Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 106 Part 6.djvu/503

 PUBLIC LAW 102-587—NOV. 4, 1992 106 STAT. 5061 ''(I) facilitate the collection and dissemination of reference data on the health of marine mammals and health trends of marine mammal populations in the wild; "(2) correlate the health of marine mammals and marine mammal populations, in the wild, with available data on physical, chemical, and biological environmental parameters; and "(3) coordinate effective responses to unusual mortality events by establishing a process in the Department of Commerce in accordance with section 304. 'SEC. 302. DETERMINATION; DATA COLLECTION AND DISSEMINATION. 16 USC 1421a. "(a) DETERMINATION FOR RELEASE. — The Secretary shall, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, the Marine Mammal Commission, and individuals with knowledge and experience in marine science, marine mammal science, marine mammal veterinary and husbandry practices, and marine conservation, including stranding network participants, develop objective criteria, after an opportunity for public review and comment, to provide guidance for determining at what point a rehabilitated marine mammal is releasable to the wild. "(b) COLLECTION. — The Secretary shall, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, collect and update, periodically, existing information on— "(1) procedures and practices for— "(A) rescuing and rehabilitating stranded marine mammals, including criteria used by stranding network participants, on a species-by-species basis, for determining at what point a marine mammal undergoing rescue and rehabilitation is returnable to the wild; and "(B) collecting, preserving, labeling, and transporting marine mammal tissues for physical, chemical, and biological analyses; "(2) appropriate scientific literature on marine mammal health, disease, and rehabilitation; "(3) strandings, which the Secretary shall compile and analyze, by region, to monitor species, numbers, conditions, and causes of illnesses and deaths of stranded marine mammals; and "(4) other life history and reference level data, including marine mammal tissue analyses, that would allow comparison of the causes of illness and deaths in stranded marine mammals with physical, chemical, and biological environmental parameters. "(c) AVAILABILITY.— The Secretary shall make information collected under this section available to stranding network participants and other qualified scientists. 'SEC. 303. STRANDING RESPONSE AGREEMENTS. 16 USC 1421b. "(a) IN GENERAL. —The Secretary may enter into an agreement under section 112(c) with any person to take marine mammals under section 109(h)(l) in response to a stranding. "(b) REQUIRED PROVISION. —An agreement authorized by subsection (a) shall— "(1) specify each person who is authorized to perform activities under the agreement; and "(2) specify any terms and conditions under which a person so specified may delegate that authority to another person.

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