Rule2026-07610

Regulations Governing the Taking and Importing of Marine Mammals

Primary source

Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.

Published
April 20, 2026

Issuing agencies

Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 75 (Monday, April 20, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 75 (Monday, April 20, 2026)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 20939-20940]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-07610]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 216


Regulations Governing the Taking and Importing of Marine Mammals

CFR Correction

    This rule is being published by the Office of the Federal Register 
to correct an editorial or technical error that appeared in the most 
recent annual revision of the Code of Federal Regulations.

0
In Title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations, parts 200 to 227, 
revised as of October 1, 2025, in section 216.3, reinstate the 
definition of ``Export fishery'' in alphabetical order to read as 
follows:


Sec.  216.3  Definitions.

* * * * *
    Export fishery means a foreign commercial fishing operation 
determined by the Assistant Administrator to be the source of exports 
of commercial fish and fish products to the United States and to have 
more than a remote likelihood of incidental mortality and serious 
injury of marine mammals (as defined in the definition of an ``exempt 
fishery'') in the course of its commercial fishing operations. Where 
reliable information has not been provided by the harvesting nation on 
the frequency of incidental mortality and serious injury of marine 
mammals caused by the commercial fishing operation, the Assistant 
Administrator may determine whether the likelihood of incidental 
mortality and serious injury is more than ``remote'' by evaluating 
information concerning factors such as fishing techniques, gear used, 
methods used to deter marine mammals, target species, seasons and areas 
fished, qualitative data from logbooks or fisher reports, stranding 
data, and the species and distribution of marine mammals in the area, 
or other factors at the discretion of the Assistant Administrator that 
may inform whether the likelihood of incidental mortality and serious 
injury of marine mammals caused by the commercial fishing operation is 
more than ``remote.'' Commercial fishing operations not specifically 
identified in the current List of Foreign Fisheries as either exempt or 
export fisheries are deemed to be export fisheries until the next List 
of Foreign Fisheries is published unless the Assistant Administrator 
has reliable information from the harvesting nation to properly

[[Page 20940]]

classify the foreign commercial fishing operation. Additionally, the 
Assistant Administrator, may request additional information from the 
harvesting nation and may consider other relevant information as set 
forth in Sec.  216.24(h)(3) about such commercial fishing operations 
and the frequency of incidental mortality and serious injury of marine 
mammals, to properly classify the foreign commercial fishing operation.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2026-07610 Filed 4-17-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 0099-10-P


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Indexed from Federal Register on April 20, 2026.

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