15 C.F.R. Subpart I—Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary
Title 15 - Commerce and Foreign Trade
The Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary (Sanctuary) consists of 16.68 square nautical miles (NM) of high sea waters off the coast of Georgia. The Sanctuary boundary includes all waters within a rectangle starting at coordinate 31°21'45"N, 80°55'17"W, commencing to coordinate 31°25'15"N, 80°55'17"W, thence to coordinate 31°25'15"N, 80°49'42"W, thence to coordinate 31°21'45"N, 80°49'42"W, thence back to the point of origin. (a) Except as may be necessary for national defense (subject to the terms and conditions of Article 5, Section 2 of the Designation Document) or to respond to an emergency threatening life, property, or the environment, or except as may be permitted by the Director in accordance with §922.48 and §922.92, the following activities are prohibited and thus are unlawful for any person to conduct or to cause to be conducted within the Sanctuary: (1) Dredging, drilling, or otherwise altering the seabed in any way nor constructing any structure other than a navigation aid. (2) Discharging or depositing any material or other matter except: (i) Fish or parts, bait, and chumming materials; (ii) Effluent from marine sanitation devices; and (iii) Vessel cooling waters. (3) Operating a watercraft other than in accordance with the Federal rules and regulations that would apply if there were no Sanctuary. (4) Using, placing, or possessing wire fish traps. (5) Using a bottom trawl, specimen dredge, or similar vessel-towed bottom sampling device. (6)(i)(A) Breaking, cutting, or similarly damaging, taking, or removing any bottom formation, marine invertebrate, or marine plant. (B) Taking any tropical fish. (C) Using poisons, electric charges, explosives, or similar methods to take any marine animal not otherwise prohibited to be taken. (ii) There shall be a rebuttable presumption that any bottom formation, marine invertebrate, tropical fish, marine plant, or marine animal found in the possession of a person within the Sanctuary have been collected within or removed from the Sanctuary. (7) Tampering with, damaging, or removing any historic or cultural resources. (b) All activities currently carried out by the Department of Defense within the Sanctuary are essential for the national defense and, therefore, not subject to the prohibitions in this section. The exemption of additional activities having significant impacts shall be determined in consultation between the Director and the Department of Defense. (a) Any person in possession of a valid permit issued by the Director in accordance with this section and §922.48 may conduct the specific activity in the Sanctuary including any activity specifically prohibited under §922.91, if such activity is (1) Research related to the resources of the Sanctuary, (2) To further the educational value of the Sanctuary, or (3) For salvage or recovery operations. (b) Permit applications shall be addressed to the Director, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, ATTN: Manager, Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, 10 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah, GA 31411. (c) In considering whether to grant a permit, the Director shall evaluate (1) The general professional and financial responsibility of the applicant, (2) The appropriateness of the methods envisioned to the purpose(s) of the activity, (3) The extent to which the conduct of any permitted activity may diminish or enhance the value of the Sanctuary, (4) The end value of the activity, and (5) Other matters as deemed appropriate. (d) The Director may observe any permitted activity and/or require the submission of one or more reports of the status or progress of such activity. Any information obtained will be made available to the public.
Title 15: Commerce and Foreign Trade
PART 922—NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY PROGRAM REGULATIONS
Subpart I—Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary
§ 922.90 Boundary.
§ 922.91 Prohibited or otherwise regulated activities.
§ 922.92 Permit procedures and criteria.
