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Code of Federal Regulations (Last Updated: October 10, 2024) |
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Title 50 - Wildlife and Fisheries |
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Chapter VI - Fishery Conservation and Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce |
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Part 635 - Atlantic Highly Migratory Species |
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Subpart A - General |
§ 635.2 - Definitions.
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§ 635.2 Definitions.
In addition to the definitions in the Magnuson-Stevens Act, ATCA, and § 600.10 of this chapter, the terms used in this part have following meanings. If applicable, the terms used in this part supercede those used in § 600.10:
Archival tag means a device that is implanted or affixed to a fish to electronically record scientific information about the migratory behavior of that fish.
ATCA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) means the certificate that must accompany any applicable shipment of fish pursuant to a finding under 16 U.S.C. 971d (c)(4) or (c)(5).
Atlantic Aggregated LCS means one of the following species, or parts thereof, as listed in Table 1 of appendix A to this part: Atlantic blacktip, bull, lemon, nurse, silky, spinner, and tiger.
Atlantic HMS means Atlantic tunas, billfish, sharks, and swordfish.
Atlantic Ocean, as used in this part, includes the North and South Atlantic Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea.
Atlantic shark identification workshop certificate means the document issued by NMFS, or its designee, indicating that the person named on the certificate has successfully completed the Atlantic shark identification workshop.
Atlantic States, consistent with section 803 of Public law 103-206 (16 U.S.C. 5102), refers to Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, the District of Columbia, and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, for purposes of applying the Shark Conservation Act exception at 50 CFR 635.30(c)(5).
BAYS means Atlantic bigeye, albacore, yellowfin, and skipjack tunas as defined in § 600.10 of this part.
BFT means Atlantic bluefin tuna as defined in § 600.10 of this chapter.
BFT landings quota means the portion of the ICCAT BFT catch quota allocated to the United States against which landings of BFT are counted.
Bluefin statistical document (BSD) tag means a numbered tag affixed to a BFT issued by any country in conjunction with a catch statistics information program and recorded on a BSD.
Bottom longline means a longline that is deployed with enough weights and/or anchors to maintain contact with the ocean bottom. For the purposes of this part, a vessel is considered to have bottom longline gear on board when a power-operated longline hauler, a mainline, weights and/or anchors capable of maintaining contact between the mainline and the ocean bottom, and leaders (gangions) with hooks are on board. Removal of any of these elements constitutes removal of bottom longline gear. Bottom longline vessels may have a limited number of floats and/or high flyers onboard for the purposes of marking the location of the gear but removal of these floats does not constitute removal of bottom longline gear.
BSD tag means a numbered tag affixed to a BFT issued by any country in conjunction with a catch statistics information program and recorded on a BSD.
Buoy gear means a fishing gear consisting of one or more floatation devices supporting a single mainline to which no more than two hooks or gangions are attached.
Caudal keel means the horizontal ridges along each side of a fish at the base of the tail fin.
CFL (curved fork length) means the length of a fish measured from the tip of the upper jaw to the fork of the tail along the contour of the body in a line that runs along the top of the pectoral fin and the top of the caudal keel (i.e., in dorsal direction above caudal keel).
Charter/headboat commercial sale endorsement means an authorization added to an HMS Charter/Headboat permit that is required for vessels that sell or intend to sell Atlantic tunas, sharks, and swordfish, provided that all other requirements in this part are also met.
Charleston Bump closed area means the Atlantic Ocean area seaward of the inner boundary of the U.S. EEZ from a point intersecting the inner boundary of the U.S. EEZ at 34°00′ N. lat. near Wilmington Beach, NC, and proceeding due east to connect by straight lines the following coordinates in the order stated: 34°00′ N. lat., 76°00′ W. long.; 31°00′ N. lat., 76°00′ W. long.; then proceeding due west to intersect the inner boundary of the U.S. EEZ at 31°00′ N. lat. near Jekyll Island, GA.
Circle hook means a fishing hook originally designed and manufactured so that the point is turned perpendicularly back to the shank to form a generally circular, or oval, shape.
