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Marine
Mammal Program
Overview
of the Office of Protected Resources' Marine Mammal Program
The
NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources (OPR) is charged
with the implementation of the
Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA),
Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the
Fur Seal Act (FSA) with respect to marine mammal species
under NOAA Fisheries jurisdiction- whales, dolphins, porpoises,
seals, and sea lions. As part of the MMPA mandate, OPR works
in collaboration with the NOAA
Fisheries Regions and Fisheries Science Centers to develop
and implement a variety of programs for the protection, conservation,
and recovery of marine mammals (see below). OPR also establishes
cooperative agreements with states and Alaska Natives regarding
marine mammal resources, identifies important research needs
to collect appropriate information for management decisions,
and administers the activities of the
Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program.
In
addition, OPR serves as the principal liaison for NOAA Fisheries
with the Marine Mammal Commission, environmental organizations,
industry, other Federal and state agencies (including U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service), the academic community,
public display institutions, and environmental and animal
welfare organizations to meet its mandates under the MMPA.
In addition to the links below to important OPR marine mammal
programs, the office
also administers the national program for display of captive
whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals and sea lions, coordinates
with the USFWS on issues concerning the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),
and administers various exemptions to the "take"
prohibition under the MMPA for the activities below.
- scientific
research
- enhancing
the survival or recovery of a marine mammal species or stock
- commercial
and educational photography
- first-time
import for public display
- capture
of wild marine mammals for public display
- incidental
take during commercial fishery activities
- incidental
take during non-fishery activities
Example
OPR Marine Mammal Conservation Programs
Species
Information
Marine
Mammal Protection Act Information
Updates
and Publications
Note:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS) implements programs and regulations for remaining
marine mammal species- walruses, polar bears, sea otters,
and manatees.
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