Congressional Guidance and Better Federal Coordination Would Improve Marine Mammal Management

GAO was requested to review the activities and effectiveness of the Marine Mammal Commission (MMC) and the Departments of Commerce and the Interior in fulfilling the Marine Mammal Protection Act's (MMPA) requirements.

Under the MMPA, many Federal and State actions have been initiated to help ensure the protection and, in some cases, recovery of marine mammals. However, progress has been slow and improvements are needed to satisfactorily fulfill the MMPA objectives and goals. The review of selected species disclosed a need for amendments to the MMPA to facilitate marine mammal management and for improvements in the administration of the marine mammal program by the regulatory agencies. Hunting by Natives is not controlled unless the species is depleted; however, such hunting is for subsistence and handicraft purposes only and is not done in a wasteful manner. Because fishery resources and marine mammals interact, conflicts occur in the administration of the Fishery Conservation and Management Act (FMCA) and the MMPA. GAO found that fishery and marine mammal managers differ in their interpretations of the two Acts' basic goals. Because jurisdiction to administer the MMPA is divided, the Interior and Commerce are performing similar, if not duplicative, functions. GAO found that the regulatory agencies have not provided priority attention to fulfilling the provisions of the MMPA. It is apparent that there are significant differences of opinion as to the type of action that needs to be taken.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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