Cleithrum to Caudal Keel or CK measurement means the length of a fish measured along the body contour, i.e., a curved measurement, from the point on the cleithrum that provides the shortest possible measurement along the body contour to the anterior portion of the caudal keel. The cleithrum is the semicircular bony structure at the posterior edge of the gill opening.
Convention means the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, signed at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 14, 1966, 20 U.S.T. 2887, TIAS 6767, including any amendments or protocols thereto, which are binding upon the United States.
Conventional tag means a numbered, flexible ribbon that is implanted or affixed to a fish that is released back into the ocean that allows for the identification of that fish in the event it is recaptured.
Corrodible Hook means a fishing hook composed of any material other than stainless steel.
Dealer tag means the numbered, flexible, self-locking ribbon issued by NMFS for the identification of BFT sold to a permitted dealer as required under § 635.5(b)(2)(ii).
Dehooking device means a device intended to remove a hook embedded in a fish in order to release the fish with minimum damage.
Designated by NMFS means the address or location indicated in a letter to permit holders or in a letter accompanying reporting forms.
DeSoto Canyon closed area means the area within the Gulf of Mexico bounded by straight lines connecting the following coordinates in the order stated: 30°00′ N. lat., 88°00′ W. long.; 30°00′ N. lat., 86°00′ W. long.; 28°00′ N. lat., 86°00′ W. long.; 28°00′ N. lat., 84°00′ W. long.; 26°00′ N. lat., 84°00′ W. long.; 26°00′ N. lat., 86°00′ W. long.; 28°00′ N. lat., 86°00′ W. long.; 28°00′ N. lat., 88°00′ W. long.; 30°00′ N. lat., 88°00′ W. long.
Display permit means a permit issued in order to catch and land HMS for the purpose of public display pursuant to § 635.32(d).
Division Chief means the Chief, Highly Migratory Species Management Division, NMFS (F/SF1), 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD, 20910; (301) 427-8503.
Downrigger means a piece of equipment attached to a vessel and with a weight on a cable that is in turn attached to hook-and-line gear to maintain lures or bait at depth while trolling. The downrigger has a release system to retrieve the weight by rod and reel or by manual, electric, or hydraulic winch after a fish strike on the hook-and-line gear.
Dress , for swordfish, tunas, and billfish, means to process a fish by removal of head, viscera, and fins, but does not include removal of the backbone, halving, quartering, or otherwise further reducing the carcass. For sharks, dress means to process a fish by removal of head and viscera, but does not include removal of the fins, backbone, halving, quartering, or otherwise further reducing the carcass.
Dressed weight (dw) , for swordfish, tunas, and billfish, means the weight of a fish after it has been dressed. For sharks, dressed weight means the weight of a fish after it has been dressed and had its fins, including the tail, removed.
Drift gillnet means a gillnet that is floating unattached to the ocean bottom and not anchored, secured, or weighted to the ocean bottom.
East Florida Coast closed area means the Atlantic Ocean area seaward of the inner boundary of the U.S. EEZ from a point intersecting the inner boundary of the U.S. EEZ at 31°00′ N. lat. near Jekyll Island, GA, and proceeding due east to connect by straight lines the following coordinates in the order stated: 31°00′ N. lat., 78°00′ W. long.; 28°17′10″ N. lat., 79°11′24″ W. long.; then proceeding along the outer boundary of the EEZ to the intersection of the EEZ with 24°00′ N. lat.; then proceeding due west to 24°00′ N. lat., 81°47′ W. long.; and then proceeding due north to intersect the inner boundary of the U.S. EEZ at 81°47′ W. long. near Key West, FL.
Edges 40 Fathom Contour closed area means a parallelogram-shaped area in the Gulf of Mexico bounded by straight lines connecting the following coordinates in the order stated: 28° 51' N. lat., 85° 16' W. long.; 28° 51' N. lat., 85° 04' W. long.; 28° 14' N. lat., 84° 42' W. long.; 28° 14' N. lat., 84° 54' W. long.
EFP means an exempted fishing permit issued pursuant to § 600.745 of this chapter or to § 635.32(c).
Electronic monitoring (EM) system means a system of video cameras and recording and other related equipment installed on a vessel.
