{"data":{"id":"us/15-cfr-922.241","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"15 CFR 922.241","heading":"Definitions.","body":"In addition to those definitions found at § 922.11, the following definitions apply to this subpart. To the extent that a term appears in § 922.11 and this section, the definition in this section governs.\nAreas to be avoided (ATBA) means the four areas, as adopted by the International Maritime Organization, that should be avoided by vessels that are conducting passage without interruption through the sanctuary. The precise boundary coordinates for the ATBAs are listed in appendix E to this subpart.\nBottomfish species means all species of bottomfish as defined at 50 CFR 665.201.\nCategories of hazardous cargoes means goods classified in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code; substances classified in chapter 17 of the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (IBC Code) and chapter 19 of the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (IGC Code); oils as defined in MARPOL Annex I; noxious liquid substances as defined in MARPOL Annex II; harmful substances as defined in MARPOL Annex III; and radioactive materials specified in the International Code for the Safe Carriage of Packaged Irradiated Nuclear Fuel, Plutonium and High-Level Radioactive Waste on Board Ships (INF Code).\nCommercial fishing means, as defined in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, fishing in which the fish harvested, either in whole or in part, are intended to enter commerce or enter commerce through sale, barter, or trade.\nEcological integrity means a condition determined to be characteristic of an ecosystem that has the ability to maintain the function, structure, and abundance of natural biological communities, including rates of change in response to natural environmental variation.\nMidway Atoll Special Management Area means the area of the sanctuary surrounding Midway Atoll out to a distance of 12 nautical miles. The coordinates are listed in appendix C to this subpart.\nNative Hawaiian practices means cultural activities conducted for the purposes of perpetuating traditional knowledge, caring for and protecting the environment and strengthening cultural and spiritual connections to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands that have demonstrable benefits to the Native Hawaiian community. This may include, but is not limited to, the non-commercial use of sanctuary resources for direct personal consumption while in the sanctuary.\nNon-commercial fishing means fishing that does not meet the definition of commercial fishing in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and includes, but is not limited to, sustenance, subsistence, traditional indigenous, and recreational fishing.\nOffice of Law Enforcement (OLE) means NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Law Enforcement.\nOuter Sanctuary Zone means the waters and submerged lands extending from approximately 50 nautical miles from all islands and emergent lands of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to the extent of the seaward limit of the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (U.S. EEZ) west of 163° West Longitude. The precise boundary coordinates for the Outer Sanctuary Zone are listed in appendix B to this subpart.\nParticularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) means an area that needs special protection through action by the International Maritime Organization because of its significance for recognized ecological, socio-economic, or scientific attributes where such attributes may be vulnerable to damage by international shipping activities.\nPelagic species means Western Pacific Pelagic Management Unit Species as defined at 50 CFR 665.800.\nPono means appropriate, correct, and deemed necessary by traditional standards in Hawaiian culture.\nRecreational activity means an activity conducted for personal enjoyment that does not result in the extraction of sanctuary resources and that does not involve a fee-for-service transaction. This includes, but is not limited to, wildlife viewing, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, and boating.\nReporting area means the area of the sanctuary that extends outward ten nautical miles from the Particularly Sensitive Sea Area boundary, as designated by the International Maritime Organization, and excludes the Areas to be Avoided that fall within the Particularly Sensitive Sea Area boundary. The precise boundary coordinates for the reporting area are listed in appendix E to this subpart.\nScientific instrument means a device, vehicle, or tool used for scientific purposes and is inclusive of structures, materials, or other matter incidental to proper use of such device, vehicle, or tool.\nSpecial Preservation Area (SPA) means discrete, biologically important areas of the sanctuary within which uses are subject to certain conditions, restrictions, and prohibitions, including but not limited to access restrictions. The coordinates are listed in appendix D to this subpart.\nStowed and not available for immediate use means not readily accessible for immediate use, e.g., by being securely covered and lashed to a deck or bulkhead, tied down, unbaited, unloaded, or partially disassembled (e.g., spear shafts being kept separate from spearguns).\nSustenance fishing means fishing for bottomfish or pelagic species in which all catch is consumed within the sanctuary, and that is incidental to an activity permitted under this part.\nVessel monitoring system (VMS) means a mobile transceiver unit as described in § 922.246 and approved by NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement for use on vessels permitted to access the sanctuary, as required by this part.","path":["Title 15—Commerce and Foreign Trade","Subtitle B—Regulations Relating to Commerce and Foreign Trade","CHAPTER IX—NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE","SUBCHAPTER B—OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT","PART 922—NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY PROGRAM REGULATIONS","Subpart W—Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary"],"source_url":"https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-08-25/title-15.xml","current_through":"2026-08-25","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T02:24:24Z","sha256":"5c81efdf5c5b1503727df16036740498634a9b7b484ac16316d870c877aa67ba","source_id":"us-cfr","stale":true,"prev":"us/15-cfr-922.240","next":"us/15-cfr-922.242"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}