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that are shown to be within the OSP range. However, limitations of data and 

 technical interpretations of OSP sometimes preclude OSP determinations. Also 

 stocks of certain species may be classified as depleted (ie. below OSP) while 

 they are large in number, and would not be harmed by carefully controlled 

 taking of a limited nature. 



The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides for takes from threatened and 

 endangered populations (except most marine mammals) given that, as part of a 

 comprehensive management and monitoring program, those takes will not 

 jeopardize the continued existence of those populations. The Committee 

 proposed to amend the MMPA to provide marine mammals with the same system of 

 protection as provided other wildlife populations under the ESA . This would 

 allow conservation and management programs to be developed for any marine 

 manmal population and would benefit all living marine resources of concern. 



The Committee proposed amendment to the MMPA to provide the option for 

 the development of cooperative marine manmal management programs by state and 

 federal resource agencies. The federal agencies with jurisdiction for marine 

 mammals have not developed management programs for many populations of 

 particular concern to the coastal states. Transfer of management authority to 

 the state agencies, as provided in the MMPA, has proven difficult to 

 accomplish. The Committee proposed that the combined and directed efforts of 

 the appropriate federal and state authorities may be required to successfully 

 develop management programs for many marine mammal populations. 



The Committee recognized that the fiscal resources of the federal 

 agencies with jurisdication for marine mammals are not being sufficiently 

 directed toward issues of concern to the coastal states, and that the current 

 marine matrmal program budgets of those agencies are inadequate to deal with 

 all marine mammal issues. Given the lack of authority for marine mammal 



