Section 300.205 - Denial of port privileges and import restrictions on fish or fish products(a)Scope of Applicability(1) If a nation identified in the biennial report under §300.202(a) or §300.203(a) is not positively certified by the Secretary of Commerce, and fishing vessels of the nation are allowed entry to any place in the United States and to the navigable waters of the United States under this subpart, those vessels will be subject to inspection and may be prohibited from landing, processing, or transshipping fish and fish products. Services, including the refueling and re-supplying of such fishing vessels, may be prohibited, with the exception of services essential to the safety, health, and welfare of the crew. Fishing vessels will not be denied port access or services in cases of force majeure or distress.(2) For nations identified in the biennial report under §300.202(a) that are not positively certified, the Secretary of Commerce shall recommend import prohibitions with respect to fish or fish products from those nations. Such recommendations on import prohibitions would not apply to fish or fish products not managed under an applicable international fishery agreement, or if there is no applicable international fishery agreement, to the extent that such provisions would apply to fish or fish products caught by vessels not engaged in illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing. For nations identified under §300.203(a) that are not positively certified, the Secretary of Commerce shall also recommend import prohibitions; such prohibitions shall not apply to fish or fish products not caught by the vessels engaged in the relevant activity for which the nation was identified.(3) Any action recommended under this paragraph (a)(3) shall be consistent with international obligations, including the WTO Agreement.(b)Imposition of import restrictions - (1)Notification. Where the Secretary of Commerce cannot make positive certifications for identified nations, and the President determines that certain fish and fish products from such nations are ineligible for entry into the United States and U.S. territories, the Secretary of Commerce, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State and in cooperation with the Secretary of Treasury, will file a notice with the Office of the Federal Register.(2)Documentation of admissibility. If certain fish or fish products are subject to import prohibitions, NMFS may publish in the Federal Register the requirement that other fish or fish products from the relevant nation that are not subject to the prohibitions be accompanied by documentation of admissibility. The documentation of admissibility must be executed by a duly authorized official of the identified nation and validated by a responsible official(s) designated by NMFS. The documentation must be executed and submitted in a format (electronic facsimile (fax), the Internet, etc. ) specified by NMFS.(3)Effective date of import restrictions. Effective upon the date of publication of such finding, shipments of fish or fish products found to be ineligible will be denied entry to the United States. Entry will not be denied for any such shipment that, on the date of publication, was in transit to the United States.(4)Removal of negative certifications and import restrictions. Upon a determination by the Secretary of Commerce that an identified nation that was not certified positively has satisfactorily met the conditions in this subpart and that nation has been positively certified, the provisions of §300.205 shall no longer apply. The Secretary of Commerce, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State and in cooperation with the Secretary of Treasury, will notify such nations and will file with the Office of the Federal Register for publication notification of the removal of the import restrictions effective on the date of publication.Effective Date Note: At 76 FR 2024, Jan. 12, 2011, §302.205 was added. This section contains information collection and recordkeeping requirements in paragraph (b)(2) which will not become effective until approval has been given by the Office of Management and Budget.