in paragraph (a) of this section to comply with these handling requirements. Any hooked or entangled sea turtle must be handled in a manner to minimize injury and promote survival. (1) Sea turtles that cannot be brought aboard. In instances where a sea turtle is too large to be brought aboard or the sea turtle cannot be brought aboard without causing further injury to the sea turtle, the vessel owner or operator must disentangle and remove the gear, or cut the line as close as possible to the hook or entanglement, to remove the maximum amount of the gear from the sea turtle. (2) Sea turtles that can be brought aboard. In instances where a sea turtle is not too large to be brought aboard, or the sea turtle can be brought aboard without causing further injury to the turtle, the vessel owner or operator must take the following actions: (i) Immediately bring the sea turtle aboard; (ii) Handle the sea turtle in accordance with the procedures in paragraphs (b)(3) and (b)(4) of this section; and (iii) Disentangle and remove the gear, or cut the line as close as possible to the hook or entanglement, to remove the maximum amount of the gear from the sea turtle. (3) Sea turtle resuscitation. (i) Place the sea turtle on its belly (on the bottom shell or plastron) so that the sea turtle is right side up and its hindquarters elevated at least 6 inches (15.24 cm) for a period of no less than 4 hours and no more than 24 hours. The amount of the elevation varies with the size of the sea turtle; greater elevations are needed for larger sea turtles; (ii) Administer a reflex test at least once every 3 hours. The test is to be performed by gently touching the eye and pinching the tail of a sea turtle to determine if the sea turtle is responsive; (iii) Keep the sea turtle shaded and damp or moist (but under no circumstances place the sea turtle into a container holding water). A water-soaked towel placed over the eyes, carapace and flippers is the most effective method of keeping a sea turtle moist; and (iv) Return to the sea any sea turtle that revives and becomes active in the manner described in paragraph (b)(4) of this section. Sea turtles that fail to revive within the 24-hour period must also be returned to the sea in the manner described in paragraph (b)(4) of this section. (4) Sea turtle release. (i) Place the vessel engine in neutral gear so that the propeller is disengaged and the vessel is stopped, and release the sea turtle away from deployed gear; and (ii) Observe that the turtle is safely away from the vessel before engaging the propeller and continuing operations. (5) Other sea turtle requirements. No sea turtle, including a dead turtle, may be consumed or sold. A sea turtle may be landed, offloaded, transshipped or kept below deck only if NMFS requests the retention of a dead sea turtle for research. § 665.813 Western Pacific longline fishing restrictions. Link to an amendment published at 91 FR 58386, Sept. 15, 2026. (a) [Reserved] (b) Limits on sea turtle interactions in the shallow-set longline fishery Fleet Limits. (i) The annual fleet limit for leatherback sea turtles ( Dermochelys coriacea (ii) Upon determination by the Regional Administrator that the shallow-set fleet has reached the limit during a given calendar year, the Regional Administrator will, as soon as practicable, file for publication at the Office of the Federal Register a notification that the fleet reached the limit, and that shallow-set fishing north of the Equator will be prohibited beginning at a specified date until the end of the calendar year in which the limit was reached. (2) Trip limits. (i) The trip limit for leatherback sea turtles is 2, and the trip limit for North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles ( Caretta caretta (ii) Upon determination by the Regional Administrator that a vessel has reached either sea turtle limit during a single fishing trip, the Regional Administrator will notify the permit holder and the vessel operator that the vessel has reached a trip limit, and that the vessel is required to immediately retrieve all fishing gear and stop fishing. (iii) Upon notification, the vessel operator shall immediately retrieve all fishing gear, stop fishing, and return to port. (iv) A vessel that reaches a trip limit for either turtle species during a calendar year shall be prohibited from engaging in shallow-set fishing during the 5 days immediately following the vessel's return to port. (v) A vessel that reaches a trip limit a second time during a calendar year, for the same turtle species as the first instance, shall be prohibited from engaging in shallow-set fishing for the remainder of that calendar year. Additionally, in the subsequent calendar year, that vessel shall be limited to an annual interaction limit for that species, either 2 leatherback or 5 North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles. If that subsequent annual interaction limit is reached, that vessel shall be prohibited from engaging in shallow-set fishing for the remainder of that calendar year. (vi) Upon determination by the Regional Administrator that a vessel has reached an annual interaction limit, the Regional Administrator will notify the permit holder and the vessel operator that the vessel has reached the limit, and that the vessel is required to immediately stop fishing and return to port. (vii) Upon notification, the vessel operator shall immediately retrieve all fishing gear, stop fishing, and return to port. (c) [Reserved] (d) Vessels registered for use under a Hawaii longline limited access permit may not have on board at any time during