[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 50, Volume 7]
[Revised as of January 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 50CFR253.23]

[Page 641-642]
 
                    TITLE 50--WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES
 
  CHAPTER II--NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND 
           ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
 
PART 253_FISHERIES ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS--Table of Contents
 
                 Subpart C_Interjurisdictional Fisheries
 
Sec. 253.23  Other funds.

    (a) Funds for disaster assistance. (1) The Secretary shall retain 
sole authority in distributing any disaster assistance funds made 
available under section 308(b) of the Act. The Secretary may distribute 
these funds after he or she has made a thorough evaluation of the 
scientific information submitted, and has determined that a commercial 
fishery failure of a fishery resource arising from natural or 
undetermined causes has occurred. Funds may only be used to restore the 
resource affected by the disaster, and only by existing methods and 
technology. Any fishery resource used in computing the states' amount 
under the apportionment formula in Sec. 253.21(a) will qualify for 
funding under this section. The Federal share of the cost of any 
activity conducted under the disaster provision of the Act shall be 
limited to 75 percent of the total cost.
    (2) In addition, pursuant to section 308(d) of the Act, the 
Secretary is authorized to award grants to persons engaged in commercial 
fisheries, for uninsured losses determined by the Secretary to have been 
suffered as a direct result of a fishery resource disaster.

[[Page 642]]

Funds may be distributed by the Secretary only after notice and 
opportunity for public comment of the appropriate limitations, terms, 
and conditions for awarding assistance under this section. Assistance 
provided under this section is limited to 75 percent of an uninsured 
loss to the extent that such losses have not been compensated by other 
Federal or State programs.
    (b) Funds for interstate commissions. Funds authorized to support 
the efforts of the three chartered Interstate Marine Fisheries 
Commissions to develop and maintain interstate fishery management plans 
for interjurisdictional fisheries will be divided equally among the 
Commissions.