Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing; Fisheries Enforcement; High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act

7 organizations filed 7 public comments on Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing; Fisheries Enforcement; High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act, at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The comment window closed 1421d ago.

Abstract

On November 15, 2015, the President signed into law the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Enforcement Act of 2015 (Act). The Act amends several regional fishery management organization implementing statutes to harmonize their enforcement provisions with those found in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. It also amends the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act to increase the time period for the fishing activities of nations to be considered for identification for IUU fishing and/or bycatch of protected living marine resources to three years, among other things. Finally, it provides authority to implement two new international agreements: the Antigua Convention, which amends the Convention for the establishment of an Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter, and Eliminate IUU Fishing (Port State Measures Agreement), which restricts the entry into U.S. ports by foreign fishing vessels that are known to be or are suspected of engaging in IUU fishing. This proposed rule will make conforming amendments to regulations implementing the statutes amended by the Act and implement the Port State Measures Agreement which requires the collection of certain information from foreign fishing vessels requesting permission to use U.S. ports. It includes procedures to designate and publicize the ports to which foreign fishing vessels may seek entry, and procedures for conducting inspections of these foreign vessels accessing U.S. ports. Furthermore, the rule establishes procedures for notification of: the denial of port entry or port services for a foreign vessel, the withdrawal of the denial of port services if applicable, the taking of enforcement action with respect to a foreign vessel, or the results of any inspection of a foreign vessel to the flag nation of the vessel and other competent authorities as appropriate.

Commenters (7)

• Bumble Bee Seafood Companyunverified attribution

  1 filing · confidence 70%
• Center for Biological Diversity

  1 filing · confidence 97%
• International Corporate Accountability Roundtabletrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 85%
• National Fisheries Institutetrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 85%
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)trade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 97%
• Southern Shrimp Alliancetrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 85%
• VALINOR LLCunverified attribution

  1 filing · confidence 70%