Eviscerated means a fish that has only the alimentary organs removed.
Export , for purposes of this subpart, means to effect exportation.
Exportation has the same general meaning as 19 CFR 101.1 and generally refers to a severance of goods from the mass of things belonging to one country with the intention of uniting them to the mass of things belonging to some foreign country. For purposes of this subpart, a shipment between the United States and its insular possessions is not an export.
Exporter, for purposes of this subpart, is the principal party in interest, meaning the party that receives the primary benefit, monetary or otherwise, of the export transaction. For exports from the United States, the exporter is the U.S. principal party in interest, as identified in 15 CFR part 30. An exporter is subject to the requirements of this subpart, even if exports are exempt from statistical reporting requirements under 15 CFR part 30.
Federal Atlantic Commercial Shark Permit means any of the commercial shark permits issued pursuant to § 635.4.
Finlet means one of the small individual fins on a tuna located behind the second dorsal and anal fins and forward of the tail fin.
First receive means to take possession for commercial purposes of any fish or any part thereof by purchasing, trading or bartering for it from the fishing vessel owner or operator once it is offloaded, where the vessel has been issued, or should have been issued, a valid permit under this part. First receive does not mean to take possession solely for transport.
First transaction in the United States means the time and place at which a fish is filleted, cut into steaks, or processed in any way that physically alters it after being landed in or imported into the United States.
Fishing record means all records of navigation and operations of a fishing vessel, as well as all records of catching, harvesting, transporting, landing, purchasing, or selling a fish.
Fishing vessel means any vessel engaged in fishing, processing, or transporting fish loaded on the high seas, or any vessel outfitted for such activities.
Fishing year means January 1 through December 31.
FL (fork length) means the straight-line measurement of a fish from the midpoint of the anterior edge of the fish to the fork of the caudal fin. The measurement is not made along the curve of the body.
Floatation device means any positively buoyant object rigged to be attached to a fishing gear.
Floatline means a line attached to a buoyant object that is used to support the mainline of a longline at a specific target depth.
Florida Swordfish Management Area means the Atlantic Ocean area shoreward of the outer boundary of the U.S. EEZ from a point where latitude 28°17′10″ N. lat. intersects the U.S. mainland near Rockledge, Florida and proceeding due east across the barrier island near Cocoa Beach, Florida to connect by straight lines the following coordinates in the order stated: 28°17′10″ N. lat., 79°11′24″ W. long.; then proceeding along the outer boundary of the EEZ to the intersection of the EEZ with 24°00′ N. lat.; then proceeding due west to 24°00′ N. lat., 82°0′ W. long, then proceeding due north to 25°48′' N. lat., 82°0′ W. long., then proceeding due east to the shore near Chokoloskee, Florida).
For-hire trip means a recreational fishing trip taken by a vessel with an Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permit during which paying passenger(s) are aboard; or, for uninspected vessels, trips during which there are more than three persons aboard, including operator and crew; or, for vessels that have been issued a Certificate of Inspection by the U.S. Coast Guard to carry passengers for hire, trips during which there are more persons aboard than the number of crew specified on the vessel's Certificate of Inspection.
Freeboard is defined as the working distance between the top rail of the gunwale to the water's surface, and will vary based on the vessel design.
Gangion means a line that serves to attach a hook, suspended at a specific target depth, to the mainline of a longline.
Giant BFT means an Atlantic BFT measuring 81 inches (206 cm) CFL or greater.
Green-stick gear means an actively trolled mainline attached to a vessel and elevated or suspended above the surface of the water with no more than 10 hooks or gangions attached to the mainline. The suspended line, attached gangions and/or hooks, and catch may be retrieved collectively by hand or mechanical means. Green-stick does not constitute a pelagic longline or a bottom longline as defined in this section.
Gulf of Mexico Aggregated LCS means one of the following species, or parts thereof, as listed in Table 1 of appendix A to this part: Bull, lemon, nurse, silky, spinner, and tiger.
Hammerhead shark(s) means great, scalloped, and smooth hammerhead shark species, or parts thereof, as listed in Table 1 of appendix A to this part.
Handgear means handline, harpoon, rod and reel, bandit gear, buoy gear, or speargun gear.
