16 U.S.C. § 7403 — Duties and authorities of the Secretary

The Secretary^* may, as needed, promulgate such regulations—

as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter, to the extent that such regulations are not already promulgated.

The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, may designate and publicize the ports to which vessels may seek entry. No port may be designated under this section that has not also been designated as a port of entry for customs reporting purposes pursuant to section 1433 of title 19¹ or that is not specified under an existing international fisheries agreement^*.

The Secretary shall provide notification of the denial of port entry or the use of port services for a vessel^* under section 7404 of this title, the withdrawal of the denial of port services for a foreign vessel, the taking of enforcement action pursuant to section 7405 of this title with respect to a foreign vessel, or the results of any inspection of a foreign vessel conducted pursuant to this chapter to the flag nation of the vessel and, as appropriate, to the nation of which the vessel’s master is a national, relevant coastal nations, RFMOs, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and other relevant international organizations.

The Secretary may request confirmation from the flag state of a foreign vessel that the fish on board a foreign vessel in a port subject to the jurisdiction of the United States were taken in accordance with applicable RFMO^* conservation and management measures.