NOAA Fisheries

Office of Sustainable Fisheries

A GUIDE TO THE SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES ACT
Public Law 104-297

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Prepared by the NOAA Office of General Counsel
February 1997

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section	Subject
101	Findings; purposes; policy [MSFCMA section 2]
102	Definitions[MSFCMA section 3] Bycatch, economic discards, and regulatory discards Charter, commercial, and recreational fishing Essential fish habitat Fishing community Individual fishing quota Large-scale driftnet fishing Optimum Overfished and overfishing Pacific Insular Area Special areas United States harvested fish Vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States
104	Highly migratory species [MSFCMA section 102]
105	Foreign fishing and international fishery agreements a. Authority to operate under transshipment permits [MSFCMA section 201] b. International fishery agreements [MSFCMA section 202] c. Period for Congressional review of international fishery agreements [MSFCMA section 203] d. Transshipment permits and Pacific insular area fishing [MSFCMA section 204] e. Atlantic herring transshipment [no MSFCMA amendment] f. Large scale driftnet fishing [MSFCMA section 206] g. Russian fishing in the Bering Sea [no MSFCMA amendment]
106	National standards [MSFCMA section 301] National standard 5 National standard 8 National standard 9 National standard 10
107	Regional Fishery Management Councils [MSFCMA section 302] a. Establishment b. Voting members c. Compensation and expenses d. Transaction of business e. Committees and panels f. Functions g. Fishery habitat concerns h. Procedural matters i. Disclosure of financial interest and recusal
108	Fishery management plans [MSFCMA section 303] a. Required provisions b. Implementation c. Discretionary provisions d. Proposed regulations e. Individual fishing quotas f. Individual fishing quota report [no MSFCMA amendment] g. North Pacific loan program [no MSFCMA amendment] h. Community development quota report [no MSFCMA amendment] i. Existing quota plans [no MSFCMA amendment]
109	Action by the Secretary [MSFCMA section 304] a. Secretarial review of plans and regulations b. Preparation by the Secretary c. Individual fishing quota and community development quota fees d. Delay of fees [no MSFCMA amendment] e. Overfishing f. Fisheries under authority of more than one Council g. Atlantic highly migratory species h. Comprehensive management system for Atlantic pelagic longline [no MSFCMA amendment] i. Repeal or revocation of a fishery management plan j. American lobster fishery [no MSFCMA amendment]
110	Other requirements and authority [MSFCMA section 305] a. Gear evaluation and notification of entry a. Fish habitat b. Emergency actions and interim measures c. Effect of certain laws on certain time requirements d. Negotiated conservation and management measures d. Central registry system for limited access system permits e. Registry transition [no MSFCMA amendment]
111	Pacific community fisheries [MSFCMA section 305] a. Harold Sparck memorial community development quota program a. Western Pacific CDQ programs b. Western Pacific demonstration program
112	State jurisdiction [MSFCMA section 306] a. In general b. Exception c. Exception regarding foreign fish processing in internal waters d. Interim authority for Dungeness crab [no MSFCMA amendment]
113	Prohibited acts [MSFCMA section 307]
114	Civil penalties and permit sanctions; rebuttable presumptions [MSFCMA sections 308 and 310]
115	Enforcement [MSFCMA section 311]
116	Transition to sustainable fisheries a. Transition to sustainable fisheries [MSFCMA section 312] b. Study of Federal investment [no MSFCMA amendment]
117	North Pacific and Northwest Atlantic ocean fisheries a. North Pacific fisheries conservation [MSFCMA section 313] b. Northwest Atlantic Ocean Fisheries [MSFCMA section 314]
201	Change of title [MSFCMA Title IV]
202	Registration and information management [MSFCMA section 401]
203	Information collection [MSFCMA section 402]
204	Observers [MSFCMA section 403]
205	Fisheries research [MSFCMA section 404]
206	Incidental harvest research [MSFCMA section 405]
207	Miscellaneous research a. Fisheries systems research [MSFCMA section 406] b. Gulf of Mexico red snapper research [MSFCMA section 407]
208	Study of contribution of bycatch to charitable organizations [no MSFCMA amendment]
209	Study of identification methods for harvest stocks [no MSFCMA amendment]
210	Review of Northeast fishery stock assessments [no MSFCMA amendment]
211	Clerical amendments
301	Short title
302	Individual fishing quota loans [Merchant Marine Act section 1104]
303	Fisheries financing and capacity [Merchant Marine Act sections 1111 and 1112]
401	Marine fish program authorization of appropriations [no MSFCMA amendment]
402	Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act amendments [IFA section 308]
403	Anadromous fisheries amendments [Anadromous Fish Conservation Act section 757d]
404	Atlantic coastal fisheries amendments [ACFCMA sections 803, 804, 809, and 810]
405	Technical amendments to maritime boundary agreement
406	Amendments to the Fisheries Act