EXCEPTION FROM SURVIVAL CRAFT REQUIREMENTS.

SEC. 504. EXCEPTION FROM SURVIVAL CRAFT REQUIREMENTS. Section 4502(b) of title 46, United States Code, is amended— (1) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking “a survival craft” and inserting “subject to paragraph (3), a survival craft”; (2) by adding at the end the following: “(3) Except for a nonapplicable vessel, an auxiliary craft shall satisfy the equipment requirement under paragraph (2)(B) if such craft is— “(A) necessary for normal fishing operations; “(B) readily accessible during an emergency; and “(C) capable, in accordance with the Coast Guard capacity rating, when applicable, of safely holding all individuals on board the vessel to which the craft functions as an auxiliary.” ; and (3) by adding at the end the following: “(k) For the purposes of this section, the term ‘auxiliary craft’ means a vessel that is carried onboard a fishing vessel and is normally used to support fishing operations.” .