Notice of permit sanction (NOPS).

(a) Service of a NOPS against a permit issued to a foreign fishing vessel will be made on the agent authorized to receive and respond to any legal process for vessels of that country. (b) The NOPS will set forth the permit sanction to be imposed, the bases for the permit sanction, and any opportunity for a hearing. It will state the effective date of the permit sanction, which will ordinarily not be earlier than 30 days after the date of receipt of the NOPS (see § 904.322). (c) Upon demand by an authorized enforcement officer, a permit holder must surrender a permit against which a permit sanction has taken effect. The effectiveness of the permit sanction, however, does not depend on surrender of the permit. [71 FR 12448, Mar. 10, 2006, as amended at 87 FR 38941, June 30, 2022]