Vessel Marking

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OMB Control Number: 0648-0194
Expiration Date: XX/XX/20XX

50 CFR 300.108 (Oct. 6, 2026)

This content is from the eCFR and is authoritative but unofficial.

Title 50 —Wildlife and Fisheries
Chapter III —International Fishing and Related Activities
Part 300 —International Fisheries Regulations
Subpart G —Antarctic Marine Living Resources
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 2431 et seq., 31 U.S.C. 9701 et seq., 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Source: 82 FR 6223, Jan. 19, 2017, unless otherwise noted.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 951 et seq., 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq., 16 U.S.C. 5501 et seq., 16 U.S.C. 2431 et seq., 31 U.S.C. 9701 et seq.
Source: 61 FR 35550, July 5, 1996, unless otherwise noted.

Editorial Note: Nomenclature changes to part 300 appear at 64 FR 44431, Aug. 16, 1999, and at 76 FR 59305,
Sept. 26, 2011.

§ 300.108 Vessel and gear identification.
(a) Vessel identification.
(1) A vessel issued a permit under this subpart must be marked with the vessel's name and its
International Radio Call Sign (IRCS) amidships on both the port and starboard sides of the
superstructure or hull, so that it is visible at all times from an enforcement or inspection vessel.
Fixtures inclined at an angle to the vessel's side or superstructure would be considered as suitable
provided that the angle of inclination would not prevent sighting of the IRCS from another vessel or
from the air. The vessel's IRCS shall also be marked on the deck. Should an awning or other
temporary cover be placed so as to obscure the mark on the deck, the awning or cover shall also be
marked with the IRCS. The marks should be placed athwartship with the top of the numbers or
letters towards the bow.
(2) Boats, skiffs and craft carried by the vessel for fishing operations shall bear the same mark as the
vessel, except that a numerical suffix specific for the boat, skiff, or craft must follow the IRCS.
(3) The vessel identification must be in a color in contrast to the background and must be permanently
affixed to the vessel in block Roman alphabet letters and Arabic numerals using good quality marine
paints. The letters and numbers shall be: At least 1 meter in height (h) for the IRCS placed on the
hull, superstructure and/or inclined surfaces and at least 0.3 meter for marks placed on deck. The
length of the hyphen shall be half the height of the letters and numbers. The width of the stroke for
all letters, numbers and the hyphen shall be h/6. The space between letters and/or numbers shall
not exceed h/4 nor be less than h/6. The space between adjacent letters having sloping sides (e.g., A
and V) shall not exceed h/8 nor be less than h/10. If a contrasting color is used for the background
of the marks, it shall extend to provide a border around the mark of at least h/6.
(4) The marks and the background shall be maintained in good condition at all times.
(b) Navigational lights and shapes. Each vessel issued a vessel permit must display the lights and shapes
prescribed by the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (TIAS 8587, and 1981
amendment TIAS 10672), for the activity in which the harvesting vessel is engaged (as described at 33
CFR part 81).
(c) Gear identification.
50 CFR 300.108(c) (enhanced display)

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50 CFR 300.108 (up to date as of 10/06/2026)
Vessel and gear identification.

50 CFR 300.108(c)(1)

(1) The operator of each fishing vessel must ensure that all deployed fishing gear is clearly marked at all
times at the surface with a buoy displaying the vessel identification of the harvesting vessel (see
paragraph (a) of this section) to which the gear belongs, a light visible for 2 miles at night in good
visibility, and a radio buoy.
(2) The operator of each harvesting vessel must ensure that deployed longlines and strings of traps or
pots, and gillnets are clearly marked at all times at the surface at each terminal end with a buoy
displaying the vessel identification of the harvesting vessel to which the gear belongs (see
paragraph (a) of this section), a light visible for 2 miles at night in good visibility, and a radio buoy.
(3) Unmarked or incorrectly identified fishing gear may be considered abandoned and may be disposed
of in accordance with applicable CCAMLR Conservation Measures in force with respect to the United
States by any authorized officer or CCAMLR inspector.
(d) Maintenance. The operator of each vessel issued a vessel permit must:
(1) Keep the vessel and gear identification clearly legible and in good condition at all times;
(2) Ensure that nothing on the vessel obstructs the view of the markings from an enforcement or
inspection vessel or aircraft; and
(3) Ensure that the proper navigational lights and shapes are displayed for the vessel's activity and are
properly functioning.

Public Burden Statement
A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be
subject to a penalty for failure to comply with an information collection subject to the requirements of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 unless the information collection has a currently valid OMB Control Number.
The approved OMB Control Number for this information collection is 0648-0194. Without this approval, we could
not fulfill our obligations as a Member of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living
Resources (CCAMLR) or ensure the legality of any harvesting activities. Public reporting for Vessel Marking is
estimated at 15 minutes per response and Gear Marking is estimated at 5 minutes for buoys/floats, 2 minutes for
sewn in tags, and 10 hours for traps/pots, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data
sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the information collection. All
responses to this information collection are mandatory. U.S. regulations require U.S. individuals engaged in
AMLR harvesting, transshipping, and importing or entering and/or conducting activities in a CEMP site to apply
for and hold a permit for such activities. Members of CCAMLR are required to provide information about
harvesting activities, including fishing areas and vessels, so as to enable reliable catch and effort statistics to be
compiled. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this information collection,
including suggestions for reducing this burden to the Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce, 1315
East-West Hwy, Silver Spring, MD, 20910; Attn: Lauren Fields, [email protected].

50 CFR 300.108(d)(3) (enhanced display)

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