Proposed Fishery-Related Amendments to the 

 Marine Mammal Protection Act 



At its 1986 annual meeting, the Pacific Marine Fisheries 

 Commission constituted an ad hoc Technical Committee on Marine 

 Mammals to identify possible amendments to the Marine Mammal 

 Protection Act. The Committee's draft report and comments 

 thereon were considered by the Pacific Marine Fisheries Commis- 

 sion at its annual meeting on 27-28 October 1987, a meeting 

 to which the Marine Mammal Commission was invited and did 

 send a representative. 



On 1 December 1987, the Pacific Marine Fisheries Commission 

 distributed the final report of its ad hoc Technical Committee 

 on Marine Mammals. The report proposed amendment of the Marine 

 Mammal Protection Act to: (1) "provide appropriate government 

 entities with the authority to lethally remove nuisance marine 

 mammals in limited situations where the conservation and pro- 

 tection of other significant resources is at risk" (without 

 having to seek a waiver of the Act's moratorium on taking) ; 

 (2) "provide marine mammals with the same system of protection 

 as provided other wildlife populations under the ESA" 

 (Endangered Species Act); (3) "provide the option for the 

 development of cooperative marine mammal management programs 

 by state and federal resource agencies"; and (4) "provide 

 funding for state agencies to participate in cooperative 

 state/ federal programs." 



In 1988, the Marine Mammal Commission will continue to 

 work with the National Marine Fisheries Service, state agencies, 

 fisheries and public interest groups, and the academic com- 

 munity to better define and seek solutions to problems being 

 caused by interactions between marine mammals and fisheries. 



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