(a) General.

(1) The owner, operator, or any person aboard any FFV subject to this subpart must immediately comply with instructions and signals issued by an authorized officer to stop the FFV; to move the FFV to a specified location; and to facilitate safe boarding and inspection of the vessel, its gear, equipment, records, and fish and fish products on board for purposes of enforcing the Magnuson-Stevens Act and this subpart.

(2) The operator of each FFV must provide vessel position or other information when requested by an authorized officer within the time specified in the request.

(b) Communications equipment.

(1) Each FFV must be equipped with a VHF-FM radiotelephone station located so that it may be operated from the wheelhouse. Each operator must maintain a continuous listening watch on channel 16 (156.8 mHz).

(2) Each FFV must be equipped with a radiotelephone station capable of communicating via 2182 kHz (SSB) radiotelephony and at least one set of working frequencies identified in table 3 to §600.502 appropriate to the fishery in which the FFV is operating. Each operator must monitor and be ready to communicate via 2182 kHz (SSB) radiotelephone each day from 0800 GMT to 0830 GMT and 2000 to 2030 GMT, and in preparation for boarding.

(3) FFV's that are not equipped with processing facilities and that deliver all catches to a foreign processing vessel are exempt from the requirements of paragraph (b)(2) of this section.

(4) FFV's with no IRCS that do not catch fish and are used as auxiliary vessels to handle codends, nets, equipment, or passengers for a processing vessel are exempt from the requirements of paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2) of this section.

(5) The appropriate Regional Administrator, with the agreement of the appropriate USCG commander, may, upon request by a foreign nation, accept alternatives to the radio requirements of this section to certain FFV's or types of FFV's operating in a fishery, provided they are adequate for the communications needs of the fishery.

(c) Communications procedures.

(1) Upon being approached by a USCG vessel or aircraft, or other vessel or aircraft with an authorized officer aboard, the operator of any FFV subject to this subpart must be alert for communications conveying enforcement instructions. The enforcement unit may communicate by channel 16 VHF-FM radiotelephone, 2182 kHz (SSB) radiotelephone, message block from an aircraft, flashing light or flag signals from the International Code of Signals, hand signal, placard, loudhailer, or other appropriate means. The following signals, extracted from the International Code of Signals, are among those that may be used.

(i) “AA, AA, AA, etc.”, which is the call for an unknown station. The signaled vessel should respond by identifying itself or by illuminating the vessel identification required by §600.505.

(ii) “RY-CY”, meaning “You should proceed at slow speed, a boat is coming to you”.

(iii) “SQ3”, meaning “You should stop or heave to; I am going to board you”.

(iv) “L”, meaning “You should stop your vessel instantly.”

(2) Failure of an FFV's operator to stop the vessel when directed to do so by an authorized officer using VHF-FM radiotelephone (channel 16), 2182 kHz (SSB) radiotelephone (where required), message block from an aircraft, flashing light signal, flaghoist, or loudhailer constitutes a violation of this subpart.

(3) The operator of or any person aboard an FFV who does not understand a signal from an enforcement unit and who is unable to obtain clarification by radiotelephone or other means must consider the signal to be a command to stop the FFV instantly.

(d) Boarding. The operator of an FFV signaled for boarding must—

(1) Monitor 2182 kHz (SSB) radiotelephone and channel 16 (156.8 mHz) VHF-FM radiotelephone.

(2) Stop immediately and lay to or maneuver in such a way as to maintain the safety of the FFV and facilitate boarding by the authorized officer and the boarding party or an observer.

(3) Provide the authorized officer, boarding party, or observer a safe pilot ladder. The operator must ensure the pilot ladder is securely attached to the FFV and meets the construction requirements of Regulation 17, Chapter V of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974 (TIAS 9700 and 1978 Protocol, TIAS 10009), or a substantially equivalent national standard approved by letter from the Assistant Administrator, with agreement with the USCG. Safe pilot ladder standards are summarized below:

(i) The ladder must be of a single length of not more than 9 m (30 ft), capable of reaching the water from the point of access to the FFV, accounting for all conditions of loading and trim of the FFV and for an adverse list of 15°. Whenever the distance from sea level to the point of access to the ship is more than 9 m (30 ft), access must be by means of an accommodation ladder or other safe and convenient means.

(ii) The steps of the pilot ladder must be—

(A) Of hardwood, or other material of equivalent properties, made in one piece free of knots, having an efficient non-slip surface; the four lowest steps may be made of rubber of sufficient strength and stiffness or of other suitable material of equivalent characteristics.

(B) Not less than 480 mm (19 inches) long, 115 mm (4.5 inches) wide, and 25 mm (1 inch) in depth, excluding any non-slip device.

(C) Equally spaced not less than 300 millimeters (12 inches) nor more than 380 mm (15 inches) apart and secured in such a manner that they will remain horizontal.

(iii) No pilot ladder may have more than two replacement steps that are secured in position by a method different from that used in the original construction of the ladder.

(iv) The side ropes of the ladder must consist of two uncovered manila ropes not less than 60 mm (2.25 inches) in circumference on each side (or synthetic ropes of equivalent size and equivalent or greater strength). Each rope must be continuous, with no joints below the top step.

(v) Battens made of hardwood, or other material of equivalent properties, in one piece and not less than 1.80 m (5 ft 10 inches) long must be provided at such intervals as will prevent the pilot ladder from twisting. The lowest batten must be on the fifth step from the bottom of the ladder and the interval between any batten and the next must not exceed nine steps.

(vi) Where passage onto or off the ship is by means of a bulwark ladder, two handhold stanchions must be fitted at the point of boarding or leaving the FFV not less than 0.70 m (2 ft 3 inches) nor more than 0.80 m (2 ft 7 inches) apart, not less than 40 mm (2.5 inches) in diameter, and must extend not less than 1.20 m (3 ft 11 inches) above the top of the bulwark.

(4) When necessary to facilitate the boarding or when requested by an authorized officer or observer, provide a manrope, safety line, and illumination for the ladder; and

(5) Take such other actions as necessary to ensure the safety of the authorized officer and the boarding party and to facilitate the boarding and inspection.

(e) Access and records.

(1) The owner and operator of each FFV must provide authorized officers access to all spaces where work is conducted or business papers and records are prepared or stored, including but not limited to, personal quarters and areas within personal quarters.

(2) The owner and operator of each FFV must provide to authorized officers all records and documents pertaining to the fishing activities of the vessel, including but not limited to, production records, fishing logs, navigation logs, transfer records, product receipts, cargo stowage plans or records, draft or displacement calculations, customs documents or records, and an accurate hold plan reflecting the current structure of the vessel's storage and factory spaces.

(f) Product storage. The operator of each permitted FFV storing fish or fish products in a storage space must ensure that all non-fish product items are neither stowed beneath nor covered by fish products, unless required to maintain the stability and safety of the vessel. These items include, but are not limited to, portable conveyors, exhaust fans, ladders, nets, fuel bladders, extra bin boards, or other movable non-product items. These items may be in the space when necessary for safety of the vessel or crew or for storage of the product. Lumber, bin boards, or other dunnage may be used for shoring or bracing of product to ensure safety of crew and to prevent shifting of cargo within the space.

[61 FR 32540, June 24, 1996, as amended at 63 FR 7075, Feb. 12, 1998]