§ 300.103 - Scientific research.

§ 300.103 Procedure for according protection to CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program SitesScientific research.

(a) General.

(1) Any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States must apply for and be granted an entry permit authorizing specific activities prior to entering a CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP) Protected Site designated in accordance with the CCAMLR Conservation Measure describing the Procedures for According Protection for CEMP Sites.

(2) If a CEMP Protected Site is also a site specially protected under the Antarctic Treaty (or the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and its Annexes, when it enters into force), an applicant seeking to enter such a Protected Site must apply to the Director of the NSF for a permit under applicable provisions of the ACA or any superseding legislation. The permit granted by NSF shall constitute a joint CEMP/ACA Protected Site permit and any person holding such a permit must comply with the appropriate CEMP Protected Site Management Plan. In all other cases, an applicant seeking a permit to enter a CEMP Protected Site must apply to the Assistant Administrator for a CEMP permit in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(b) Responsibility of CEMP permit holders and persons designated as agents under a CEMP permit.

(1) The CEMP permit holder and person designated as agents under a CEMP permit are jointly and severally responsible for compliance with the Act, this subpart, and any permit issued under this subpart.

(2) The CEMP permit holder and agents designated under a CEMP permit are responsible for the acts of their employees and agents constituting violations, regardless of whether the specific acts were authorized or forbidden by the CEMP permit holder or agents, and regardless of knowledge concerning their occurrence.

(c) Prohibitions regarding the Antarctic Treaty System and other applicable treaties and statutes. Holders of permits to enter CEMP Protected Sites are not permitted to undertake any activities within a CEMP Protected Site that are not in compliance with the provisions of:

(1) The Antarctic Treaty, including the Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora (including the Protocol on the Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and its Annexes when it enters into force), as implemented under by the ACA and any superseding legislation. (Persons interested in conducting activities subject to the Antarctic Treaty or the Protocol should contact the Office of Polar Programs, NSF).

(2) The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals.

(3) The Convention and its Conservation Measures in force, implemented under the Act.

(d) Prohibitions on takings. Permits issued under this section do not authorize any takings as defined in the applicable statutes and implementing regulations governing the activities of persons in Antarctica.

(e) Issuance criteria. Permits designated in this section may be issued by the Assistant Administrator upon a determination that:

(1) The specific activities meet the requirements of the Act.

(2) There is sufficient reason, established in the permit application, that the scientific purpose for the intended entry cannot be served elsewhere.

(3) The actions permitted will not violate any provisions or prohibitions of the Protected Site's Management Plan submitted in compliance with the CCAMLR Conservation Measure describing the Procedures for According Protection to CEMP Sites.

(f) Application process. An applicant seeking a CEMP permit from the Assistant Administrator to enter a CEMP Protected Site shall include the following in the application.

(1) A detailed justification that the scientific objectives of the applicant cannot be accomplished elsewhere and a description of how said objectives will be accomplished within the terms of the Protected Site's Management Plan.

(2) A statement signed by the applicant that the applicant has read and fully understands the provisions and prohibitions of the Protected Site's Management Plan. Prospective applicants may obtain copies of the relevant Management Plans and the CCAMLR Conservation Measure describing the Procedures for According Protection to CEMP Sites by requesting them from the Assistant Administrator.

(g) Conditions. CEMP permits issued under this section will contain special and general conditions including a condition that the permit holder shall submit a report describing the activities conducted under the permit within 30 days of the expiration of the CEMP permit.

(h) Duration. Permits issued under this section are valid for a period of up to five years. Applicants requesting a permit to reenter a Protected Site must include the most recent report required by the general condition in the previously issued CEMP permit describing the activities conducted under authority of that permit.

(i) Transfer. CEMP permits are not transferable or assignable. A CEMP permit is valid only for the person to whom it is issued.

(j) Modification.

(1) CEMP permits can be modified by submitting a request to the Assistant Administrator. Such requests shall specify:

(i) The action proposed to be taken along with a summary of the reasons therefore.

(ii) The steps that the permit holder may take to demonstrate or achieve compliance with all lawful requirements.

(2) If a requested modification is not in compliance with the terms of the Protected Site's Management Plan, the Assistant Administrator will treat the requested modification as an application for a new CEMP permit and so notify the holder. Modifications will be acted upon within 30 days of receipt. The CEMP permit holder must report to the Assistant Administrator any change in previously submitted information within 10 days of the change.

(3) Additional conditions and restrictions. The Assistant Administrator may revise the CEMP permit effective upon notification of the permit holder, to impose additional conditions and restrictions as necessary to achieve the purposes of the Convention, the Act and the CEMP Management Plan. The CEMP permit holder must, as soon as possible, notify any and all agents operating under the permit of any and all revisions or modifications to the permit.

(k) Revocation or suspension. CEMP permits may be revoked or suspended based upon information received by the Assistant Administrator and such revocation or suspension shall be effective upon notification to the permit holder.

