16 USC 1827a – Prohibition on sale of billfish
(a) Prohibition
No person shall offer for sale, sell, or have custody, control, or possession of for purposes of offering for sale or selling billfish or products containing billfish.
(b) Penalty
Terms Used In 16 USC 1827a
- fish: means finfish, mollusks, crustaceans, and all other forms of marine animal and plant life other than marine mammals and birds. See 16 USC 1802
- fishing: means &mdash. See 16 USC 1802
- foreign fishing: means fishing by a vessel other than a vessel of the United States. See 16 USC 1802
- person: means any individual (whether or not a citizen or national of the United States), any corporation, partnership, association, or other entity (whether or not organized or existing under the laws of any State), and any Federal, State, local, or foreign government or any entity of any such government. See 16 USC 1802
- State: means each of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and any other Commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States. See 16 USC 1802
For purposes of section 1858(a) of this title, a violation of this section shall be treated as an act prohibited by section 1857 of this title.
(c) Exemptions for traditional fisheries and markets
(1) Subsection (a) does not apply to billfish caught by US fishing vessels and landed and retained in the State of Hawaii or Pacific Insular Areas as defined in section 1802(35) of this title.
(2) Subsection (a) does not apply to billfish landed by foreign fishing vessels in the Pacific Insular Areas when the foreign caught billfish is exported to non-US markets or retained within Hawaii and the Pacific Insular Areas for local consumption.
(d) Billfish defined
In this section the term “billfish”—
(1) means any fish of the species—
(A) Makaira nigricans (blue marlin);
(B) Kajikia audax (striped marlin);
(C) Istiompax indica (black marlin);
(D) Istiophorus platypterus (sailfish);
(E) Tetrapturus angustirostris (shortbill spearfish);
(F) Kajikia albida (white marlin);
(G) Tetrapturus georgii (roundscale spearfish);
(H) Tetrapturus belone (Mediterranean spearfish); and
(I) Tetrapturus pfluegeri (longbill spearfish); and
(2) does not include the species Xiphias gladius (swordfish).