284 



I fader section 110 of the act, there is authorized to be appropriated 

 $2.5 million for grants to public or private institutions for the pur- 

 pose of conducting research relevant to the protection and conser- 

 vation of marine mammals. One-third of such grants up to $883,000 

 is administered by the Secretary of the Interior and two-thirds of 

 such grants up to $1,666,000 is administered by the Secretary of 

 Commerce. 



Section 114 of the act authorizes to be appropriated $525,000 per 

 year for the Secretary of the Interior to carry out its functions and 

 responsibilities, and $2 million per year for the Secretary of Com- 

 merce to carry out its functions and responsibilities. 



Section 207 of the act authorizes $1 million to be appropriated 

 for the Marine Mammal Commission. 



H.R. 4740 would extend the act for 1 additional year, and it 

 would increase the appropriation authorizations under section 110 

 from $833,000 to $1.1 million for the Secretary of the Interior; 

 under section 114, from $525,000 to $700,000 for the Secretary of 

 the Interior; and from $2 million to $10 million for the Secretary 

 of Commerce; and under section 207, from $1 to $2 million for the 

 Marine Mammal Commission. 



In addition, the bill would increase from $2 to $8 million the 

 amount of funds authorized to be appropriated for the Secretary 

 of Commerce to carry out its functions under section 114 for fiscal 

 year 1977. 



This substantial authorization is necessary to undertake addi- 

 tional research necessitated by recent court decisions in the tuna- 

 porpoise saga, and to increase the number of observers aboard U.S. 

 tuna vessels. 



So we have scheduled for examination today Jack Gehringer, 

 Deputy Director for NMFS, and George Milias, the Deputy Di- 

 rector, Department of the Interior; Mr. John Twiss is here from 

 the Marine Mammal Commission, and he has Bob Eisenbud and 

 Dr. Hofman; and then we have Christine Stevens, Society for Ani- 

 mal Protective Legislation ; and Milton Kauf mann. 



The legislation that we have has been introduced by myself and 

 Mr. Forsythe, and presumably the bill includes amounts as recom- 

 mended by the Department. 



So, presumptively the Department would favor the legislation. 



[The bill and departmental report follow :] 



[H.R. 4740, 95th Cong., 1st sess.] 



A BILL To Increase the appropriations authorization for fiscal year 1978 and authorize 

 appropriations for fiscal year 1978 to carry out the Marine Mammal Protection Act 

 of 1972 



Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 

 States of America in Congress assembled, That section 110(c) of the Marine 

 Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1380(c)) is amended to read as 

 follows : 



"(c) There are authorized to be appropriated, for the purpose of carrying 

 out this section, not to exceed the following sums for the following fiscal 

 years : 



"(1) $2,500,000 for each of the fiscal years ending June 30, 1973, June 

 30, 1974, June 30, 1975, September 30, 1976, and September 30, 1977, of 

 which one-third of the sum appropriated for any such fiscal year shall be 

 available to the Secretary of the Interior and two-thirds of any such 

 sum shall be available to the Secretary of Commerce. 



