permit application, judges whether: an education or conservation 

 program is a component of the proposed display; the program 

 provides accurate information which is consistent with the 

 purposes and policies of the Marine Mammal Protection Act; and 

 the facilities are open on a regularly scheduled basis without 

 limitation other than the charging of an admission fee. 



During 1989, one application for an enhancement permit was 

 received by the National Marine Fisheries Service. After review, 

 however, it was determined that the proposed activity, freeing 

 whales entangled in fishing gear, would be more appropriately 

 authorized under section 109 (h) , as a taking necessary for the 

 protection and welfare of the animal. 



Bottlenose Dolphin Study 



Another amendment directed the Secretary of Commerce to 

 conduct a study of the 1987-1988 die-off of bottlenose dolphins 

 in the North Atlantic Ocean. The purpose of the effort is to 

 determine: to the extent possible, the cause or causes of the 

 die-off; the effect of the die-off on the dolphin population (s) ; 

 the extent to which pollution was a contributing factor; and 

 whether other marine mammal species or populations were affected. 

 As discussed further in the section on bottlenose dolphins in 

 Chapter III, a report on that study was issued in April 1989. 



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