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United States · Law · S

S. 1636 (103rd)

Marine Mammal Protection Act Amendments of 1994

enactedUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

8 November 1993

Last action

—

Status

Became Public Law No: 103-238.

Sponsors

—

Subjects

Discovery layer

Source updated

14 January 2025

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Summary

Marine Mammal Protection Act Amendments of 1993 - Amends Federal law to extend authorized appropriations for FY 1994 through 1998 for the Department of Commerce, the Department of the Interior, and the Marine Mammal Commission to carry out the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow commercial fishing operations the incidental lethal taking of marine mammals from a species or stock designated as depleted because of its listing as an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, if such taking is pursuant to a statement issued by the Secretary of the Commerce. Requires conservation plans to only address non-incidental takings, if an incidental taking plan is necessary to reduce such taking from a critical stock. Requires the Secretary, in implementing the incidental taking program, to seek the advice of experts in marine mammal biology and ecology, population dynamics and modeling, and commercial fishing technology and practices. Requires the publication of updated stock assessments annually for stocks considered critical and every three years for all other marine mammal stocks. Requires the stock to be designated into five categories ranked in priority based in population trend, size, and level of total lethal take. Requires the Secretary to develop and implement an incidental taking plan designed to assist in the recovery of each marine mammal stock that is listed as a critical stock and interacts with commercial fisheries. Requires regulations implementing such plan to reduce incidental lethal or serious injury takes to insignificant rates approaching zero within ten years. Authorizes the Secretary to develop a system to register commercial fishing vessels and to assist fishery efforts where necessary to understand the interaction between commercial fisheries and marine mammal stocks in a region. Sets forth reporting requirements for commercial fishing vessels on incidental lethal and serious injury takings. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program to monitor such takes during the course of commercial fishing operations which includes observers on certain vessels. Directs the Secretary to establish an incidental take team for the harbor seal stock in Alaska and for the harbor porpoise stock in the Gulf of Maine to immediately draft an incidental taking plan. Authorizes the Secretary to prohibit certain forms of deterrence used on marine mammals that have a significant adverse effect.

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Documents

17 official files

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