22 USC § 1971 - “Vessel of the United States” defined

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t22/s1971"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "22 USC § 1971 - “Vessel of the United States” defined"
title_number: 22
title_name: "FOREIGN RELATIONS AND INTERCOURSE"
section_number: "1971"
section_name: "“Vessel of the United States” defined"
chapter_number: 25
chapter_name: "PROTECTION OF VESSELS ON THE HIGH SEAS AND IN TERRITORIAL WATERS OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-03-26"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Aug. 27, 1954, ch. 1018, § 1, 68 Stat. 883; Pub. L. 95–541, § 14(a), Oct. 28, 1978, 92 Stat. 2057; Pub. L. 96–561, title II, § 238(b), Dec. 22, 1980, 94 Stat. 3300; Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title I, § 101(a) [title II, § 211(b)], Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009, 3009–41.)"
---


# 1 “Vessel of the United States” defined

See References in Text note below.

[^1]

For the purposes of this chapter the term “vessel of the United States” shall mean any private vessel documented or certificated under the laws of the United States. Notwithstanding any other law, the documentation or certification of any such vessel shall not be considered to be affected, for the purposes of this chapter, in any manner or to any extent if at any time during any voyage for the purpose of fishing beyond the fishery conservation zone (as defined in section 1802(8)  of title 16), the vessel is commanded by other than a citizen of the United States.

---

**Source Credit**: (Aug. 27, 1954, ch. 1018, § 1, 68 Stat. 883; Pub. L. 95–541, § 14(a), Oct. 28, 1978, 92 Stat. 2057; Pub. L. 96–561, title II, § 238(b), Dec. 22, 1980, 94 Stat. 3300; Pub. L. 104–208, div. A, title I, § 101(a) [title II, § 211(b)], Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009, 3009–41.)

## Editorial Notes

### References in Text

, referred to in text, which defined “fishery conservation zone”, was repealed and , Conservation, defining the term “exclusive economic zone”, was added by , , . Section 1802 was subsequently amended and the term “exclusive economic zone” is defined elsewhere in that section.

### Amendments

1996— made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to .

1980— made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to .

1978— provided that the documentation or certification of a vessel of the United States not be affected if at any time during the voyage for the purpose of fishing beyond the fishery conservation zone, the vessel is commanded by other than a citizen of the United States.

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 1996 Amendment

, , , 3009–41, provided that the amendment made by that section is effective 15 days after .

### Effective Date of 1980 Amendment

, , , provided that the amendment made by that section is effective 15 days after .

### Effective Date of 1978 Amendment

, , , provided that the amendment made by , amending this section, was to take effect , prior to the general amendment by , , .

### Short Title of 2000 Amendment

> “This title [amending
> 
> ] may be cited as the ‘Fishermen’s Protective Act Amendments of 2000’.”

, , , provided that:

### Short Title

> “The Act of
> 
> (
> 
> ;
> 
> 6), as amended by this Act [this chapter], may be cited as the ‘Fishermen’s Protective Act of 1967’.”

, , , provided that: