Title 16ConservationRelease 119-73not60

§7404 Authorization or Denial of Port Entry

Title 16 › Chapter 93— AGREEMENT ON PORT STATE MEASURES TO PREVENT, DETER AND ELIMINATE ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED AND UNREGULATED FISHING › § 7404

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Vessels that are not officially documented or numbered under U.S. law must send certain information to the Secretary who deals with the Coast Guard before arriving at a U.S. port. That Secretary passes the information to the other Secretary who decides whether the vessel may enter. The deciding Secretary tells both the Coast Guard Secretary and the vessel. Entry can be denied if the vessel is on a listed illegal, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) fishing list, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe it engaged in IUU fishing, supported such fishing, or broke this law. If one of those vessels is already in a U.S. port, the Coast Guard must refuse use of the port for things like landing fish, transshipping, refueling, resupplying, maintenance, or drydocking when the vessel entered without authorization, is a listed IUU vessel, is not registered to any country, its flag country won’t confirm the catch met international rules, or there are reasonable grounds it lacked proper fishing permissions or broke rules — unless it proves it followed the rules or that any vessel it supplied was not a listed IUU vessel. Entry or port services may still be allowed for crew safety or health, to scrap the vessel, or for inspection or enforcement.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §7404

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)A vessel described in paragraph (2) seeking entry to a port that is subject to the jurisdiction of the United States must submit to the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating information as required under the Agreement in advance of its arrival in port. The Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall provide that information to the Secretary.
(2)A vessel referred to in paragraph (1) is any vessel that—
(A)is not documented under chapter 121 of title 46; and
(B)is not numbered under chapter 123 of that title.
(b)(1)The Secretary shall decide, based on the information submitted under subsection (a), whether to authorize or deny port entry by the vessel, and shall communicate such decision to—
(A)the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating; and
(B)the vessel or its representative.
(2)The Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall authorize or deny entry to vessels to which such a decision applies.
(3)The Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating may deny entry to any vessel to which such a decision applies—
(A)that is described in subsection (a)(2); and
(B)that—
(i)is a listed IUU vessel; or
(ii)the Secretary of Commerce has reasonable grounds to believe—
(I)has engaged in IUU fishing or fishing-related activities in support of such fishing; or
(II)has violated this chapter.
(c)If a vessel described in subsection (a)(2) is in a port that is subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, at the request of the Secretary, shall deny such vessel the use of the port for landing, transshipment, packaging and processing of fish, refueling, resupplying, maintenance, and drydocking, if—
(1)the vessel entered without authorization under subsection (b);
(2)the vessel is a listed IUU vessel;
(3)the vessel is not documented under the laws of another nation;
(4)the flag nation of the vessel has failed to provide confirmation requested by the Secretary that the fish on board were taken in accordance with applicable RFMO conservation and management measures; or
(5)the Secretary has reasonable grounds to believe—
(A)the vessel lacks valid authorizations to engage in fishing or fishing-related activities as required by its flag nation or the relevant coastal nation;
(B)the fish on board were taken in violation of foreign law or in contravention of any RFMO conservation and management measure; or
(C)the vessel has engaged in IUU fishing or fishing-related activities in support of such fishing, including in support of a listed IUU vessel, unless it can establish that—
(i)it was acting in a manner consistent with applicable RFMO conservation and management measures; or
(ii)in the case of the provision of personnel, fuel, gear, and other supplies at sea, the vessel provisioned was not, at the time of provisioning, a listed IUU vessel.
(d)Notwithstanding subsections (b) and (c), the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating may allow port entry or the use of port services—
(1)if they are essential to the safety or health of the crew or safety of the vessel;
(2)to allow, where appropriate, for the scrapping of the vessel; or
(3)pursuant to an inspection or other enforcement action.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 7404

Title 16Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60