Code of Federal Regulations (alpha)

CFR /  Title 50  /  Part 300  /  Sec. 300.31 Definitions.

In addition to the terms defined in Sec. 300.2, in the Act, and in the Treaty, and unless the context requires otherwise, the terms used in this subpart have the following meanings. If a term is defined differently in Sec. 300.2, the Act, or the Treaty, the definition in this section shall apply.

Administrator means the individual or organization designated by the Pacific Island Parties to act on their behalf under the Treaty and notified to the United States.

Applicable national law means any of the laws of Pacific Island Parties in the following table and any regulations or other instruments having the force of law implemented pursuant to these laws: ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pacific Island Party Laws------------------------------------------------------------------------AUSTRALIA Antarctic Marine Living Resources

Conservation Act, 1981.

Fisheries Management Act, 1991.

Fisheries Administration Act,

1991.

Statutory Fishing Rights Charge

Act, 1991.

Fisheries Legislation

(Consequential Provisions) Act,

1991.

Foreign Fishing Licences Levy

Act, 1991.

Fishing Levy Act, 1991.

Fisheries Agreements (Payments)

Act, 1991.

Torres Strait Fisheries Act,

1984.

Whale Protection Act, 1980.

COOK ISLANDS Exclusive Economic Zone (Foreign

Fishing Craft) Regulations,

1979.

Territorial Sea and Exclusive

Economic Zone Act, 1977.

Marine Resources Act, 1989.FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA Titles 18 and 24 of the Code of

the Federated States of

Micronesia, as amended by Public

Law Nos. 2-28, 2-31, 3-9, 3-10,

3-34, and 3-80.FIJI Fisheries Act (Cap. 158).

Fisheries Regulations (Cap. 158).

Marine Spaces Act (Cap. 158A).

Marine Spaces (Foreign Fishing

Vessels) Regulations, 1979.KIRIBATI Fisheries Ordinance, 1979.

Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1984.

Marine Zones (Declaration) Act,

1983.

Fisheries (Pacific Island States'

Treaty with the United States)

Act 1988.MARSHALL ISLANDS Title 33, Marine Resources Act,

as amended by P.L. 1989-56, P.L.

1991-43, and P.L. 1992-25 of the

Marshall Islands Revised Code.NAURU Interpretation Act, 1971.

Interpretation Act (Amendment)

Act No. 1 1975.

Interpretation Act (Amendment)

Act No. 2 1975.

Marine Resources Act, 1978.NEW ZEALAND Antarctic Marine Living Resources

Act, 1981.

Continental Shelf Act, 1964.

Conservation Act, 1987.

Driftnet Prohibition Act, 1991.

Exclusive Economic Zone (Foreign

Fishing Craft) Regulations,

1978.

Fishing Industry Board Act, 1963.

Fisheries Act, 1983.

Marine Mammals Protection Act,

1978.

Marine Reserves Act, 1971.

Marine Pollution Act, 1974.

Meat Act, 1964.

Territorial Sea and Exclusive

Economic Zone Act, 1977.

Tokelau (Territorial Sea and

Exclusive Economic Zone) Act,

1977.

Submarine Cables and Pipelines

Protection Act, 1966.

Sugar Loaf Islands Marine

Protected Area Act, 1991.

Wildlife Act, 1953.NIUE Niue Fish Protection Ordinance

1965.

Sunday Fishing Prohibition Act

1980.

Territorial Sea and Exclusive

Economic Zone Act 1978.PALAU Palau National Code, Title 27.PAPUA NEW GUINEA Fisheries Act (Cap 214).

Fisheries Regulations (Cap 214).

Fisheries (Torres Strait

Protected Zone) Act, 1984.

National Seas Act (Cap 361).

Tuna Resources Management Act

(Cap 224).

Whaling Act (Cap 225).SOLOMON ISLANDS Delimitation of Marine Waters

Act, 1978.

Fisheries Act, 1972.

Fisheries Limits Act, 1977.

Fisheries Regulations, 1972.

Fisheries (Foreign Fishing

Vessels) Regulations, 1981.

Fisheries (United States of

America) (Treaty) Act 1988.TONGA Fisheries Act, 1989.TUVALU Fisheries Act (Cap 45).

Fisheries (Foreign Fishing

Vessel) Regulations, 1982.

Marine Zones (Declaration) Act,

1983.

Foreign Fishing Vessels Licensing

(US Treaty) Order 1987.VANUATU Fisheries Act 1982 (Cap 158).

Fisheries Regulations, 1983.

Maritime Zones Act 1981 (Cap

138).SAMOA Exclusive Economic Zone Act,

1977.

Territorial Sea Act, 1971.

