104 



17 



1 fishing gear or practices, and the initiation of experi- 



2 mental fisheries; 



3 "(C) determine methods of reducing incidental 



4 lethal take levels; and 



5 "(D) verify reporting of incidental lethal takes. 



6 "(2) For each fishery operating under the general au- 



7 thorization to incidentally lethally take marine mammals 



8 as provided under subsection (d), and consistent with the 



9 provisions of sections 114(e)(6) and 114(e)(7), the Sec- 



10 retary shall require that vessels operating in that fishery 



1 1 carry observers in order to obtain statistically reliable in- 



12 formation required under this section. When determining 



13 the distribution of observers among fisheries and vessels 



14 within a fishery, the Secretary shall be guided by the fol- 



15 lowing standards: 



16 "(A) The requirement to obtain the best sci- 



17 entific information available. 



18 "(B) The requirement that assignment of ob- 



19 servers is fair and equitable among fisheries and 



20 among vessels in a fishery. 



21 "(C) The requirement that no individual person 



22 or vessel, or group of persons or vessels, be subject 



23 to excessive or overly burdensome observer coverage. 



24 "(D) Where practicable, the need to minimize 



25 costs and avoid duplication. 



•HR 2760 IH 



