CFR

CFR

635.31—Restrictions on sale and purchase.

(a) Atlantic tunas. (1) A persons that owns or operates a vessel from which an Atlantic tuna is landed or offloaded may sell such Atlantic tuna only if that vessel has a valid HMS Charter/Headboat permit, or a valid General, Harpoon, Longline, Purse Seine, or Trap category permit for Atlantic tunas issued under this part. However, no person may sell a BFT smaller than the large medium size class. Also, no large medium or giant BFT taken by a person aboard a vessel with an Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permit fishing in the Gulf of Mexico at any time, or fishing outside the Gulf of Mexico when the fishery under the General category has been closed, may be sold (see § 635.23(c) ). A persons may sell Atlantic tunas only to a dealer that has a valid permit for purchasing Atlantic tunas issued under this part. A person may not sell or purchase Atlantic tunas harvested with speargun fishing gear.

(2) Dealers may purchase Atlantic tunas only from a vessel that has a valid commercial permit for Atlantic tunas issued under this part in the appropriate category.

(3) Dealers or seafood processors may not purchase or sell a BFT smaller than the large medium size class unless it is lawfully imported and is accompanied by a bluefin tuna statistical document, as specified in § 300.185(a) of this title.

(4) A BFT in the possession of a dealer or seafood processor is deemed to be from the Atlantic Ocean. However, a BFT will not be deemed to be from the Atlantic Ocean if—

(i) It was landed in a Pacific state and remains in the state of landing, or

(ii) It is accompanied by a bluefin tuna statistical document, as specified in § 300.185(a) of this title.

(b) Billfish. (1) Persons may not sell or purchase a billfish taken from its management unit.

(2) A billfish or a closely related species, namely, black marlin, Makaira indica, striped marlin, Tetrapturus audax, or shortbill spearfish, Tetrapturus angustirostris, or a part thereof, in the possession of a dealer or seafood processor is considered, for purposes of this part, to be a billfish from the Atlantic Ocean management unit. However, a billfish or a closely related species will not be considered to be from the Atlantic Ocean management unit if—

(i) It was landed in a Pacific state and remains in the state of landing, or

(ii) It is accompanied by a Billfish Certificate of Eligibility (COE) form, obtained from NMFS, or its equivalent that documents that the fish was harvested from other than the Atlantic Ocean management unit.

(A) The Billfish COE required under this section must indicate, in English, the name and homeport of the harvesting vessel, and the date and port of offloading. Only the purchaser of the billfish from the harvesting vessel must complete this information.

(B) The Billfish COE must be signed and dated by each dealer in possession of the product throughout the chain of custody up to but not including the consumer. This signature indicates a declaration that the billfish were not harvested from the management unit.

(C) A Billfish COE may refer to billfish taken from only one harvesting vessel. If a shipment contains billfish taken from more than one vessel, a separate billfish COE must accompany the shipment for each harvesting vessel.

(D) A model Billfish COE can be obtained by contacting the Division Chief. An equivalent form may be used provided it contains all of the information required under this section.

(3) For the purposes of this paragraph, a dealer or seafood processor means any individual, other than a consumer, who engages in any activity, other than fishing, of industry, trade, or commerce, including but not limited to the buying or selling of a regulated species or parts thereof and activities conducted for the purpose of facilitating such buying and selling.

(c) Shark. (1) Persons that own or operate a vessel that possesses a shark from the management unit may sell such shark only if the vessel has a valid commercial shark permit issued under this part. Persons may possess and sell a shark only when the fishery for that species group and/or region has not been closed, as specified in § 635.28(b).

(2) Persons that own or operate a vessel for which a valid commercial shark permit has been issued and on which a shark from the management unit is possessed, may sell such shark only to a dealer that has a valid permit for shark issued under this part.

(3) Regulations governing the harvest, possession, landing, purchase, and sale of shark fins are found at part 600, subpart N, of this chapter and in § 635.30(c).

(4) Only dealers that have a valid shark dealer permit may purchase shark from the owner or operator of a fishing vessel. Dealers may purchase a shark only from an owner or operator of a vessel who has a valid commercial shark permit issued under this part, except that dealers may purchase a shark from an owner or operator of a vessel that does not have a commercial permit for shark if that vessel fishes exclusively in state waters. Dealers may purchase a sandbar shark only from an owner or operator of a vessel who has a valid shark research permit and who had a NMFS-approved observer onboard the vessel for the trip in which the sandbar shark was collected. Dealers may purchase a shark from an owner or operator of fishing vessel that has a permit issued under this part only when the fishery for that species group and/or region has not been closed, as specified in § 635.28(b).

(5) A dealer issued a permit under this part may not purchase from an owner or operator of a fishing vessel shark fins that were not harvested in accordance with the regulations found at part 600, subpart N, of this chapter and in § 635.30(c).

(d) Swordfish. (1) Persons that own or operate a vessel on which a swordfish in or from the Atlantic Ocean is possessed may sell such swordfish only if the vessel has a valid commercial permit for swordfish issued under this part. Persons may sell such swordfish only to a dealer who has a valid permit for swordfish issued under this part.

(2) Dealers may purchase a swordfish harvested from the Atlantic Ocean only from an owner or operator of a fishing vessel that has a valid commercial permit for swordfish issued under this part.

[64 FR 29135, May 28, 1999, as amended at 67 FR 6201, Feb. 11, 2002; 67 FR 77438, Dec. 18, 2002; 68 FR 715, Jan. 7, 2003; 69 FR 53362, Sept. 1, 2004; 69 FR 67284, Nov. 17, 2004; 71 FR 58173; Oct. 2, 2006; 73 FR 40711, July 15, 2008]