CHAPTER VII 
PERMIT PROCESS 
The Marine Mammal Protection Act places a moratorium, 
with certain exceptions, on the taking and importing of 
marine mammals and marine mammal products. One exception is 
the provision for the issuance of permits by either the 
Secretary of Commerce or the Secretary of the Interior, 
depending upon the species of animal involved, for the 
taking of marine mammals for purposes of scientific research 
or public display. Prior to the issuance of a permit, the 
application is reviewed by the Commission in consultation 
with its Committee of Scientific Advisors on Marine Mammals. 
The following is a schematic representation of this permit 
review process. 
Applicant 
Application Final Departmental Action 
Dept. of 
Interior 
Dept. of 
Interior 
Complete Application Commission Recommendation 
Marine Mammal Commission 
Committee of Scientific 
Advisors on Marine Mammals 
Application Review 
The permit application and review process involves 
three stages: 1) receipt and initial review of the application 
at the Department, publication of a notice of receipt of 
application in the Federal Register, and transmittal to the 
Commission; 2) review of the application by the Commission 
and transmittal of its recommendation to the Department; and 
3) final processing by the Department, including consideration 
of all comments and recommendations of the Commission and 
