Title 50

SECTION 665.905

665.905 Fishing permit procedures and criteria.

§ 665.905 Fishing permit procedures and criteria.

(a) Marianas Trench Monument Islands Unit non-commercial permit - (1) Applicability. Both the owner and operator of a vessel used to non-commercially fish for, take, retain, or possess MUS in the Islands Unit must have a permit issued under this section, and the permit must be registered for use with that vessel.

(2) Eligibility criteria. A permit issued under this section may be issued only to a community resident of Guam or the CNMI.

(3) Terms and conditions. (i) Customary exchange of fish harvested within the Islands Unit under a non-commercial permit is allowed, except that customary exchange by fishermen engaged in recreational fishing is prohibited.

(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 - (1) Applicability. Both the owner and operator of a vessel chartered to recreationally fish for, take, retain, or possess MUS in the Islands Unit must have a permit issued under this section, and the permit must be registered for use with that vessel. Charter boat customers are not required to obtain a permit.

(2) Eligibility criteria. To be eligible for a permit issued under this section, a charter business must be established legally under the laws of Guam or the CNMI.

(3) Terms and conditions. (i) The sale or exchange through barter or trade of fish caught in the Monument by a charter boat is prohibited.

(ii) No MUS harvested under a recreational charter fishing permit may be used for the purposes of customary exchange.

(c) Application. An application for a permit required under this section must be submitted to PIRO as described in § 665.13.

(d) Transfer. A permit issued under this section is not transferrable.

(e) Reporting and recordkeeping. The operator of a vessel subject to the requirements of this section must comply with the terms and conditions described in § 665.14.

[78 FR 33003, June 3, 2013, as amended at 78 FR 39583, July 2, 2013]