Fisheries Act, 1988.------------------------------------------------------------------------

Authorized inspector means any individual authorized by a Pacific Island Party or the Secretary to conduct inspections, to remove samples of fish and to gather any other information relating to fisheries in the Licensing Area.

Authorized officer means any officer who is authorized by the Secretary, or the Secretary of Transportation, or the head of any Federal or state agency that has entered into an enforcement agreement with the Secretary under section 10(a) of the Act.

Authorized party officer means any officer authorized by a Pacific Island Party to enforce the provisions of the Treaty.

Closed area means any of the areas in the following table, as depicted on charts provided by the Regional Administrator and as further described in additional information that may be provided by the Regional Administrator: ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pacific Island Party Area------------------------------------------------------------------------AUSTRALIA All waters within the seaward

boundary of the Australian

Fishing Zone (AFZ) west of a

line connecting the point of

intersection of the outer limit

of the AFZ by the parallel of

latitude 25 30 South with the

point of intersection of the

meridian of longitude 151 East

by the outer limit of the AFZ

and all waters south of the

parallel of latitude 25 30

South.COOK ISLANDS Territorial Sea.FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA Three nautical mile territorial

sea and nine nautical mile

exclusive fishery zone and on

all named banks and reefs as

depicted on the following

charts:

DMAHTC NO 81019 (2nd. ed., Mar.

1945; revised 7/17/72; corrected

through NM 3/78 of 21 June

1978).

DMAHTC NO 81023 (3rd. ed., 7 Aug.

1976).

DMAHTC NO 81002 (4th. ed., 26

Jan. 1980; corrected through NM

4/80).FIJI Internal waters, archipelagic

waters and territorial seas of

Fiji and Rotuma and its

Dependencies.KIRIBATI Within archipelagic waters as

established in accordance with

Marine Zones (Declaration) Act

1983; within 12 nautical miles

drawn from the baselines from

which the territorial seas is

measured; and within 2 nautical

miles of any anchored fish

aggregating device within the

Kiribati exclusive economic zone

for which notification of its

location shall be given by

geographical coordinates.MARSHALL ISLANDS 12 nautical mile territorial sea

and area within two nautical

miles of any anchored fish

aggregating device within the

Marshall Islands exclusive

economic zone for which

notification of its location

shall be given by geographical

coordinates.NAURU The territorial waters as defined

by Nauru Interpretation Act,

1971, Section 2.NEW ZEALAND Territorial waters; waters within

6 nautical miles of outer

boundary of territorial waters;

all waters to west of New

Zealand main islands and south

of 39 South latitude; all waters

to east of New Zealand main

islands south of 40 South

latitude; and in respect of

Tokelau: areas within 12

nautical miles of all island and

reef baselines; twelve and one

half nautical miles either side

of a line joining Atafu and

Nukunonu and Faka'ofo; and

coordinates as follows:

Atafu: 83510" S, 1722930" W

Nukunonu: 90625" S, 1715210" W

91130" S, 1714700" W

Faka'ofo: 92230" S, 1711630" WNIUE Territorial sea and within 3

nautical miles of Beveridge

Reef, Antiope Reef and Haran

Reef as depicted by appropriate

symbols on NZ 225F (chart

showing the territorial sea and

exclusive economic zone of Niue

pursuant to the Niue Territorial

Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone

Act of 1978).PALAU Within 12 nautical miles of all

island baselines in the Palau

Islands; and the area:

commencing at the north-

easternmost intersection of the

outer limit of the 12 nautical

mile territorial sea of Palau by

the arc of a circle having a

radius of 50 nautical miles and

its center at Latitude 071634"

North, longitude 1342825" East,

being at about the center of the

reef entrance to Malakal Pass;

running thence generally south-

easterly, southerly, south-

westerly, westerly, north-

westerly, northerly and north-

easterly along that arc to its

intersection by the outer limit

of the 12 nautical mile

territorial sea; and thence

generally northerly, north-

easterly, easterly, south-

easterly and southerly along

that outer limit to the point of

commencement.

Where for the purpose of these

specifications it is necessary

to determine the position on the

surface of the Earth of a point,

line or area, it shall be

determined by reference to the

World Geodetic System 1984; that

is to say, by reference to a

spheroid having its center at

the center of the Earth and a

major (equatorial) radius of

6,378,137 meters and a

flattening of 1/298.2572.PAPUA NEW GUINEA All territorial seas,

archipelagic and internal

waters.SOLOMON ISLANDS All internal waters, territorial

seas and archipelagic waters;

and such additional waters

around the main group

archipelago, as defined under

the Delimitation of Marine

Waters Act 1978, not exceeding

sixty nautical miles.TONGA All waters with depths of not

more than 1,000 meters, within

the area bounded by the

fifteenth and twenty third and

one half degrees of south

latitudes and the one hundred

and seventy third and the one

hundred and seventy seventh

degrees of west longitudes; also

within a radius of twelve

nautical miles from the islands

of Teleki Tonga and Teleki

Tokelau.TUVALU Territorial sea and waters within

two nautical miles of all named

banks, that is Macaw, Kosciusko,

Rose, Bayonnaise and Hera, in

Tuvalu exclusive economic zone,

as depicted on the chart

entitled ``Tuvalu Fishery

Limits'' prepared by the United

Kingdom Hydrographic Department,

Taunton, January 11, 1981.VANUATU Archipelagic waters and the

territorial sea, and internal

waters.

