917.2—Definitions.

(a) The term Act means the Sea Grant Program Improvement Act of 1976, as amended (33 U.S.C. 1121 et seq. ).

(b) The term Secretary means the Secretary of Commerce.

(d) The term Office of Sea Grant means the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Sea Grant, which administers the National Sea Grant Program provided for in the Act.

(e) The term objective of the Act means the objective set forth at 33 U.S.C. 1121(b) and is “is to increase the understanding, assessment, development, utilization, and conservation of the Nation's ocean and coastal resources by providing assistance to promote a strong educational base, responsive research and training activities, and broad and prompt dissemination of knowledge and techniques.”

(f) The term ocean and coastal resource(s) is as defined at 33 U.S.C. 1122(7) and means:

any resource (whether living, nonliving, manmade, tangible, intangible, actual, or potential) which is located in, derived from, or traceable to, the marine environment.

Such term includes the habitat of any such living resource, the coastal space, the ecosystems, the nutrient rich areas, and the other components of the marine environment which contribute to or provide (or which are capable of contributing to or providing) recreational, scenic, esthetic, biological, habitational, commercial, economic, or conservation values. Living resources include natural and cultured plant life, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and wildlife. Nonliving resources include energy sources, minerals, and chemical substances.

(g) The term marine environment used in the definition for “ocean and coastal resources” in § 917.2(e) and used elsewhere in these regulations is as defined at 33 U.S.C. 1122(6) and means:

the coastal zone, as defined in Section 304(1) of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1453(1)); the seabed, subsoil, and waters of the territorial sea of the United States; the waters of any zone over which the United States asserts exclusive fishery management authority; the waters of the high seas; and the seabed and subsoil of and beyond the outer Continental Shelf.

(h) The term person is as defined at 33 U.S.C. 1122(9) and means: “any individual; any public or private corporation, partnership, or other association or entity (including any Sea Grant College, Sea Grant Regional Consortium, education, institute, or laboratory); or any state, political subdivision of a state, or agency or officer thereof.”

(i) The term Sea Grant College is as defined at 33 U.S.C. 1122(10) and means: “any public or private institution of higher education which is designated as such by the Secretary . . .” pursuant to regulations promulgated at 15 CFR part 918.

(j) The term Sea Grant Program is as defined at 33 U.S.C. 1122(11) and means: “any program which” (1) is administered by a Sea Grant College, Sea Grant Regional Consortium, institution of higher education, institute, laboratory, or state or local agency; and (2) includes two or more projects involving one or more of the following activities in fields related to ocean and coastal resources:

(i) Research,

(ii) Education,

(iii) Training, or

(iv) Advisory services.

(k) The term Sea Grant Program Directors means the local Directors of the Sea Grant coherent area programs, insititutional programs, Sea Grant Colleges, and Sea Grant Regional Consortia.

(l) The term Sea Grant Regional Consortium is as defined at 33 U.S.C. 1122(12) and means: “any association or alliance which is designated as such by the Secretary . . .” pursuant to regulations promulgated at 15 CFR part 918.

(m) The term state is as defined at 33 U.S.C. 1122 (14) and means: “any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands, or any other territory or possession of the United States.”

(n) The term developing foreign nations includes any foreign nation other than a foreign nation that is ineligible for designation under section 502(b) of the Trade Act of 1974, (19 U.S.C. 2462(b)) as a benificiary developing country under Title of that Act.