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Presidential Decree to amend the National COVID-19 Pandemic National Public Health Emergency in order to provide temporary measures with respect to the transshipment activities at designated transshipment areas in the FSM (R.A. 11/2020).

Country/Territory
Micronesia, Fed. States
Document type
Regulation
Date
2020
Source
FAO, FAOLEX
Subject
Food & nutrition, Fisheries, Sea, General
Keyword
Hazards Public health Marine fisheries Landing Transshipment Fishing authorization Enforcement/compliance Offences/penalties Fishery management and conservation Authorization/permit Food quality control/food safety Vending Fish products Navigation
Geographical area
Asia and the Pacific, Micronesia, Oceania, Small Island Developing States, South Pacific
Abstract

This Decree of the President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) amends the National Declaration Placing the Entire FSM under a State of National Public Health Emergency in Connection with the COVID-19 Pandemic with respect to providing temporary measures for transshipment activities. It prohibits the bartering, trade, and local sale of fish. No person is allowed to approach or contact any fishing vessel. Any violation of this decree shall be subject to penalties set by law pursuant to Section 803 of Title 11 of the FSM Code. With limited and specific exceptions, all transshipment activities in the FSM are to be carried out at sea (instead of at ports) in designated transshipment areas which are beyond three nautical miles from a given State’s baselines. These areas will be identified by the National Oceanic Resource Management Authority (NORMA), which shall also issue appropriate guidelines regulating the transshipment. 72 hours prior to transshipment activities, a notice must be provided in advance to both NORMA and the FSM Department of Justice using applicable reporting tools. Amongst these requirements include the body temperatures of all crewmembers of the fishing vessels intending to transship, taken at 24-hour intervals prior to transshipment. These intervals would occur at 72 hours, 48 hours, and 24 hours prior to transshipment. This information may be shared with the State Governments for health assessments and coordination purposes. The limited and specific exceptions mentioned include that some vessels, such as frozen longliner fishing vessels, are allowed to transship at port. However, to do so the fishing vessel must observe the 14-day quarantine at sea, and no crewmembers are allowed to disembark at port. Domestic fishing vessels—which are defined as vessels that are flagged in the FSM or have a base of operations anywhere in the Nation—are allowed to call port for repair, maintenance, and provisioning at a given port’s Anchorage area; these vessels shall remain in the Anchorage area only.

Full text
English
Website
www.wcpfc.int

References - Legislation

Amends

National COVID-19 Pandemic National Public Health Emergency.

Legislation | Micronesia, Fed. States | 2020

Keyword: Hazards, Public health, Marine fisheries, Landing, Transshipment, Fishery management and conservation, Navigation

Source: FAO, FAOLEX