46 U.S.C. § 4502 — Safety standards

(a) The Secretary must issue regulations requiring each vessel^* covered by this chapter to have:

(1) fire extinguishers that are easy to reach and can quickly and effectively put out a fire involving flammable or combustible liquid fuel;

(2) at least one life preserver or other lifesaving device that is easy to reach for each person on board;

(3) an efficient flame arrestor, backfire trap, or similar device on the carburetors of each inboard engine that uses gasoline;

(4) ways to properly and efficiently ventilate enclosed spaces, including engine and fuel-tank compartments, so explosive or flammable gases are removed;

(5) visual distress signals;

(6) other equipment needed to reduce the risk of injury to the crew during vessel operations, if the Secretary determines that there is a risk of serious injury that the equipment can eliminate or reduce; and

(7) a placard required by regulations issued under section 10603(b) of this title.

(b)(1) In addition to subsection (a), the Secretary must issue regulations requiring the installation, maintenance, and use of the equipment in paragraph (2) for vessels covered by this chapter that:

(A) operate more than 3 nautical miles from the baseline used to measure the United States territorial sea, or more than 3 nautical miles from the coastline of the Great Lakes;

(B) operate with more than 16 people on board; or

(C) are fish tender vessels that engage in the Aleutian trade.

(2) The required equipment is:

(A) alerting and locating equipment, including emergency position indicating radio beacons;

(B) subject to paragraph (3), a survival craft that keeps every part of a person out of the water and is large enough for all people on board;

(C) at least one immersion suit that is easy to reach for each person on board when the vessel operates on the waters described in section 3102 of this title;

(D) marine radio communications equipment sufficient to communicate effectively with land-based search-and-rescue facilities;

(E) navigation equipment, including compasses, nautical charts, and publications;

(F) first-aid equipment and medical supplies sufficient for the vessel's size and operating area; and

(G) ground tackle sufficient for the vessel.

(3) Except for a nonapplicable vessel, an auxiliary craft satisfies the equipment requirement in paragraph (2)(B) if the craft:

(A) is necessary for normal fishing operations;

(B) is easy to reach during an emergency; and

(C) can safely hold all people on board the vessel that the craft supports, in accordance with the Coast Guard capacity rating when that rating applies.

(c)(1) In addition to subsections (a) and (b), the Secretary may issue regulations establishing the standards in paragraph (2) for vessels covered by this chapter that:

(A) (i) were built after December 31, 1988, or had a major conversion completed after that date; and (ii) operate with more than 16 people on board; or

(B) are fish tender vessels that engage in the Aleutian trade.

(2) The standards must be minimum safety standards. They may include standards for:

(A) navigation equipment, including radar and fathometers;

(B) lifesaving equipment, immersion suits, signaling devices, bilge pumps, bilge alarms, life rails, and grab rails;

(C) fire protection and firefighting equipment, including fire alarms and portable and semiportable fire extinguishing equipment;

(D) the use and installation of insulation material;

(E) ways to store flammable or combustible material; and

(F) fuel, ventilation, and electrical systems.

(d)(1) The Secretary must issue regulations for the operating stability of a vessel covered by this chapter that:

(A) was built after December 31, 1989; or

(B) had its physical characteristics substantially changed after December 31, 1989, in a way that affects its operating stability.

(2) As proof that this subsection is being followed, the Secretary may accept a certification issued by the person providing insurance for the vessel or by another qualified person approved by the Secretary.

(e) When issuing regulations under this chapter, the Secretary:

(1) must consider the specialized nature and economics of the operations and the vessel's character, design, and construction; and

(2) may not require a vessel or associated equipment built or made before the regulation's effective date to be changed.

(f) To make sure this chapter is followed, the Secretary:

(1) must require the person in charge of a vessel described in subsection (b) to keep records of equipment maintenance and required instruction and drills;

(2) must examine at dockside a vessel described in subsection (b) at least once every 5 years, but may require a dockside examination every 2 years if:

(A) the owner or operator asks for it; or

(B) the vessel:

(i) is at least 50 feet long overall;

(ii) was built before July 1, 2013; and

(iii) is at least 25 years old; and

(3) must issue a certificate of compliance to a vessel that meets this chapter's requirements and satisfies paragraph (2).

(g)(1) The person in charge of a vessel described in subsection (b) must pass a training program approved by the Secretary that meets paragraph (2) and must hold a valid certificate issued under that program.

(2) The training program must:

(A) be based on professional knowledge and skill gained through sea service and hands-on training, including training in seamanship, stability, collision prevention, navigation, firefighting and fire prevention, damage control, personal survival, emergency medical care, emergency drills, and weather;

(B) require a person to show that the person can communicate in an emergency and understand information in navigation publications;

(C) recognize and give credit for recent past experience operating fishing vessels; and

(D) provide for issuing a certificate to a person who successfully completes the program.

(3) The Secretary must issue regulations implementing this subsection. The regulations must require people who receive a certificate under paragraph (2)(D) to complete refresher training at least once every 5 years in order to keep the certificate valid.

(4) The Secretary must create an electronic database listing the names of people who have taken part in and received a certificate confirming successful completion of a training program approved by the Secretary under this section.

(h) A vessel covered by this chapter must be built to provide a level of safety equivalent to the minimum safety standards the Secretary may establish for recreational vessels under section 4302 if:

(1) subsection (b) applies to the vessel;

(2) the vessel is less than 50 feet long overall; and

(3) the vessel was built after January 1, 2010.

(i)(1) The Secretary of Health and Human Services must establish a Fishing Safety Training Grants Program. The program provides funding to municipalities, port authorities, other appropriate public entities, not-for-profit organizations, and other qualified people who provide commercial fishing safety training. The funding is for:

(A) conducting fishing-vessel safety training for vessel operators and crew members. For vessel operators, the training must meet subsection (g). For crew members, it must meet subsection (g)(2)(A), the parts of subsection (g)(2)(B) that are appropriate for crew members, and subsections (g)(2)(D), (g)(3), and (g)(4); and

(B) buying safety equipment and training aids for use in those fishing-vessel safety training programs.

(2) The Secretary of Health and Human Services, after consulting with the Commandant of the Coast Guard and using criteria established by the Commandant, must award grants under this subsection competitively.

(3) The Federal government may pay no more than 75 percent of the cost of any activity carried out with a grant under this subsection.

(4) Congress authorizes appropriating $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027 for grants under this subsection.

(j)(1) The Secretary of Health and Human Services must establish a Fishing Safety Research Grant Program. The program provides funding to people in academia, members of nonprofit organizations and businesses involved in fishing and maritime matters, and other people with expertise in fishing safety. The funding is for research on ways to improve the safety of the commercial fishing industry, including vessel design, emergency and survival equipment, improved vessel-monitoring systems, communications devices, de-icing technology, and severe-weather detection.

(2) The Secretary of Health and Human Services, after consulting with the Commandant of the Coast Guard and using criteria established by the Commandant, must award grants under this subsection competitively.

(3) The Federal government may pay no more than 75 percent of the cost of any activity carried out with a grant under this subsection.

(4) Congress authorizes appropriating $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027 for activities under this subsection.

(k) For this section, “auxiliary craft” means a vessel carried on board a fishing vessel and normally used to support fishing operations.