16 U.S.C. § 1417 — Prohibitions

for any person^* to sell, purchase, offer for sale, transport, or ship, in the United States^*, any tuna or tuna product unless the tuna or tuna product is either dolphin safe or has been harvested in compliance with the International Dolphin Conservation Program^* by a country that is a member of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission or has initiated and within 6 months thereafter completed all steps required of applicant nations in accordance with Article V, paragraph 3 of the Convention establishing the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, to become a member of that organization;

except as provided for in subsection 1 1371(d) of this title, for any person or vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States intentionally to set a purse seine net on or to encircle any marine mammal^* in the course of tuna fishing operations in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean except in accordance with this subchapter and regulations issued pursuant to this subchapter; and 2

for any person to import any yellowfin tuna or yellowfin tuna product or any other fish or fish product in violation of a ban on importation imposed under section 1371(a)(2) of this title;

for any person to violate any regulation promulgated under this subchapter;

for any person to refuse to permit any duly authorized officer to board a vessel subject to that person’s control for purposes of conducting any search or inspection in connection with the enforcement of this subchapter; and

for any person to assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, or interfere with any such authorized officer in the conduct of any search or inspection described in paragraph (5).

A person that knowingly and willfully violates subsection (a)(1), (2), (3), (4), or (5) shall be subject to a civil penalty under section 1375(a) of this title.

A person that knowingly and willfully violates subsection (a)(5) or (a)(6) shall be subject to a criminal penalty under section 1375(b) of this title.