(1) A CEMP permit may be revoked or suspended based on a violation of the permit, the Act, or this subpart.

(2) Failure to report a change in the information submitted in a CEMP permit application within 10 days of the change is a violation of this subpart and voids the application or permit, as applicable. Title 15 CFR part 904 governs permit sanctions under this subpart.

(l) Exceptions. Entry into a Protected Site described in this section is lawful if committed under emergency conditions to prevent the loss of human life, compromise human safety, prevent the loss of vessels or aircraft, or to prevent environmental damage.

(m) Protected sites.

(1) Sites protected by the Antarctic Treaty and regulated under the ACA are listed at 45 CFR part 670 subparts G and H.

(2) The following sites have been identified as CEMP Protected Sites subject to the regulatory authority of the Act:

(i) Seal Islands, South Shetland Islands - The Seal Islands are composed of islands and skerries located approximately 7 km north of the northwest corner of Elephant Island, South Shetland Islands. The Seal Islands CEMP Protected Site includes the entire Seal Islands group, which is defined as Seal Island plus any land or rocks exposed at mean low tide within a distance of 5.5 km of the point of highest elevation on Seal Island. Seal Island is situated at 60°59′14″ S. lat., 55°23′04″ W. long.

(ii) Cape Shirreff and the San Telmo Islands. This designation takes effect on May 1, 1995. Cape Shirreff is a low, ice-free peninsula towards the western end of the north coast of Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, situated at 62°29′ S. lat., 60°47′ W. long., between Barclay Bay and Hero Bay. San Telmo Island is the largest of a small group of ice-free rock islets, approximately 2 km west of Cape Shirreff. The boundaries of the Cape Shirreff CEMP Protected Site are identical to the boundaries of the Site of Special Scientific Interest No. 32, as specified by ATCM Recommendation XV-7. No manmade boundary markers indicate the limits of the SSSI or protected site. The boundaries are defined by natural features and include the entire area of the Cape Shirreff peninsula north of the glacier ice tongue margin, and most of the San Telmo Island group. For the purposes of the protected site, the entire area of Cape Shirreff and the San Telmo Island group is defined as any land or rocks exposed at mean low tide within the area delimited by the map of SSSI No. 32 and available from the Assistant Administrator.

[61 FR 35550, July 5, 1996, as amended at 68 FR 23227, May 1, 2003]

This section applies to any person, using a vessel for research purposes, who intends to catch more than 1 tonne of finfish or krill or use gear other than longline, trawl, or pot to catch Dissostichus spp.

(b) Any person planning to use a vessel for research purposes, when the estimated research catch is expected to be less than 50 tonnes of finfish in a season, and no more than the amounts specified in Table 1, must notify the Assistant Administrator at least 2 months in advance of the planned research using the CCAMLR Format for Notification of Research Vessel Activity, Format 1. A copy of the format is available from NMFS Headquarters. The format requires:

(1) Name and registration number of vessel;

(2) Division and subarea in which research is to be carried out;

(3) Estimated dates of entering and leaving the Convention Area;

(4) Purposes of research; and

(5) Fishing equipment to be used (bottom trawl, midwater trawl, longline, crab pots, other).

Table 1—Taxa-Specific Thresholds for Notification of Research Vessel Activity

Taxon	Gear type	Expected catch
Thresholds for finfish taxa:
Dissostichus spp	Longline	5 tonnes.
	Trawl	5 tonnes.
	Pot	5 tonnes.
	Other	0 tonnes.
Champsocephalus gunnari	All	10 tonnes.
Thresholds for non-finfish taxa:
Krill	All	0.1 percent of the catch limit for a given area.
Squid
Crabs

(c) Any person planning to use any vessel for research purposes, when the estimated research catch is expected to be more than 50 tonnes or greater than the amounts specified in Table 1 must report the details of the research plan to NMFS using CCAMLR Format 2 for Notification of Research Vessel Activity. The format must be submitted to Assistant Administrator at least 7 months in advance of the planned start date for the research. A copy of the format is available from NMFS Headquarters. The format requires:

(1) Description of the main objective of the research;

(2) Description of the fishery operations;

(3) Description of the survey design, data collection, and analysis;

(4) Proposed catch limit;

(5) Description of the research capability; and

(6) Description of the reporting for evaluation and review.

(d) Where the expected catch is more than 50 tonnes of fish or greater than the amounts specified in Table 1, the planned fishing for research purposes shall not proceed until the Assistant Administrator authorizes the person in writing that he or she may proceed. Such authorization may be provided after completion of review of the scientific research plan by the CCAMLR Scientific Committee and Commission.

(e) A summary of the results of any research subject to these provisions must be provided to the Assistant Administrator within 150 days of the completion of the research and a full report must be provided within 11 months.

(f) Catch, effort, and biological data resulting from the research must be reported using the reporting format for research vessels in accordance with relevant conservation measures, with a copy to NMFS Headquarters.