Courtesy of NOAA:
NOAA released a proposed rule designed to implement sections of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) that aims to reduce marine mammal bycatch associated with foreign commercial fishing operations, ensuring that those fisheries support a healthy and diverse marine ecosystem.
Under the proposed rule, nations wishing to export fish and fish products to the United States would be required to demonstrate that they have a regulatory program for reducing marine mammal incidental mortality and serious injury that is comparable in effectiveness to the U.S. program.
Harvesting nations need not match every aspect of the U.S. program to receive a comparability finding. Nations could, for instance, follow the U.S. model by estimating the size of marine mammal stocks that interact with their fisheries, estimating the marine mammal bycatch in those fisheries, and reducing that bycatch to sustainable levels, or they could develop an alternative regulatory program comparable in effectiveness to the U.S. regulatory program.
The proposed rule provides a 5 year grace period to allow foreign harvesting nations time to develop, as appropriate, regulatory programs comparable in effectiveness to U.S. programs.
NOAA, in conjuction with Department of State, will consult with the harvesting nation, and to the extent possible, engage in a capacity building program to assist with monitoring and assessing marine mammals stocks and bycatch and reduce that bycatch.
NOAA will be accepting public comment on the proposed rule until November 9, 2015.