SAMOA Territorial sea; reefs, banks and

sea-mounts and within 2 nautical

miles of any anchored fish

aggregating device within the

Samoa exclusive economic zone

for which notification of its

location shall be given by

geographical coordinates.------------------------------------------------------------------------

FFA Vessel Register means the registry of fishing vessels maintained by the FFA, comprising those vessels which are in good standing and licensed to fish in the waters of FFA member countries, including those vessels licensed under Sec. 300.32.

Fishing means searching for, catching, taking, or harvesting fish; attempting to search for, catch, take, or harvest fish; engaging in any other activity that can reasonably be expected to result in the locating, catching, taking, or harvesting of fish; placing, searching for, or recovering fish aggregating devices or associated electronic equipment such as radio beacons; any operations at sea directly in support of, or in preparation for, any activity described in this paragraph; or aircraft use, relating to the activities described in this definition, except for flights in emergencies involving the health or safety of crew members or the safety of a vessel.

Fishing arrangement means an arrangement between a Pacific Island Party and the owner of a U.S. fishing vessel that complies with section 6(b) of the Act.

Fishing vessel or vessel means any boat, ship, or other craft that is used for, equipped to be used for, or of a type normally used for commercial fishing, and that is documented under the laws of the United States.

Licensing Area means all waters in the Treaty Area except for:

(1) Those waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States in accordance with international law.

(2) Those waters within closed areas.

(3) Those waters within limited areas closed to fishing.

Licensing period means the period of validity of licenses issued in accordance with the Treaty.

Operator means any person who is in charge of, directs or controls a vessel, including the owner, charterer and master.

Pacific Island Party means a Pacific island nation that is a party to the Treaty.

Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency or FFA means the organization established by the 1979 South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency Convention.

Regional Administrator means the Regional Administrator, Pacific Islands Region, NMFS, 1845 Wasp Blvd., Bldg. 176, Honolulu, HI 96818, facsimile: 808-725-5215, or a designee.

Transship means to unload any or all of the fish on board a licensed vessel either ashore or onto another vessel.

Treaty Area means all waters north of 60 S. lat. and east of 90 E. long., subject to the fisheries jurisdiction of Pacific Island Parties, and all other waters within rhumb lines connecting the following points, except for waters subject to the jurisdiction in accordance with international law of a State which is not a party to the Treaty: ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Point Latitude Longitude------------------------------------------------------------------------A 23539" S 1410000" EB 10135" N 1404835" EC 10135" N 1293000" ED 100000" N 1293000" EE 140000" N 1400000" EF 140000" N 1420000" EG 123000" N 1420000" EH 123000" N 1580000" EI 150000" N 1580000" EJ 150000" N 1650000" EK 180000" N 1650000" EL 180000" N 1740000" EM 120000" N 1740000" EN 120000" N 1760000" EO 50000" N 1760000" EP 10000" N 1800000"Q 10000" N 1640000" WR 80000" N 1640000" WS 80000" N 1580000" WT 00000" 1500000" WU 60000" S 1500000" WV 60000" S 1460000" WW 120000" S 1460000" WX 260000" S 1570000" WY 260000" S 1740000" WZ 400000" S 1740000" WAA 400000" S 1710000" WAB 460000" S 1710000" WAC 550000" S 1800000"AD 590000" S 1600000" E

AE 590000" S 1520000" E and north along

the 152 degrees of East

longitude until

intersecting the Australian

200-nautical-mile limit.------------------------------------------------------------------------

UTC means Universal Coordinated Time.

Vessel Monitoring System Unit or VMS unit, sometimes known as a ``mobile transmitting unit,'' means Administrator-approved and NMFS-approved VMS unit hardware and software that is installed on a vessel pursuant to Sec. 300.45. The VMS units are a component of the regional vessel monitoring system administered by the FFA, as well as of the vessel monitoring system administered by NMFS, and as such are used to transmit information between the vessel and the Administrator and NMFS and/or other reporting points designated by NMFS. [61 FR 35550, July 5, 1996, as amended at 72 FR 6149, Feb. 9, 2007; 75 FR 74643, Dec. 1, 2010; 79 FR 64110, Oct. 28, 2014]