---
kind: "section"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 6909a"
title: "16"
title_heading: "Conservation"
number: "6909a"
heading: "United States conservation, management, and enforcement objectives"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/16/6909a"
units:
  - "Chapter 88 — Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention"
---

# §6909a. United States conservation, management, and enforcement objectives


The [Secretary](/usc/16/6901.md?p=9), in consultation with the Secretary of State, in the course of negotiations, shall seek—

- (1) to minimize any disadvantage to United States fishermen in relation to other members of the [Commission](/usc/16/6901.md?p=3);
- (2) to maximize the opportunities for [fishing vessels](/usc/16/6901.md?p=7) of the United States to harvest fish stocks on the high seas in the [Convention area](/usc/16/6901.md?p=4), recognizing that such harvests may be restricted if the [Commission](/usc/16/6901.md?p=3), based on the best available scientific information provided by the Scientific Committee, determines it is necessary to achieve the conservation objective set forth in Article 2 of the Convention;
- (3) to prevent any requirement for the transfer to other nations or foreign entities of the [fishing](/usc/16/6901.md?p=6) capacity, [fishing](/usc/16/6901.md?p=6) capacity rights, or [fishing vessels](/usc/16/6901.md?p=7) of the United States or its territories, unless any such requirement is voluntary and market-based; and
- (4) to ensure that conservation and management measures [take](/usc/16/3102.md?p=18) into consideration traditional [fishing](/usc/16/6901.md?p=6) patterns of [fishing vessels](/usc/16/6901.md?p=7) of the United States and the operating requirements of the fisheries covered by the [Western and Central Pacific Convention](/usc/16/6901.md?p=12).

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 109–479, title V, § 511, as added Pub. L. 114–327, title III, § 301(a)(2), Dec. 16, 2016, 130 Stat. 1994.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Prior Provisions

A prior section 511 of Pub. L. 109–479 was renumbered section 512 and is classified to section 6910 of this title.