(a) Purpose. Articles III(5), IV(6), and IV(7) of the Treaty set out the conditions under which a Management Authority may issue an introduction-from-the-sea certificate.

(b) U.S. application form. Complete Form 3-200-31 and submit it to the U.S. Management Authority.

(c) Criteria. The criteria in this paragraph (c) apply to the issuance and acceptance of U.S. certificates. You must provide sufficient information for us to find that your proposed activity meets all of the following criteria:

(d) Exemption. As allowed under Article XIV(4) and (5) of the Treaty, you may directly introduce into the United States any Appendix-II wildlife or plant taken in the marine environment that is not under the jurisdiction of any country without a CITES document when all of the following conditions are met:

(1) The United States is a party to an international treaty, convention, or agreement that affords protection to the species and was in force on July 1, 1975.

(2) The ship that harvested the specimen is registered in the United States.

(3) The specimen was taken in accordance with the other international treaty, convention, or agreement, including any quotas.

(4) The shipment is accompanied by any official document required under the other international treaty, convention, or agreement or otherwise required by U.S. law.

(e) Export of exempt specimens. To export a specimen exempted under paragraph (d) of this section, you must obtain a CITES document from the U.S. Management Authority that indicates the specimen was taken in accordance with the provisions of the other international treaty, convention, or agreement that was in force on July 1, 1975. See requirements in §23.36 (e) through (g).

(f) Appendix III. Appendix-III species introduced from the sea do not require introduction-from-the-sea certificates. However, the subsequent international trade of an Appendix-III specimen introduced from the sea would be considered an export requiring a CITES document (see §23.20(f)).