a trip for which notification to NMFS under § 665.803(a) indicated that deep-setting would be done any float lines less than 20 meters in length, longline gear with metal wire line within 1 meter of the hook, or light sticks. As used in this paragraph “float line” means a line used to suspend the main longline beneath a float, and “light stick” means any type of light emitting device, including any fluorescent “glow bead,” chemical, or electrically powered light that is affixed underwater to the longline gear. (e) [Reserved] (f) Any owner or operator of a vessel registered for use under any longline permit issued under § 665.801 must use only circle hooks sized 18/0 or larger, with an offset not to exceed 10 degrees, when shallow-setting north of the Equator (0° lat.). As used in this paragraph, an offset circle hook sized 18/0 or larger is one with an outer diameter at its widest point no smaller than 1.97 inches (50 mm) when measured with the eye of the hook on the vertical axis (y-axis) and perpendicular to the horizontal axis (x-axis). As used in this paragraph, the allowable offset is measured from the barbed end of the hook, and is relative to the parallel plane of the eyed-end, or shank, of the hook when laid on its side. (g) Any owner or operator of a vessel registered for use under any longline permit issued under § 665.801 must use only mackerel-type bait when shallow-setting north of the Equator (0° lat.). As used in this paragraph, mackerel-type bait means a whole fusiform fish with a predominantly blue, green or gray back and predominantly gray, silver or white lower sides and belly. (h) Owners and operators of vessels registered for use under a Hawaii longline limited access permit may make sets only of the type (shallow-setting or deep-setting) indicated in the notification to NMFS pursuant to § 665.803(a). (i) A vessel registered for use under a Hawaii longline limited access permit may not be used to engage in shallow-setting north of the Equator any time during which shallow-set fishing is prohibited pursuant to paragraphs (b)(1) or (2) of this section. (j) Swordfish limits. (1) If an observer is on board, there is no limit. (2) If there is no observer on board, and if only circle hooks are used, the limit is 25. (3) If there is no observer on board, and if any type of hook other than a circle hook is used, the limit is 10. (k) South Pacific longline requirements. (1) Each float line must be at least 30 m long. (2) At least 15 branch lines must be attached to the mainline between any two float lines attached to the mainline. (3) Each branch line must be at least 10 meters long. (4) No branch line may be attached to the mainline closer than 70 meters to any float line. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 76 FR 13299, Mar. 11, 2011; 76 FR 52889, Aug. 24, 2011; 77 FR 43722, July 26, 2012; 77 FR 60649, Oct. 4, 2012; 83 FR 49496, Oct. 2, 2018; 85 FR 57997, Sept. 17, 2020; 85 FR 71579, Nov. 10, 2020; 87 FR 25156, Apr. 28, 2022] § 665.814 Protected species workshop. (a) Each year, both the owner and the operator of a vessel registered for use under any longline permit issued under § 665.801 must attend and be certified for completion of a workshop conducted by NMFS on interaction mitigation techniques for sea turtles, seabirds and other protected species. (b) A protected species workshop certificate will be issued by NMFS annually to any person who has completed the workshop. (c) An owner of a vessel registered for use under any longline permit issued under § 665.801 must have a valid protected species workshop certificate issued by NMFS to the owner of the vessel, in order to maintain or renew their vessel registration. (d) An owner and an operator of a vessel registered for use under any longline permit issued under § 665.801 must have on board the vessel a valid protected species workshop certificate issued by NMFS to the operator of the vessel, or a legible copy thereof. § 665.815 Pelagic longline seabird mitigation measures. (a) Seabird mitigation techniques. (1) Side-setting. Owners and operators of vessels opting to side-set under this section must fish according to the following specifications: (i) The mainline must be deployed as far forward on the vessel as practicable, and at least 1 m (3.3 ft) forward from the stern of the vessel; (ii) The mainline and branch lines must be set from the port or the starboard side of the vessel; (iii) If a mainline shooter is used, the mainline shooter must be mounted as far forward on the vessel as practicable, and at least 1 m (3.3 ft) forward from the stern of the vessel; (iv) Branch lines must have weights with a minimum weight of 45 g (1.6 oz); (v) One weight must be connected to each branch line within 1 m (3.3 ft) of each hook; (vi) When seabirds are present, the longline gear must be deployed so that baited hooks remain submerged and do not rise to the sea surface; and (vii) A bird curtain must be deployed. Each bird curtain must consist of the following three components: a pole that is fixed to the side of the vessel aft of the line shooter and which is at least 3 m (9.8 ft) long; at least three main streamers that are attached at regular intervals to the upper 2 m (6.6 ft) of the pole and each of which has a minimum diameter of 20 mm (0.8 in); and branch streamers attached to each main streamer at the end opposite from the pole, each of which is long enough to drag on the sea surface in the absence of wind, and each of which has a minimum diameter 10 mm (0.4 in). (2) Alternative to side-setting when shallow-setting. (i) Discharge fish, fish parts (offal), or spent bait while setting or hauling longline gear, on the opposite side of the vessel from where the longline gear is being set or hauled, when seabirds are present; (ii) Retain sufficient quantities of fish, fish parts, or spent bait between the setting of longline gear for the purpose of strategically discharging it in accordance with paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section; (iii) Remove all hooks from fish, fish parts, or spent bait prior to its discharge in accordance with paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section; (iv) Remove the bill and liver of any swordfish that is caught, sever its head from the trunk and cut it in half vertically and periodically discharge the butchered heads and livers in accordance with paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section; (v) Begin the deployment of longline gear at least 1 hour after local sunset and complete the deployment no later than local sunrise, using only the minimum vessel lights to conform with navigation rules and best safety practices; (vi) Use completely thawed bait that has been dyed blue to an intensity level specified by a color quality control card issued by NMFS; (vii) Maintain a minimum of two cans (each sold as 0.45 kg or 1 lb size) containing blue dye on board the vessel; and (viii) Follow the requirements in paragraph (a)(4) of this section, as applicable. (3) Alternative to side-setting when deep-setting. (i) Employ a tori line system, prior to the first hook being set, that meets the following specifications: (A) Length and material. (B) Streamer configuration. (C) Number. (D) Attachment point and material. (E) Attachment point height exemption. (ii) Employ a line shooter. (iii) Attach a weight of at least 45 g (1.6 oz) to each branch line within 1 m (3.3 ft) of the hook. (4) Basket-style longline gear requirement. (b) Short-tailed albatross handling techniques. If a short-tailed albatross is hooked or entangled by a vessel registered for use under a Hawaii longline limited access permit, owners and operators must ensure that the following actions are taken: (1) Stop the vessel to reduce the tension on the line and bring the bird on board the vessel using a dip net; (2) Cover the bird with a towel to protect its feathers from oils or damage while being handled; (3) Remove any entangled lines from the bird; and (4) Determine if the bird is alive or dead. (i) If dead, freeze the bird immediately with an identification tag attached directly to the specimen listing the species, location and date of mortality, and band number if the bird has a leg band. Attach a duplicate identification tag to the bag or container holding the bird. Any leg bands present must remain on the bird. Contact NMFS, the USCG, or the USFWS at the numbers listed on the Short-tailed Albatross Handling Placard distributed at the NMFS protected species workshop, inform them that you have a dead short-tailed albatross on board, and submit the bird to NMFS within 72 hours following completion of the fishing trip. (ii) If alive, handle the bird in accordance with paragraphs (b)(5) through (11) of this section. (5) Place the bird in a safe enclosed place; (6) Immediately contact NMFS, the USCG, or the USFWS at the numbers listed on the Short-tailed Albatross Handling Placard distributed at the NMFS protected species workshop and request veterinary guidance; (7) Follow the veterinary guidance regarding the handling and release of the bird; (8) If the bird is externally hooked and no veterinary guidance is received within 24-48 hours, handle the bird in accordance with paragraphs (c)(4) and (c)(5) of this section, and release the bird only if it meets the following criteria: (i) Able to hold its head erect and respond to noise and motion stimuli; (ii) Able to breathe without noise; (iii) Capable of flapping and retracting both wings to normal folded position on its back; (iv) Able to stand on both feet with toes pointed forward; and (v) Feathers are dry. (9) Any seabird that is released in accordance with paragraph (b)(8) of this section or under the guidance of a veterinarian must be placed on the sea surface; (10) If the hook has been ingested or is inaccessible, keep the bird in a safe, enclosed place and submit it to NMFS immediately upon the vessel's return to port. Do not give the bird food or water; and (11) Complete the short-tailed albatross recovery data form issued by NMFS. (c) Non-short-tailed albatross seabird handling techniques. If a seabird other than a short-tailed albatross is hooked or entangled by a vessel registered for use under a Hawaii longline limited access permit owners and operators must ensure that the following actions are taken: (1) Stop the vessel to reduce the tension on the line and bring the seabird on board the vessel using a dip net; (2) Cover the seabird with a towel to protect its feathers from oils or damage while being handled; (3) Remove any entangled lines from the seabird; (4) Remove any external hooks by cutting the line as close as possible to the hook, pushing the hook barb out point first, cutting off the hook barb using bolt cutters, and then removing the hook shank; (5) Cut the fishing line as close as possible to ingested or inaccessible hooks; (6) Leave the bird in a safe enclosed space to recover until its feathers are dry; and (7) After recovered, release seabirds by placing them on the sea surface. [75 FR 2205, Jan. 14, 2010, as amended at 89 FR 15064, Mar. 1, 2024] § 665.816 American Samoa longline limited entry program. (a) General. (b) Terminology. (1) Documented participation (i) Ownership