CFR

CFR

660.12—General groundfish prohibitions.

In addition to the general prohibitions specified in § 600.725 of this chapter, it is unlawful for any person to:

(a) General. (1) Retain any prohibited species (defined in § 660.11, subpart C and restricted in § 660.60(e), subpart C) caught by means of fishing gear authorized under this subpart, unless authorized by part 600 or part 300 of this chapter. Prohibited species must be returned to the sea as soon as practicable with a minimum of injury when caught and brought on board.

(2) Falsify or fail to affix and maintain vessel and gear markings as required by § 660.20 or § 660.219, subpart E or § 660.319, subpart F.

(3) Fish for groundfish in violation of any terms or conditions attached to an EFP under § 600.745 of this chapter or § 660.30, subpart C of this part.

(4) Fish for groundfish using gear not authorized in subparts C through G of this part or in violation of any terms or conditions attached to an EFP under § 660.30, subpart C of this part or part 600 of this chapter.

(5) Take and retain, possess, or land more groundfish than specified under § 660.50, § 660.55, § 660.60 of subpart C, or subpart D through G of this part, or under an EFP issued under § 660.30, subpart C of this part, or part 600 of this chapter.

(6) Take, retain, possess, or land more than a single cumulative limit of a particular species, per vessel, per applicable cumulative limit period, except for sablefish taken in the primary limited entry, fixed gear sablefish season from a vessel authorized to fish in that season, as described at § 660.231, subpart E.

(7) Take and retain, possess, or land groundfish in excess of the landing limit for the open access fishery without having a valid limited entry permit for the vessel affixed with a gear endorsement for the gear used to catch the fish.

(8) Fail to sort, prior to the first weighing after offloading, those groundfish species or species groups for which there is a trip limit, size limit, scientific sorting designation, quota, harvest guideline, or OY, if the vessel fished or landed in an area during a time when such trip limit, size limit, scientific sorting designation, quota, harvest guideline, or OY applied; except as specified at § 660.131, subpart C for vessels participating in the Pacific whiting at-sea sectors.

(9) When requested or required by an authorized officer, refuse to present fishing gear for inspection, refuse to present fish subject to such persons control for inspection; or interfere with a fishing gear or marine animal or plant life inspection.

(10) Transfer fish to another vessel at sea unless a vessel is participating in the primary Pacific whiting fishery as part of the mothership or catcher/processor sectors.

(11) Fish with dredge gear (defined in § 660.11, subpart C) anywhere within EFH within the EEZ. For the purposes of regulation, EFH within the EEZ is described at § 660.75, subpart C.

(12) Fish with beam trawl gear (defined in § 660.11, subpart C) anywhere within EFH within the EEZ. For the purposes of regulation, EFH within the EEZ is described at § 660.75, subpart C.

(13) During times or in areas where at-sea processing is prohibited, take and retain or receive Pacific whiting, except as cargo or fish waste, on a vessel in the fishery management area that already has processed Pacific whiting on board. An exception to this prohibition is provided if the fish are received within the tribal U&A from a member of a Pacific Coast treaty Indian tribe fishing under § 660.50, subpart C.

(b) Reporting and Recordkeeping. (1) Falsify or fail to make and/or file, retain or make available any and all reports of groundfish landings, containing all data, and in the exact manner, required by the applicable State law, as specified in § 660.13, subpart C, provided that person is required to do so by the applicable state law.

(2) Fail to retain on board a vessel from which groundfish is landed, and provide to an authorized officer upon request, copies of any and all reports of groundfish landings, or receipts containing all data, and made in the exact manner required by the applicable state law throughout the cumulative limit period during which such landings occurred and for 15 days thereafter.

(c) Limited entry fisheries. (1) Carry on board a vessel, or deploy, limited entry gear when the limited entry fishery for that gear is closed, except that a vessel may carry on board limited entry groundfish trawl gear as provided in § 660.112(a)(1), subpart D.

(d) Limited entry permits.

(1) If a limited entry permit is registered for use with a vessel, fail to carry that permit onboard the vessel registered for use with the permit. A photocopy of the permit may not substitute for the original permit itself.

(2) Make a false statement on an application for issuance, renewal, transfer, vessel registration, replacement of a limited entry permit, or a declaration of ownership interest in a limited entry permit.

(e) Groundfish observer program. (1) Forcibly assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, harass, sexually harass, bribe, or interfere with an observer.

(2) Interfere with or bias the sampling procedure employed by an observer including either mechanically or manually sorting or discarding catch before sampling.

(3) Tamper with, destroy, or discard an observer's collected samples, equipment, records, photographic film, papers, or personal effects without the express consent of the observer.

(4) Harass an observer by conduct that:

(i) Has sexual connotations,

(ii) Has the purpose or effect of interfering with the observer's work performance, and/or

(iii) Otherwise creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment. In determining whether conduct constitutes harassment, the totality of the circumstances, including the nature of the conduct and the context in which it occurred, will be considered. The determination of the legality of a particular action will be made from the facts on a case-by-case basis.

(5) Fish for, land, or process fish without observer coverage when a vessel is required to carry an observer under subparts C through G of this part.

(6) Require, pressure, coerce, or threaten an observer to perform duties normally performed by crew members, including, but not limited to, cooking, washing dishes, standing watch, vessel maintenance, assisting with the setting or retrieval of gear, or any duties associated with the processing of fish, from sorting the catch to the storage of the finished product.

(7) Fail to provide departure or cease fishing reports specified at § 660.116, subpart D, § 660.216, subpart E, or § 660.316, subpart F.

(8) Fail to meet the vessel responsibilities specified at § 660.116, subpart D, § 660.216, subpart E, or § 660.316, subpart F.

(f) Vessel Monitoring Systems. (1) Use any vessel required to operate and maintain a VMS unit under § 660.14(b) unless that vessel carries a NMFS OLE type-approved mobile transceiver unit and complies with all the requirements described at § 660.14(c).

(2) Fail to install, activate, repair or replace a mobile transceiver unit prior to leaving port as specified at § 660.14.

(3) Fail to operate and maintain a mobile transceiver unit on board the vessel at all times as specified at § 660.14.

(4) Tamper with, damage, destroy, alter, or in any way distort, render useless, inoperative, ineffective, or inaccurate the VMS, mobile transceiver unit, or VMS signal required to be installed on or transmitted by a vessel as specified at § 660.14.

(5) Fail to contact NMFS OLE or follow NMFS OLE instructions when automatic position reporting has been interrupted as specified at § 660.14.

(6) Register the same VMS transceiver unit to more than one vessel at the same time.

(7) Falsify any VMS activation report or VMS exemption report that is authorized or required, as specified at § 660.14.

(8) Falsify any declaration report that is required, as specified at § 660.13.

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