Reporting Requirements for Commercial Fisheries Authorization under Section 118 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act

Reporting injury and /or mortalities of marine mammals is mandated under Section 118 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. This information is required to determine the impacts of commercial fishing on marine mammal populations. This information is also used to categorize commercial fisheries into Category I, II or III. Participants in the first two categories have to be authorized to take marine mammals, while those in Category III are exempt from that requirements. All categories must report injuries or mortalities on the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Marine Mammal Authorization Program marine mammal mortality/injury form.

The latest form for Reporting Requirements for Commercial Fisheries Authorization under Section 118 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act expires 2022-12-31 and can be found here.