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all marine mammal populations with respect to OSP, and (7) reduce 

 mortality of marine mammals incidental to commercial fishing 

 operations. The two most important steps required for the 

 successful implementation of the proposed regime are to determine 

 how many marine mammals may be removed from a population stock 

 without disadvantaging that stock and to monitor the number of 

 incidental removals from populations. 



Scope of the Plan 



NMFS' "Proposed Regime to Govern Interactions Between Marine 

 Mammals and Commercial Fishing Operations," submitted to Congress 

 in November 1992, would apply to all commercial fishing 

 operations under U.S. jurisdiction, with the exception of the 

 yellowfin tuna purse seine fishery in the eastern tropical 

 Pacific Ocean. Although the proposal would apply only to 

 commercial fishing, removals from all sources must be considered. 

 The impact of fishery-related removals of marine mammals cannot 

 be evaluated and managed properly unless done in concert with 

 removals from all other sources of human-related mortality or 

 serious injury. Therefore, the allocation of authorized removals 

 should include removals due to all human-related sources. Thus, 

 the authorizations for taking marine mammals incidental to 

 fishing operations would consider the number of marine mammals 

 removed by other human activities in the marine environment, such 

 as subsistence harvest and vessel traffic. 