Handline means fishing gear that is attached to, or in contact with, a vessel; that consists of a mainline to which no more than two hooks or gangions may be attached; and that is released and retrieved by hand rather than by mechanical means.
High-flyer means a flag, radar reflector or radio beacon transmitter, suitable for attachment to a longline to facilitate its location and retrieval.
Highly migratory species (HMS) means bluefin, bigeye, yellowfin, albacore, and skipjack tunas; swordfish; sharks (listed in Table 1 of appendix A to this part); white marlin; blue marlin; sailfish; longbill spearfish; and roundscale spearfish.
IBQ (individual bluefin quota) refers to limited access privileges under the IBQ Program (§ 635.15), implemented for the management of Atlantic BFT incidentally caught by Atlantic Tunas Longline category LAP holders.
Importer , for purposes of this subpart, means the principal party responsible for the import of product into a country. For imports into the United States, and for purposes of this subpart, “importer” means the consignee as identified on entry documentation or any authorized, equivalent electronic medium required for release of shipments, or any authorized equivalent entry documentation from the customs authority of the United States or the separate customs territory of a U.S. insular possession. If a consignee is not declared, then the importer of record is considered to be the consignee.
In transit means non-stop progression through an area without any fishing activity occurring.
LAP means a limited access permit issued pursuant to § 635.4.
Large coastal shark (LCS) means one of the species, or a part thereof, listed in heading A, Large Coastal Sharks, of Table 1 of appendix A to this part.
Large medium BFT means a BFT measuring at least 73 inches (185 cm) and less than 81 inches (206 cm) CFL.
Large school BFT means a BFT measuring at least 47 inches (119 cm) and less than 59 inches (150 cm) CFL.
LJFL (lower jaw-fork length) means the straight-line measurement of a fish from the anterior tip of the lower jaw to the fork of the caudal fin. The measurement is not made along the curve of the body.
Longline means fishing gear that is set horizontally, either anchored, floating, or attached to a vessel, and that consists of a mainline or groundline with three or more leaders (gangions) and hooks, whether retrieved by hand or mechanical means.
Madison-Swanson closed area means a rectangular-shaped area in the Gulf of Mexico bounded by straight lines connecting the following coordinates in the order stated: 29°17′ N. lat., 85°50′ W. long.; 29°17′ N. lat., 85°38′ W. long.; 29°06′ N. lat., 85°38′ W. long.; 29°06′ N. lat., 85°50′ W. long.; and 29°17′ N. lat., 85°50′ W. long.
Management group in regard to sharks means a group of shark species that are combined for quota management purposes. A management group may be split by region or sub-region, as defined at § 635.27(b)(1). A fishery for a management group can be opened or closed as a whole or at the regional or sub-regional levels. Sharks have the following management groups: Atlantic aggregated LCS, Gulf of Mexico aggregated LCS, research LCS, hammerhead, Atlantic non-blacknose SCS, Gulf of Mexico non-blacknose SCS, and pelagic sharks other than blue or porbeagle.
Management unit means in this part:
(1) For Atlantic tunas, longbill spearfish, roundscale spearfish, blue marlin, and white marlin, means all fish of these species in the Atlantic Ocean;
(2) For sailfish, means all fish of this species in the Atlantic Ocean west of 30° W. long.;
(3) For North Atlantic swordfish, means all fish of this species in the Atlantic Ocean north of 5° N. lat.;
(4) For South Atlantic swordfish, means all fish of this species in the Atlantic Ocean south of 5° N. lat.; and
(5) For sharks, means all fish of the species listed in Table 1 of Appendix A to this part, in the western north Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
Mid-Atlantic shark closed area means the Atlantic Ocean area seaward of the inner boundary of the U.S. EEZ from a point intersecting the inner boundary of the U.S. EEZ at 35°41′ N. lat. just south of Oregon Inlet, North Carolina, and connecting by straight lines the following coordinates in the order stated: 35°41′ N. lat., 75°25′ W. long. proceeding due east to 35°41′ N. lat., 74°51′ W. long.; then proceeding southeast to 35°30′ N. lat., 74°46′ W. long.; then proceeding southwest, roughly following the 55 fathom mark, to 33°51′ N. lat., 76°24′ W. long.; then proceeding due west to intersect the inner boundary of the U.S. EEZ at 33°51′ N. lat., 77°53′ W. long. near Cape Fear, North Carolina.
