§1373 Regulations on Taking of Marine Mammals

Summary

The Secretary must make rules, using the best scientific evidence and after talking with the Marine Mammal Commission, to control taking and importing of every marine mammal species and population so those actions do not harm the species and follow the law’s goals. In making those rules, the Secretary must consider things like current and future population levels, U.S. international obligations, the marine ecosystem and fisheries, and whether the rules are practical and affordable. Rules can limit how many animals may be taken or imported each year under permits, set limits by age, size, or sex, set seasons, places, and methods for taking or importing, and ban fishing methods that kill too many mammals. The rules must be made after an agency hearing and the public must be given basic information first: current population estimates, expected effects on sustainable levels, the evidence used, and related studies or recommendations. The Secretary must review and can change rules as needed, and must report to the public and Congress within six months after the law starts and every 12 months after that on the status of all covered marine mammals and actions taken or needed.