of a vessel that was used to fish in the EEZ around American Samoa; or (ii) Evidence of work on a fishing trip during which longline gear was used to harvest western Pacific pelagic MUS in the EEZ around American Samoa. If the applicant does not possess the necessary documentation of evidence of work on a fishing trip based on records available only from NMFS or the Government of American Samoa ( e.g., (2) Family (c) Vessel size classes. (1) Small vessel, which is less than 50 ft (15.2 m) LOA. (2) Large vessel, which is equal to or over 50 ft (15.2 m) LOA. (d) Permit eligibility. (e) Permit issuance. Federal Register Federal Register. (i) Priority accrues to the person with the earliest documented participation in the pelagic longline fishery in the EEZ around American Samoa from smallest to largest vessel. (ii) In the event of a tie in the priority ranking between two or more applicants, the applicant whose second documented participation in the pelagic longline fishery in the EEZ around American Samoa is first in time will be ranked first in priority. If there is still a tie between two or more applicants, the Regional Administrator will select the successful applicant by an impartial lottery. (2) An application must be made, and application fees paid, in accordance with § 665.13(c)(1), (d), and (f)(2). If the applicant is any entity other than a sole owner, the application must be accompanied by a supplementary information sheet, obtained from the Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, containing the names and mailing addresses of all owners, partners, and corporate officers that comprise ownership of the vessel for which the permit application is prepared. (3) Within 30 days of receipt of a completed application, the Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries shall make a decision on whether the applicant qualifies for a permit and will notify the successful applicant by a dated letter. The successful applicant must register a vessel of appropriate size to the permit within 120 days of the date of the letter of notification. The successful applicant must also submit a supplementary information sheet, obtained from the Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, containing the name and mailing address of the owner of the vessel to which the permit is registered. If the registered vessel is owned by any entity other than a sole owner, the names and mailing addresses of all owners, partners, and corporate officers must be included. If the successful applicant fails to register a vessel to the permit within 120 days of the date of the letter of notification, the Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries shall issue a letter of notification to the next person on the priority list or, in the event that there are no more prospective applicants on the priority list, re-start the issuance process pursuant to paragraph (e)(1) of this section. Any person who fails to register the permit to a vessel under this paragraph (e)(3) within 120 days shall not be eligible to apply for a permit for 6 months from the date those 120 days expired. (4) An appeal of a denial of an application for a permit shall be processed in accordance with § 665.801(o). (f) Permit term. (g) Permit transfer. (1) An American Samoa longline limited access permit may be transferred (by sale, gift, bequest, intestate succession, barter, or trade) to only the following persons: (i) A western Pacific community located in American Samoa that meets the criteria set forth in section 305(I)(2) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, 16 U.S.C. 1855(I)(2), and its implementing regulations in this part; or (ii) Any U.S. citizens or national. (2) Additionally, an American Samoa longline limited access small vessel permit may also be transferred (by sale, gift, bequest, intestate succession, barter, or trade) to a family member of the permit holder. (h) Permit renewal. (i) Small vessel: A total of 500 lb (227 kg) of western Pacific pelagic MUS harvested using longline gear; or (ii) Large vessel: A total of 5,000 lb (2,268 kg) of western Pacific pelagic MUS harvested using longline gear. (2) For all vessels, the minimum harvest amount must be landed in American Samoa. (3) In the event of a transfer, the new permit holder would be required to meet the harvest requirement based on the following formula: Remaining harvest amount = product of percentage of time left within the 3-year permit period and the minimum harvest amount for that size vessel. The original permit term and duration does not change in the event of a transfer. (i) Concentration of permits. (ii) [Reserved] [86 FR 55745, Oct. 7, 2021] § 665.817 [Reserved] § 665.818 Exemptions for American Samoa large vessel prohibited areas. (a) Exemption for historical participation. (2) A landing of western Pacific pelagic MUS for the purpose of this paragraph must have been properly recorded on a NMFS Western Pacific Federal daily longline form that was submitted to NMFS, as required in § 665.14. (3) An exemption is valid only for a vessel that was registered for use with a Western Pacific general longline permit and landed western Pacific pelagic MUS in American Samoa on or prior to November 13, 1997, or for a replacement vessel of equal or smaller LOA than the vessel that was initially registered for use with a Western Pacific general longline permit on or prior to November 13, 1997. (4) An exemption is valid only for the vessel for which it is registered. An exemption not registered for use with a particular vessel may not be used. (5) An exemption may not be