Fishery Conservation and Management Act Amendments of 1980

Fishery Conservation and Management Act Amendments of 1980 - Amends the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 to revise the criteria to be used by the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Commerce in determining the allocation among foreign nations of the total allowable level of foreign fishing.

Requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish a program under which a United States observer shall, to the extent practicable, be stationed aboard each foreign fishing vessel which is within the fishery conservation zone and engaged in fishing or accepting United States harvested fish through transfer at sea. Requires such observers, while aboard foreign fishing vessels, to carry out such scientific and other functions as the Secretary deems necessary.

Requires the Secretary to impose, with respect to each foreign fishing vessel for which a permit is issued under such Act, a surcharge in an amount sufficient to cover all the costs of providing a United States observer aboard that vessel.

Establishes in the Treasury of the United States the Foreign Fishing Observer Fund to be available to the Secretary as a revolving fund for the purpose of carrying out this Act. Requires all surcharges collected by the Secretary to be deposited into such fund.

Requires the Secretary, in determining the level of the fees to be paid to the Secretary by the owner or operator of any foreign fishing vessel for which a permit is issued, to ensure that such fees, at a minimum, fully recover all the direct and indirect conservation and management, research, enforcement, and administrative costs resulting from foreign fishing in the fishery conservation zone.

Includes the Northern Mariana Islands within the coverage of such Act.

Includes the Northern Mariana Islands within the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council. Increases to 13 the number of voting members on such Council of which eight shall be appointed by the Secretary of Commerce.

Requires the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to cause the vessel M/V Olwol, owned by the government of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands and in the custody of the government of the Northern Mariana Islands, to be documented as a vessel of the United States.

Authorizes the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to prescribe by regulation the manner in which perishable seized fish may be sold.