Naturally attached, as it is used to describe shark fins, refers to shark fins that remain attached to the shark carcass via at least some portion of uncut skin. As used to describe the head of a swordfish, naturally attached refers to the whole head remaining fully attached to the carcass except for the bill, which may be removed provided it has been removed forward of the anterior tip of the lower jaw.
Net check refers to a visual inspection of a shark gillnet where the vessel operator transits the length of the gear and inspects it either with a spotlight or by pulling up the gear.
Non-blacknose SCS means one of the species, or part thereof, listed in heading B, Small Coastal Sharks, of Table 1 of appendix A to this part other than the blacknose shark.
North Atlantic swordfish or North Atlantic swordfish stock means those swordfish occurring in the Atlantic Ocean north of 5° N. lat.
Northeast Distant gear restricted area (NED) means the Atlantic Ocean area bounded by straight lines connecting the following coordinates in the order stated: 35°00′ N. lat., 60°00′ W. long.; 55°00′ N. lat., 60°00′ W. long.; 55°00′ N. lat., 20°00′ W. long.; 35°00′ N. lat., 20°00′ W. long.; 35°00′ N. lat., 60°00′ W. long.
Northeastern United States Pelagic Longline Monitoring Area means the area bounded by straight lines connecting the following coordinates in the order stated: 40°00′ N lat., 74°00′ W long.; 40°00′ N lat., 68°00′ W long.; 39°00′ N lat., 68°00′ W long.; and 39°00′ N lat., 74°00′ W long.
Offset circle hook means a circle hook originally designed and manufactured so that the barbed end of the hook is displaced relative to the parallel plane of the eyed-end, or shank, of the hook when laid on its side.
Operator, with respect to any vessel, means the master or other individual aboard and in charge of that vessel.
Pectoral fin means the fin located behind the gill cover on either side of a fish.
Pelagic longline means a longline that is suspended by floats in the water column and that is not fixed to or in contact with the ocean bottom. For the purposes of this part, a vessel is considered to have pelagic longline gear on board when a power-operated longline hauler, a mainline, floats capable of supporting the mainline, and leaders (gangions) with hooks are on board. Removal of any of these elements constitutes removal of pelagic longline gear.
Pelagic shark means one of the species, or a part thereof, listed in heading C, Pelagic Sharks, of Table 1 of appendix A to this part.
PFCFL (pectoral fin curved fork length) means the length of a beheaded fish from the dorsal insertion of the pectoral fin to the fork of the tail measured along the contour of the body in a line that runs along the top of the pectoral fin and the top of the caudal keel.
Prohibited shark means one of the species, or a part thereof, listed in heading D, Prohibited Sharks, of Table 1 of appendix A to this part.
Reporting week means the period of time beginning at 0001 local time on Sunday and ending at 2400 hours local time the following Saturday.
Research LCS means one of the species, or part thereof, listed in heading A, Large Coastal Sharks, of Table 1 of appendix A to this part, other than sandbar sharks.
Restricted-fishing day (RFD) is a day, beginning at 0000 hours and ending at 2400 hours local time, during which a person aboard a vessel issued:
(1) An Atlantic Tunas General category permit may not fish for, possess, retain, land, or sell a BFT; and
(2) A Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial endorsement may not fish commercially for BFT under the General category rules, but may fish for, possess, retain, or land BFT under the Angling category restrictions and retention limits.
Round wire stock means round metal wire, typically used in the manufacturing of fishing hooks, that has not been forged, or otherwise modified or treated in any way to increase the original factory tensile strength set by the hook manufacturer.
Safe handling, release, and identification workshop certificate means the document issued by NMFS, or its designee, indicating that the person named on the certificate has successfully completed the Atlantic HMS safe handling, release, and identification workshop.
School BFT means a BFT measuring at least 27 inches (69 cm) and less than 47 inches (119 cm) CFL.
Shark means one of the oceanic species, or a part thereof, listed in Table 1 of Appendix A to this part.
Shark endorsement means an authorization added to an HMS Angling, HMS Charter/Headboat, Atlantic Tunas General, or Swordfish General Commercial permit that allows for the retention of authorized Atlantic sharks consistent with all other applicable regulations in this part.
Shark research permit means a permit issued to catch and land a limited number of sharks to maintain time series for stock assessments and for other scientific research purposes. These permits may be issued only to the owner of a vessel who has been issued either a directed or incidental shark LAP. The permit is specific to the commercial shark vessel and owner combination and is valid only per the terms and conditions listed on the permit.
Sink gillnet means a gillnet that is designed to be or is fished on or near the ocean bottom in the lower third of the water column by means of a weight line or enough weights and/or anchors that the bottom of the gillnet sinks to, on, or near the ocean bottom.
Small coastal shark (SCS) means one of the species, or a part thereof, listed in heading B, Small Coastal Sharks, of Table 1 of appendix A to this part.
Small medium BFT means a BFT measuring at least 59 inches (150 cm) and less than 73 inches (185 cm) CFL.
Smoothhound shark(s) means one of the species, or part thereof, listed in heading E, Smoothhound Sharks, of Table 1 of appendix A to this part.
South Atlantic swordfish or south Atlantic swordfish stock means those swordfish occurring in the Atlantic Ocean south of 5° N. lat.
Speargun fishing gear means a muscle-powered speargun equipped with a trigger mechanism, a spear with a tip designed to penetrate and retain fish, and terminal gear. Terminal gear may include, but is not limited to, trailing lines, reels, and floats. The term “muscle-powered speargun” for the purposes of this part means a speargun that stores potential energy provided from the operator's muscles, and that releases only the amount of energy that the operator has provided to it from his or her own muscles. Common energy storing methods for muscle-powered spearguns include compressing air and springs, and the stretching of rubber bands.
Spring Gulf of Mexico Pelagic Longline Monitoring Area means two areas within the Gulf of Mexico described here. The first area is bounded by straight lines connecting the following coordinates in the order stated: 26°30′ N lat., 94°40′ W long.; 27°30′ N lat., 94°40′ W long.; 27°30′ N lat., 89° W long.; 26°30′ N lat., 89° W long.; 26°30′ N lat., 94°40′ W long. The second area is bounded by straight lines connecting the following coordinates in the order stated: 27°40′ N lat., 88° W long.; 28° N lat., 88° W long.; 28° N lat., 86° W long.; 27°40′ N lat., 86° W long.; 27°40′ N lat., 88° W long.
Steamboat Lumps closed area means a rectangular-shaped area in the Gulf of Mexico bounded by straight lines connecting the following coordinates in the order stated: 28°14′ N. lat., 84°48′ W. long.; 28°14′ N. lat., 84°37′ W. long.; 28°03′ N. lat., 84°37′ W. long.; 28°03′ N. lat., 84°48′ W. long.; and 28°14′ N. lat., 84°48′ W. long.
Tournament means any fishing competition involving Atlantic HMS in which participants must register or otherwise enter or in which a prize or award is offered for catching or landing such fish.
Tournament operator means a person or entity responsible for maintaining records of participants and results used for awarding tournament points or prizes, regardless of whether fish are retained.
Transiting means progressing through an area without any fishing activity occurring.
Trip limit means the total allowable take from a single trip as defined in § 600.10 of this chapter.
Tuna or tuna-like means the Scombriformes (with the exception of families Trichiuridae and Gempylidae and the genus Scomber) and such other species of fishes that are regulated by ICCAT in the Atlantic Ocean.
Vessel monitoring plan (VMP) means an on-board, EM system reference document required by § 635.9(e)(1).
Weighout slip means a document provided to the owner or operator of the vessel by a person who weighs fish or parts thereof that are landed from a fishing vessel. A document, such as a “tally sheet,” “trip ticket,” or “sales receipt,” that contains such information is considered a weighout slip.
Young school BFT means an Atlantic BFT measuring less than 27 inches (69 cm) CFL.
[64 FR 29135, May 28, 1999]