transferred to another person. (6) If more than one person, e.g., a partnership or corporation, owned a large vessel when it was registered for use with a Western Pacific general longline permit and made at least one landing of western Pacific pelagic MUS in American Samoa on or prior to November 13, 1997, an exemption issued under this section will be issued to only one person. (b) Exemption for vessel size. (1) EEZ waters around Tutuila Island enclosed by straight lines connecting the following coordinates (the datum for these coordinates is World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84)): Point S. lat. W. long. TU-1 14°01′42″ 171°02′36″ TU-2 14°01′42″ 170°20′22″ TU-3 14°34′31″ 170°20′22″ TU-4 14°34′31″ 171°03′10″ TU-5 14°02′47″ 171°03′10″ TU-1 14°01′42″ 171°02′36″ (2) EEZ waters around the Manua Islands enclosed by straight lines connecting the following coordinates (WGS84): Point S. lat. W. long. MA-1 13°57′16″ 169°53′37″ MA-2 13°57′16″ 169°12′45″ MA-3 14°28′28″ 169°12′45″ MA-4 14°28′28″ 169°53′37″ MA-1 13°57′16″ 169°53′37″ (3) EEZ waters around Swains Island enclosed by straight lines connecting the following coordinates (WGS84): Point S. lat. W. long. SW-1 10°50′42″ 171°17′42″ SW-2 10°50′42″ 170°51′39″ SW-3 11°16′08″ 170°51′39″ SW-4 11°16′08″ 171°17′42″ SW-1 10°50′42″ 171°17′42″ [81 FR 5626, Feb. 3, 2016, as amended at 82 FR 43909, Sept. 20, 2017; 86 FR 36240, July 9, 2021] § 665.819 Territorial catch and fishing effort limits. (a) General. (2) If the WCPFC does not agree to a catch or fishing effort limit for a stock of western Pacific pelagic MUS applicable to a U.S. participating territory, the Council may recommend that the Regional Administrator specify such a limit that is consistent with the Pelagics FEP, other provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable laws. The Council may also recommend that the Regional Administrator authorize a U.S. participating territory to allocate a portion of a specified catch or fishing effort limit to a fishing vessel or vessels holding valid permits issued under § 665.801 through a specified fishing agreement pursuant to paragraph (c) of this section. (3) The Council shall review any existing or proposed catch or fishing effort limit specification and portion available for allocation at least annually to ensure consistency with the Pelagics FEP, Magnuson-Stevens Act, WCPFC decisions, and other applicable laws. Based on this review, at least annually, the Council shall recommend to the Regional Administrator whether such catch or fishing effort limit specification or portion available for allocation should be approved for the next fishing year. (4) The Regional Administrator shall review any Council recommendation pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section and, if determined to be consistent with the Pelagics FEP, Magnuson-Stevens Act, WCPFC decisions, and other applicable laws, shall approve such recommendation. If the Regional Administrator determines that a recommendation is inconsistent with the Pelagics FEP, Magnuson-Stevens Act, WCPFC decisions and other applicable laws, the Regional Administrator will disapprove the recommendation and provide the Council with a written explanation of the reasons for disapproval. If a catch or fishing effort limit specification or allocation limit is disapproved, or if the Council recommends and NMFS approves no catch or fishing effort limit specification or allocation limit, no specified fishing agreements as described in paragraph (c) of this section will be accepted for the fishing year covered by such action. (b) Procedures and timing. (2) The Regional Administrator will publish in the Federal Register (3) The Regional Administrator will publish in the Federal Register, Federal Register (c) Specified fishing agreements. (1) An authorized official or designated representative of a U.S. participating territory may submit a complete specified fishing agreement to the Council for review. A complete specified fishing agreement must meet the following requirements: (i) Identify the vessel(s) to which the fishing agreement applies, along with documentation that such vessel(s) possesses a valid permit issued under § 665.801; (ii) Identify the amount (weight) of western Pacific pelagic MUS to which the fishing agreement applies, if applicable; (iii) Identify the amount of fishing effort to which the fishing agreement applies, if applicable; (iv) Be signed by an authorized official of the applicable U.S. participating territory, or designated representative; (v) Be signed by each vessel owner or designated representative; and (vi) Satisfy either paragraph (c)(1)(vi)(A) or (B) of this section: (A) Require the identified vessels to land or offload catch in the ports of the U.S. participating territory to which the fishing agreement applies; or (B) Specify the amount of monetary contributions that each vessel owner in the agreement, or his or her designated representative, will deposit into the Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund. (vii) Be consistent with the Pelagics FEP and implementing regulations, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable laws; and (viii) Shall not confer any right of compensation to any party enforceable against the United States should action under such agreement be prohibited or limited by NMFS pursuant to its authority under Magnuson-Stevens Act, or other applicable laws. (2) Council review. (3) Agency review. (ii) Within 30 calendar days of receipt of the fishing agreement from the Council, the Regional Administrator will provide the authorized official or