Tap any paragraph to write a margin note. Your notes collect in the Desk below the text and file under cases with @. The side-by-side margin rail opens on a larger screen.

Code · U.S. Code · Title 46 - SHIPPING · CHAPTER 551— COASTWISE TRADE · § 55114

§ 55114. Unloading fish from foreign vessels

444 words·~2 min read·/usc/title-46/section-55114

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

(a)Prohibitions.— Except as otherwise provided by this section or a treaty or convention to which the United States is a party, a foreign vessel may not unload, in a port of the United States—
(1)its catch of fish taken on board on the high seas or fish products processed from that catch of fish; or
(2)fish or fish products taken on board that vessel on the high seas from a vessel engaged in fishing operations or the processing of fish or fish products.
(b)Regulations on Obtaining Information.— The Secretary of Commerce may prescribe regulations the Secretary considers necessary to obtain information on the transportation of fish products by vessels of the United States for foreign fish processing vessels to points in the United States.
(c)Virgin Islands.—
(1)In general.— A foreign vessel of not more than 50 feet overall in length may unload its catch of fresh fish (whole or with the heads, viscera, or fins removed, but not frozen, otherwise processed, or further advanced) in a port of the Virgin Islands for immediate consumption in those islands. Fish unloaded under this paragraph may be sold or transferred only for immediate consumption. In the absence of satisfactory evidence that a sale or transfer to an agent, representative, or employee of a freezer or cannery is for immediate consumption, the sale or transfer is deemed not to be for immediate consumption. This paragraph does not prohibit the freezing, smoking, or other processing of fresh fish by the ultimate consumer of the fish.
(2)Seizure, forfeiture, and penalty.— Fish unloaded in the Virgin Islands that are retained, sold, or transferred, except as allowed by paragraph (1), are liable to seizure by and forfeiture to the United States Government. A person retaining, selling, transferring, buying, or receiving the fish is liable to the Government for a civil penalty of not more than $1,000 for each violation. A penalty or forfeiture under this paragraph may be compromised, modified, or remitted under section 2107(b) of this title.
(d)Northern Mariana Islands.— Subsection
(a)does not apply to the Northern Mariana Islands.
(Pub. L. 109–304, § 8(c), Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1639.)
In subsection (a), before paragraph (1), the words “whether documented as a cargo vessel or otherwise” are omitted as unnecessary.
In subsection (c)(2), the words “severally” and “in addition to any other penalty provided in law” are omitted as unnecessary. The last sentence is substituted for 46 App. U.S.C. 251a.
Subsection
(d)is based on section 503(b) of the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union With the United States of America (48 U.S.C. 1801 note).
Connections3 cite this · traces to 2
2 references not yet in our index
  • Pub. L. 109–304, § 8(c)
  • 120 Stat. 1639
Citation graph
cites case law
§ 55114
Unloading fish from foreign vessels
Fed. Reg.×2
U.S.C.×1
Pub. L.Pub. L. 109–304, § 8(c)
Stat.120 Stat. 1639
Cites 4Cited by 3 across 2 sources
★   the supreme law of the land   ★
Don't Tread on Me
E Pluribus Unum — out of many, one

"If you don't know your rights, you don't have any."

Marginalia · a citizen's law index
A research desk, not legal advice. Always read the cited source before relying on a summary.
Questions or an issue? support@self-law.org
disclaimerMarginalia is a research index, not a law firm. Nothing on this site is legal, tax, or financial advice and no attorney–client relationship is formed by using it. Statutes, regulations, and case law change; summaries, search results, AI output, and member posts may be incomplete, out of date, or wrong. Any interpretation drawn from material on this site should be validated by a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before you act on it.