16 U.S.C. § 1827a

Current through P.L. 118-59 (published on www.congress.gov on 05/07/2024)

Section 1827a - Prohibition on sale of billfish

(a) Prohibition

No person shall offer for sale, sell, or have custody, control, or possession of for purposes of offering for sale or selling billfish or products containing billfish.

(b) Penalty

For purposes of section 1858(a) of this title, a violation of this section shall be treated as an act prohibited by section 1857 of this title.

(c) Exemptions for traditional fisheries and markets

(1) Subsection (a) does not apply to billfish caught by US fishing vessels and landed and retained in the State of Hawaii or Pacific Insular Areas as defined in section 1802(35) of this title.

(2) Subsection (a) does not apply to billfish landed by foreign fishing vessels in the Pacific Insular Areas when the foreign caught billfish is exported to non-US markets or retained within Hawaii and the Pacific Insular Areas for local consumption.

(d) Billfish defined

In this section the term "billfish"-

(1) means any fish of the species-

(A) Makaira nigricans (blue marlin);

(B) Kajikia audax (striped marlin);

(C) Istiompax indica (black marlin);

(D) Istiophorus platypterus (sailfish);

(E) Tetrapturus angustirostris (shortbill spearfish);

(F) Kajikia albida (white marlin);

(G) Tetrapturus georgii (roundscale spearfish);

(H) Tetrapturus belone (Mediterranean spearfish); and

(I) Tetrapturus pfluegeri (longbill spearfish); and

(2) does not include the species Xiphias gladius (swordfish).

16 U.S.C. § 1827a

Pub. L. 112-183, §4, Oct. 5, 2012, 126 Stat. 1422; Pub. L. 115-228, §1, Aug. 2, 2018, 132 Stat. 1628.

EDITORIAL NOTES

CODIFICATIONSection was enacted as part of the Billfish Conservation Act of 2012 and not as part of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act which comprises this chapter.

AMENDMENTS2018-Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 115-228 inserted "and retained" after "landed".

STATUTORY NOTES AND RELATED SUBSIDIARIES

FINDINGS Pub. L. 112-183, §2, Oct. 5, 2012, 126 Stat. 1422, provided that: "Congress finds the following:"(1) The United States carefully regulates its domestic fisheries for billfish and participates in international fishery management bodies in the Atlantic and Pacific."(2) Global billfish populations have declined significantly, however, because of overfishing primarily through retention of bycatch by non-United States commercial fishing fleets."(3) Ending the importation of foreign-caught billfish for sale in the United States aligns with U.S. management measures of billfish and protects the significant economic benefits to the U.S. economy of recreational fishing and marine commerce and the traditional cultural fisheries."

State: The term "State" means each of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and any other Commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.
bycatch: The term "bycatch" means fish which are harvested in a fishery, but which are not sold or kept for personal use, and includes economic discards and regulatory discards. Such term does not include fish released alive under a recreational catch and release fishery management program.
commercial fishing: The term "commercial fishing" means fishing in which the fish harvested, either in whole or in part, are intended to enter commerce or enter commerce through sale, barter or trade.
conservation and management: The term "conservation and management" refers to all of the rules, regulations, conditions, methods, and other measures (A) which are required to rebuild, restore, or maintain, and which are useful in rebuilding, restoring, or maintaining, any fishery resource and the marine environment; and (B) which are designed to assure that-(i) a supply of food and other products may be taken, and that recreational benefits may be obtained, on a continuing basis;(ii) irreversible or long-term adverse effects on fishery resources and the marine environment are avoided; and(iii) there will be a multiplicity of options available with respect to future uses of these resources.
fish: The term "fish" means finfish, mollusks, crustaceans, and all other forms of marine animal and plant life other than marine mammals and birds.
fishery: The term "fishery" means-(A) one or more stocks of fish which can be treated as a unit for purposes of conservation and management and which are identified on the basis of geographical, scientific, technical, recreational, and economic characteristics; and(B) any fishing for such stocks.
fishing: The term "fishing" means-(A) the catching, taking, or harvesting of fish;(B) the attempted catching, taking, or harvesting of fish;(C) any other activity which can reasonably be expected to result in the catching, taking, or harvesting of fish; or(D) any operations at sea in support of, or in preparation for, any activity described in subparagraphs (A) through (C).Such term does not include any scientific research activity which is conducted by a scientific research vessel.
foreign fishing: The term "foreign fishing" means fishing by a vessel other than a vessel of the United States.
person: The term "person" means any individual (whether or not a citizen or national of the United States), any corporation, partnership, association, or other entity (whether or not organized or existing under the laws of any State), and any Federal, State, local, or foreign government or any entity of any such government.
recreational fishing: The term "recreational fishing" means fishing for sport or pleasure.
overfishing: The terms "overfishing" and "overfished" mean a rate or level of fishing mortality that jeopardizes the capacity of a fishery to produce the maximum sustainable yield on a continuing basis.