designated representative of the U.S. participating territory to which the agreement applies and the signatory vessel owners or their designated representatives with written notice of whether the agreement meets the requirements of this section. The Regional Administrator will reject an agreement for any of the following reasons: (A) The agreement fails to meet the criteria specified in this subpart; (B) The applicant has failed to disclose material information; (C) The applicant has made a material false statement related to the specified fishing agreement; (D) The agreement is inconsistent with the Pelagics FEP, implementing regulations, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, or other applicable laws; or (E) The agreement includes a vessel identified in another valid specified fishing agreement. (iii) The Regional Administrator, in consultation with the Council, may recommend that specified fishing agreements include such additional terms and conditions as are necessary to ensure consistency with the Pelagics FEP and implementing regulations, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable laws. (iv) The U.S. participating territory must notify NMFS and the Council in writing of any changes in the identity of fishing vessels to which the specified fishing agreement applies within 72 hours of the change. (v) Upon written notice that a specified fishing agreement fails to meet the requirements of this section, the Regional Administrator may provide the U.S. participating territory an opportunity to modify the fishing agreement within the time period prescribed in the notice. Such opportunity to modify the agreement may not exceed 30 days following the date of written notice. The U.S. participating territory may resubmit the agreement according to paragraph (c)(1) of this section. (vi) The absence of the Regional Administrator's written notice within the time period specified in paragraph (c)(3)(ii) of this section or, if applicable, within the extended time period specified in paragraph (c)(3)(v) of this section shall operate as the Regional Administrator's finding that the fishing agreement meets the requirements of this section. (4) Transfer. (5) A vessel shall not be identified in more than one valid specified fishing agreement at a time. (6) Revocation and suspension. (7) Cancellation. (8) Appeals. (9) Catch or fishing effort attribution procedures. (ii) For U.S. fishing vessels identified in a valid specified fishing agreement that are subject to catch or fishing effort limits and fishing restrictions set forth in this subpart, NMFS will attribute catch or fishing effort to the applicable U.S. participating territory starting seven days before the date NMFS projects the limit to be reached, or upon the effective date of the agreement, whichever is later. (iii) If NMFS determines catch or fishing effort made by fishing vessels identified in a specified fishing agreement exceeds the allocated limit, NMFS will attribute any overage of the limit back to the U.S. or Pacific island fishery to which the vessel(s) is registered and permitted in accordance with the regulations set forth in 50 CFR part 300, subpart O and other applicable laws. (d) Accountability measures. Federal Register (2) The notice will include an advisement that fishing for the applicable pelagic MUS stock or stock complex, or fishing effort, will be restricted on a specific date. The restriction may include, but is not limited to, a prohibition on retention, closure of a fishery, closure of specific areas, or other catch or fishing effort restrictions. The restriction will remain in effect until the end of the fishing year. (e) Disbursement of contributions from the Sustainable Fisheries Fund. (i) Project(s) identified in an approved Marine Conservation Plan (16 U.S.C. 1824) of a U.S. participating territory that is a party to a valid specified fishing agreement, pursuant to § 665.819(c); and (ii) In the case of two or more valid specified fishing agreements in a fishing year, the projects listed in an approved Marine Conservation Plan applicable to the territory with the earliest valid agreement will be funded first. (2) At least seven calendar days prior to the disbursement of any funds, the Council shall provide in writing to NMFS a list identifying the order of priority of the projects in an approved Marine Conservation Plan that are to be funded. The Council may thereafter revise this list. [79 FR 64111, Oct. 28, 2014] Subpart G—Marianas Trench Marine National Monument Source: 78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013, unless otherwise noted. § 665.900 Scope and purpose. The regulations in this subpart codify certain provisions of the Proclamation, and govern the administration of fishing in the Monument. Nothing in this subpart shall be deemed to diminish or enlarge the jurisdiction of the Territory of Guam or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. § 665.901 Boundaries. The Marianas Trench Marine National Monument includes the following: (a) Islands Unit. ID E. long. N. lat. 1 144°1′22.97″ 21°23′42.40″ 2 145°33′25.20″ 21°23′42.40″ 3 145°44′31.14″ 21°11′14.60″ 4 146°18′36.75″ 20°49′17.46″ 5 146°18′36.75″ 19°22′0.00″ 6 145°3′12.22″ 19°22′0.00″ 7 144°1′22.97″ 20°45′44.11″ 1 144°1′22.97″ 21°23′42.40″ (b) Volcanic Unit. ID E. long. N. lat. Fukujin 143°27′30″ 21°56′30″ Minami Kasuga #2 143°38′30″ 21°36′36″ N.W. Eifuku 144°2′36″ 21°29′15″ Minami Kasuga #3 143°38′0″ 21°24′0″ Daikoku 144°11′39″ 21°19′27″ Ahyi 145°1′45″ 20°26′15″ Maug 145°13′18″ 20°1′15″ Alice Springs 144°30′0″ 18°12′0″ Central trough 144°45′0″ 18°1′0″ Zealandia 145°51′4″ 16°52′57″ E. Diamante 145°40′47″ 15°56′31″ Ruby 145°34′24″ 15°36′15″ Esmeralda 145°14′45″ 14°57′30″ N.W. Rota #1 144°46′30″ 14°36′0″ W. Rota 144°50′0″ 14°19′30″ Forecast 143°55′12″ 13°23′30″ Seamount X 144°1′0″ 13°14′48″ South Backarc 143°37′8″ 12°57′12″ Archaean site 143°37′55″ 12°56′23″ Pika site 143°38′55″ 12°55′7″ Toto 143°31′42″ 12°42′48″ (c) Trench Unit. ID E. long. N. lat. 1 145°5′46″ 23°53′35″ 2 145°52′27.10″ 23°45′50.54″ 3 146°36′18.91″ 23°29′18.33″ 4 147°5′16.84″ 23°11′43.92″ 5 147°22′31.43″ 20°38′41.35″ 6 147°40′48.31″ 19°59′23.30″ 7 147°39′59.51″ 19°27′2.96″ 8 147°48′51.61″ 19°8′18.74″ 9 148°21′47.20″ 18°56′6.46″ 10 148°42′50.50″ 17°58′2.20″ 11 148°34′47.12″ 16°40′53.86″ 12 148°5′39.95″ 15°25′51.09″ 13 146°23′24.38″ 12°21′38.38″ 14 145°28′33.28″ 11°34′7.64″ 15 143°3′9″ 10°57′30″ 16 142°19′54.93″ 11°47′24.83″ 17 144°42′31.24″ 12°21′24.65″ 18 145°17′59.93″ 12°33′5.35″ 19 147°29′32.24″ 15°49′25.53″ 20 147°27′32.35″ 17°57′52.76″ 21 147°20′16.96″ 19°9′19.41″ 22 146°57′55.31″ 20°23′58.80″ 23 145°44′31.14″ 21°11′14.60″ 24 144°5′27.55″ 23°2′28.67″ 1 145°5′46″ 23°53′35″ § 665.902 Definitions. The following definitions are used in this subpart: Management unit species or MUS Monument Proclamation § 665.903 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter, and § 665.15 and subpart D of this part, the following activities are prohibited in the Islands Unit and, thus, unlawful for a person to conduct or cause to be conducted. (a) Commercial fishing in violation of § 665.904(a). (b) Non-commercial fishing, except as authorized under permit and pursuant to the procedures and criteria established in § 665.905. (c) Transferring a permit in violation of § 665.905(d). (d) Commercial fishing outside the Islands Unit and non-commercial fishing within the Islands Unit on the same trip in violation of § 665.904(c). [78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013, as amended at 78 FR 39583, July 2, 2013] § 665.904 Regulated activities. (a) Commercial fishing is prohibited in the Islands Unit. (b) Non-commercial fishing is prohibited in the Islands Unit, except as authorized under permit and pursuant to the procedures and criteria established in § 665.905. (c) Commercial fishing outside the Islands Unit and non-commercial fishing within the Islands Unit during the same trip is prohibited. [78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013, as amended at 78 FR 39583, July 2, 2013] § 665.905 Fishing permit procedures and criteria. (a) Marianas Trench Monument Islands Unit non-commercial permit Applicability. (2) Eligibility criteria. (3) Terms and conditions. (ii) Monetary reimbursement under customary exchange shall not exceed actual fishing trip expenses, including but not limited to ice, bait, fuel, or food. (b) Marianas Trench Monument Islands Unit recreational charter permit Applicability. (2) Eligibility criteria. (3) Terms and conditions. (ii) No MUS harvested under a recreational charter fishing permit may be used for the purposes of customary exchange. (c) Application. (d) Transfer. (e) Reporting and recordkeeping. [78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013, as amended at 78 FR 39583, July 2, 2013] § 665.906 International law. The regulations in this subpart shall be applied in accordance with international law. No restrictions shall apply to or be enforced against a person who is not a citizen, national, or resident alien of the United States (including foreign flag vessels) unless in accordance with international law. Subpart H—Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Source: 78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013, unless otherwise noted. § 665.930 Scope and purpose. The regulations in this subpart codify certain provisions of the Proclamations, and govern the administration of fishing in the Monument. [80 FR 15695, Mar. 25, 2015] § 665.931 Boundaries. The Monument, including the waters and submerged and emergent lands of Wake, Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, and Palmyra Atoll, is defined as follows: (a) Wake Island. (b) Howland and Baker Islands. ID W. long. Lat. 1 177°27′7″ 1°39′15″ N. 2 175°38′32″ 1°39′15″ N. 3 175°38′32″ 0°38′33″ S. 4 177°27′7″ 0°38′33″ S. 1 177°27′7″ 1°39′15″ N. (c) Jarvis Island. (d) Johnston Atoll. (e) Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll. ID W. long. N. lat. 1 163°11′16″ 7°14′38″ 2 161°12′3″ 7°14′38″ 3 161°12′3″ 5°20′23″ 4 161°25′22″ 5°1′34″ 5 163°11′16″ 5°1′34″ 1 163°11′16″ 7°14′38″ [78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013, as amended at 80 FR 15695, Mar. 25, 2015] § 665.932 Definitions. The following definitions are used in this subpart: Management unit species or MUS Monument Proclamations [78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013, as amended at 80 FR 15695, Mar. 25, 2015] § 665.933 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter, and § 665.15 and subparts E and F of this part, the following activities are prohibited in the Monument and, thus, unlawful for a person to conduct or cause to be conducted. (a) Commercial fishing in the Monument. (b) Non-commercial fishing in the Monument, except as authorized under permit and pursuant to the procedures and criteria established in § 665.935. (c) Transferring a permit in violation of § 665.935(d). (d) Commercial fishing outside the Monument and non-commercial fishing within the Monument on the same trip in violation of § 665.934(c). (e) Non-commercial fishing within 12 nm of emergent land within the Monument, unless authorized by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, in