Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 70.djvu/1176

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PUBLIC LAW 1024-AUG. 8, 1956

[70 S T A T.

to engage in fishing for his own pleasure, enjoyment, and betterment, and with the intent of maintaining and increasing the public opportunities for recreational use of our fish and wildlife resources, and stimulating the development of a strong, prosperous, and thriving fishery and fish processing industry. REORGANIZATION W I T H I N Assistant r e t a r y for and Wildlife; m i s s i o n e r of and Wildlife.

Sec* Fish ComFish

U. S. F i s h and Wildlife service.

D l s t r i b u t i o n of duties, etc.

Administrative procedures.

THE D E P A R T 3 I E N T OF THE

INTERIOR

SEC. 3. (a) There is hereby established within the Department of the Interior the position of Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife, and the position of Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife. Such Assistant Secretary shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and shall be compensated at the same rate as other Assistant Secretaries. The Commissioner shall be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. He shall receive compensation at the same rate as that provided for Grade GS-18. There is also established a United States Fish and Wildlife Service within the Department, consisting of two separate agencies, each of which shall have the status of a Federal bureau. There shall be a Director of each of said Bureaus appointed by the Secretary at Grades GS-17 each. One of the agencies shall be known as the "Bureau of Commercial Fisheries" and the other agency shall be known as the "Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife". The United States Fish and Wildlife Service, except as prescribed by this Act, shall succeed to and replace the presently existing Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department. (b) The functions of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service hereby established shall be administered under the supervision of the said Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife, who shall be subject to the supervision of the Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife. (c) All functions and responsibilities placed in the Department of the Interior or any official thereof by this Act shall be included among the functions and responsibilities of the Secretary of the Interior, as the head of the Department, and shall be carried out under his direction pursuant to such procedures or delegations of authority as he may deem advisable and in the public interest. (d) I n order to make a proper distribution between the two Bureaus of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service established by this Act, the previously existing functions, powers, duties, authority, liabilities, commitments, personnel, records, and other properties or matters previously handled by or administered through the former Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department, shall be distributed as follows: (1) The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries shall be responsible for those matters to which this Act applies relating primarily to commercial fisheries, whales, seals, and sea-lions, and related iriatters; (2) The Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife shall be responsible for those matters to which this Act applies relating primarily to migratory birds, game management, wildlife refuges, sport fisheries, sea mammals (except whales, seals and sea-lions), and related matters; and the funds and allocations, appropriated or otherwise, relating to the matters covered by paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection shall be distributed between such Bureaus as the Secretary of the Interior shall determine. (e) Except as changed by the terms of this Act or by subsequent laws or regulations, all laws and regulations now in effect relating to matters heretofore administered by the Department of the Interior through the former Fish and Wildlife Service as heretofore existing, shall remain in effect. (f) I n recognition of the need for authority to execute the purposes of this Act effectively, the Secretary of the Interior shall exercise such

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