(a) Applicability. This section applies to the following categories of fishing vessels:

(1) Any fishing vessel of the United States with a WCPFC Area Endorsement.

(2) Any fishing vessel of the United States for which a WCPFC Area Endorsement is required.

(3) Any fishing vessel of the United States used for commercial fishing that receives or offloads in the Convention Area a transshipment of HMS at sea.

(b) Notifications. (1) If a fishing vessel of the United States used for commercial fishing for HMS in the Convention Area intends to conduct transshipments at sea, the owner or operator of that fishing vessel is required to carry a WCPFC observer under paragraph (d) of this section during the fishing trip and shall notify the Pacific Islands Regional Administrator of the need for a WCPFC observer at least 72 hours (exclusive of weekends and Federal holidays) before the vessel leaves port on the fishing trip. The notice shall be provided to the Observer Placement Contact specified by the Pacific Islands Regional Administrator and must include the official number of the vessel, the name of the vessel, the intended departure date, time, and location, the name of the operator of the vessel, and a telephone number at which the owner, operator, or a designated agent may be contacted during the business day (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time). If applicable, this notice may be provided in conjunction with the notice required under § 665.803(a) of this title.

(2) In order to obtain a WCPFC observer on a fishing trip departing from American Samoa, the owner or operator of a fishing vessel of the United States equipped with purse seine gear shall provide the Pacific Islands Regional Administrator with the following information before departure on the fishing trip, at least five days (exclusive of weekends and Federal holidays) before the owner or operator of the fishing vessel's intended departure: The name of the vessel; name of the operator of the vessel; a telephone number or email at which the owner or operator may be contacted; and the intended departure date. This information shall be provided to the address specified by the Pacific Islands Regional Administrator.

(c) Accommodating observers. (1) Fishing vessels specified in paragraphs (a)(1) and (2) of this section must carry, when directed to do so by NMFS, a WCPFC observer on fishing trips during which the vessel at any time enters or is within any part of the Convention Area other than the Overlap Area. The operator and each member of the crew of the fishing vessel shall act in accordance with paragraphs (c)(3), (4), and (5) of this section with respect to any WCPFC observer.

(2) Fishing vessels specified in paragraph (a)(3) of this section must carry an observer when required to do so under paragraph (d) of this section, except for within the Overlap Area. The operator and each member of the crew of the fishing vessel shall act in accordance with paragraphs (c)(3), (4), and (5) of this section, as applicable, with respect to any WCPFC observer.

(3) The operator and crew shall allow and assist WCPFC observers to:

(i) Embark at a place and time determined by NMFS or otherwise agreed to by NMFS and the vessel operator;

(ii) Have access to and use of all facilities and equipment as necessary to conduct observer duties, including, but not limited to: Full access to the bridge, the fish on board, and areas which may be used to hold, process, weigh and store fish; full access to the vessel's records, including its logs and documentation, for the purpose of inspection and copying; access to, and use of, navigational equipment, charts and radios; and access to other information relating to fishing;

(iii) Remove samples;

(iv) Disembark at a place and time determined by NMFS or otherwise agreed to by NMFS and the vessel operator; and

(v) Carry out all duties safely.

(4) The operator shall provide the WCPFC observer, while on board the vessel, with food, accommodation and medical facilities of a reasonable standard equivalent to those normally available to an officer on board the vessel, at no expense to the WCPFC observer.

(5) The operator and crew shall not assault, obstruct, resist, delay, refuse boarding to, intimidate, harass or interfere with WCPFC observers in the performance of their duties, or attempt to do any of the same.

(d) Transshipment observer coverage—(1) Receiving vessels. Any fishing vessel of the United States used for commercial fishing that receives in the Convention Area a transshipment of HMS at sea must have a WCPFC observer on board during such transshipment unless at least one of the following sets of conditions applies:

(i) The vessel is less than or equal to 33 meters in registered length, the transshipment does not include any fish caught by purse seine gear, the transshipment does not include any frozen fish caught by longline gear, and, during the transshipment, there is a WCPFC observer on board the vessel that offloads the transshipment;

(ii) The transshipment takes place entirely within the territorial seas or archipelagic waters of any nation, as defined by the domestic laws and regulations of that nation and recognized by the United States, or entirely within the Overlap Area, and only includes fish caught in such waters; or

(iii) The transshipment is an emergency, as specified under § 300.216(b)(4); or

(iv) The Pacific Islands Regional Administrator has by temporary specification published in the Federal Register modified or suspended the requirement to carry an observer for transshipments in accordance with § 300.228.

(2) Offloading vessels. Any fishing vessel of the United States used for commercial fishing that offloads a transshipment of HMS at sea in the Convention Area must have a WCPFC observer on board, unless one or more of the following conditions apply:

(i) The vessel that receives the transshipment has a WCPFC observer on board;

(ii) The vessel that receives the transshipment is greater than 33 meters in registered length;

(iii) The transshipment includes fish caught by purse seine gear;

(iv) The transshipment includes frozen fish caught by longline gear;

(v) The transshipment takes place entirely within the territorial seas or archipelagic waters of any nation, as defined by the domestic laws and regulations of that nation and recognized by the United States, or entirely within the Overlap Area, and only includes fish caught in such waters; or

(vi) The transshipment is an emergency, as specified under § 300.216(b)(4); or

(vii) The Pacific Islands Regional Administrator has by temporary specification published in the Federal Register modified or suspended the requirement to carry an observer for transshipments in accordance with § 300.228.

(e) Related observer requirements. Observers deployed by NMFS pursuant to regulations issued under other statutory authorities on vessels used for fishing for HMS in the Convention Area will be deemed by NMFS to have been deployed pursuant to this section.

(f) Observer safety. The following requirements apply when a WCPFC observer is on a fishing trip operating under the Commission's Regional Observer Programme.

(1) The owner or operator of a fishing vessel of the United States shall immediately report the serious illness that threatens the health or safety of a WCPFC observer to the U.S Government contact on the list provided by the Pacific Islands Regional Administrator at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/commercial-fishing/western-and-central-pacific-longline-and-purse-seine-vessels. In addition, the owner or operator of the fishing vessel must:

(i) Immediately cease fishing operations;

(ii) Take all reasonable actions to care for the observer and provide any medical treatment available and possible on board the vessel, and where appropriate seek external medical advice;

(iii) Where directed by the observer provider, if not already directed by the appropriate U.S. Government contact, facilitate the disembarkation and transport of the observer to a medical facility equipped to provide the required care, as soon as practicable; and

(iv) Cooperate fully in any official investigations into the cause of the illness.

(2) In the event that a WCPFC observer on a fishing vessel of the United States has been assaulted, intimidated, threatened, or harassed, the owner or operator of the fishing vessel shall immediately notify the U.S. Government contact and observer program contact on the list provided by the Pacific Islands Regional Administrator at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/commercial-fishing/western-and-central-pacific-longline-and-purse-seine-vessels of the situation and the status and location of the observer. In addition, the owner or operator of the fishing vessel must:

(i) Immediately take action to preserve the safety of the observer and mitigate and resolve the situation on board;

(ii) If the observer or the observer provider indicate that they wish to be removed from the vessel, facilitate the safe disembarkation of the observer in a manner and place, as agreed by the observer provider and a U.S. Government contact, that facilitates access to any needed medical treatment; and

(iii) Cooperate fully in any official investigations into the incident.

[77 FR 71509, Dec. 3, 2012, as amended at 85 FR 37388, June 22, 2020; 86 FR 31180, June 11, 2021; 86 FR 35658, July 7, 2021]