consultation with NMFS and the Council, in violation of § 665.934(d). For the purposes of this subsection, consultation means that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will consult with NMFS, which in turn will consult with the Council. [78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013, as amended at 78 FR 39583, July 2, 2013] § 665.934 Regulated activities. (a) Commercial fishing is prohibited in the Monument. (b) Non-commercial fishing is prohibited in the Monument, except under permit and pursuant to the procedures and criteria established in § 665.935 or pursuant to § 665.934(d). (c) Commercial fishing outside the Monument and non-commercial fishing within the Monument during the same trip is prohibited. (d) Non-commercial fishing is prohibited within 12 nm of emergent land within the Monument, unless authorized by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, in consultation with NMFS and the Council. For the purposes of this subsection, consultation means that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will consult with NMFS, which in turn will consult with the Council. [78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013, as amended at 78 FR 39583, July 2, 2013] § 665.935 Fishing permit procedures and criteria. (a) Non-commercial fishing Applicability. (2) Terms and conditions. (b) Pacific Remote Islands Monument recreational charter permit Applicability. (2) Terms and conditions. (ii) Customary exchange of fish harvested under a Monument recreational charter permit is prohibited. (c) Application. (d) Transfer. (e) Reporting and recordkeeping. [78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013, as amended at 78 FR 39583, July 2, 2013] § 665.936 International law. The regulations in this subpart shall be applied in accordance with international law. No restrictions shall apply to or be enforced against a person who is not a citizen, national, or resident alien of the United States (including foreign flag vessels) unless in accordance with international law. Subpart I—Rose Atoll Marine National Monument Source: 78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013, unless otherwise noted. § 665.960 Scope and purpose. The regulations in this subpart codify certain provisions of the Proclamation, and govern the administration of fishing within the Monument. Nothing in this subpart shall be deemed to diminish or enlarge the jurisdiction of the Territory of American Samoa. § 665.961 Boundaries. The Monument consists of emergent and submerged lands and waters extending seaward approximately 50 nm from Rose Atoll. The boundary is defined by straight lines connecting the following coordinates in the order listed: ID W. long. S. lat. 1 169°0′42″ 13°41′54″ 2 167°17′0″ 13°41′54″ 3 167°17′0″ 15°23′10″ 4 169°0′42″ 15°23′10″ 1 169°0′42″ 13°41′54″ § 665.962 Definitions. The following definitions are used in this subpart: Management Unit Species or MUS Monument Proclamation § 665.963 Prohibitions. In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter, and § 665.15 and subpart B of this part, the following activities are prohibited in the Monument and, thus, unlawful for a person to conduct or cause to be conducted. (a) Commercial fishing in the Monument. (b) Non-commercial fishing in the Monument, except as authorized under permit and pursuant to the procedures and criteria established in § 665.965. (c) Transferring a permit in violation of § 665.965(d). (d) Commercial fishing outside the Monument and non-commercial fishing within the Monument on the same trip in violation of § 665.964(c). (e) Fishing within 12 nm of emergent land within the Monument in violation of § 665.964(d). [78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013, as amended at 78 FR 39583, July 2, 2013] § 665.964 Regulated activities. (a) Commercial fishing is prohibited in the Monument. (b) Non-commercial fishing is prohibited in the Monument, except as authorized under permit and pursuant to the procedures and criteria established in § 665.965. (c) Commercial fishing outside the Monument and non-commercial fishing within the Monument during the same trip is prohibited. (d) All fishing is prohibited within 12 nm of emergent land within the Monument. [78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013, as amended at 78 FR 39583, July 2, 2013] § 665.965 Fishing permit procedures and criteria. (a) Rose Atoll Monument non-commercial fishing permit Applicability. (2) Eligibility criteria. (3) Terms and conditions. (ii) Monetary reimbursement under customary exchange shall not exceed actual fishing trip expenses, including but not limited to ice, bait, fuel, or food. (b) Rose Atoll Monument recreational charter permit Applicability. (2) Permit eligibility criteria. (3) Terms and conditions. (ii) No MUS harvested under a recreational charter fishing permit may be used for the purposes of customary exchange. (c) Application. (d) Transfer. (e) Reporting and recordkeeping. [78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013, as amended at 78 FR 39583, July 2, 2013] § 665.966 International law. The regulations in this subpart shall be applied in accordance with international law. No restrictions shall apply to or be enforced against a person who is not a citizen, national, or resident alien of the United States (including foreign flag vessels) unless in accordance with international law. Figure 1 to Part 665—Carapace Length of Lobsters Figure 2 to Part 665—Length of Fishing Vessels Figure 3 to Part 665—Sample Fabricated Arceneaux Line Clipper

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