(a) Where and when to apply. Claims must be submitted to the Office Director, Office of Marine Conservation, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Room 7820, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC 20520-7818. Claims must be submitted within ninety (90) days after the vessel’s release. Requests for extension of the filing deadline must be in writing and approved by the Office Director, Office of Marine Conservation, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(b) Contents of claim. All material allegations of a claim must be supported by documentary evidence. Foreign language documents must be accompanied by an authenticated English translation. Claims must include:

(1) The captain’s sworn statement about the exact location and activity of the vessel when seized;

(2) Certified copies of charges, hearings, and findings by the government seizing the vessel;

(3) A detailed computation of all actual costs directly resulting from the seizure and detention, supported by receipts, affidavits, or other documentation acceptable to the Office Director, Office of Marine Conservation, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs;

(4) A detailed computation of lost income claimed, including:

(i) The date and time seized and released;

(ii) The number of miles and running time from the point of seizure to the point of detention;

(iii) The total fishing time lost (explain in detail if lost fishing time claimed is any greater than the elapsed time from seizure to the time required after release to return to the point of seizure);

(iv) The tonnage of catch on board at the time of seizure;

(v) The vessel’s average catch-per-day’s fishing for the three calendar years preceding the seizure;

(vi) The vessel’s average downtime between fishing trips for the three calendar years preceding the seizure; and

(vii) The price-per-pound for the catch on the first day the vessel returns to port after the seizure and detention unless there is a pre-negotiated price-per-pound with a processor, in which case the pre-negotiated price must be documented; and

(5) Documentation for confiscated, damaged, destroyed, or stolen equipment, including:

(i) The date and cost of acquisition supported by invoices or other acceptable proof of ownership; and

(ii) An estimate from a commercial source of the replacement or repair cost.

(c) Burden of proof. The claimant has the burden of proving all aspects of the claim, except in cases of dispute over the facts of the seizure where the claimant shall have the presumption that the seizure was eligible unless there is clear and convincing credible evidence that the seizure did not meet the eligibility standards of the Act.