Owners and operators of U.S. vessels subject to inspection under §635.23 are hereby notified that the ICCAT recommendation establishing a scheme for minimum standards for inspection in port requires that:

(a) Upon completion of the inspection, the authorized officer shall provide the Master of the U.S. fishing vessel with the inspection report containing the findings of the inspection, including any violations found and possible subsequent measures that could be taken by the foreign ICCAT contracting or cooperating non-contracting party. The Master of the U.S. vessel is entitled to add or have added to the report any comments or objections, and to add his or her own signature as an acknowledgement of receipt,

(b) Copies of the inspection report shall also be provided by the port State to the ICCAT Secretariat and, as appropriate, to NMFS and other contracting or cooperating non-contracting parties of ICCAT,

(c) Any enforcement action taken by the foreign ICCAT contracting or cooperating non-contracting party in response to an infringement shall be reported to the United States and to the ICCAT Secretariat, and

(d) The foreign ICCAT contracting or cooperating non-contracting party shall refer any infringements found that do not fall within its jurisdiction, or with respect to which it has not taken action, to the flag State of the vessel (i.e., to NMFS).

[79 FR 72560, Dec. 8, 2014]