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NOAA Fisheries
Office of Protected Resources
Acropora palmata thicket on Mona Island, Puerto Rico. Andy Bruckner, 1996Coho salmon painting, Canadian Dept of Fisheries and OceansMonk seal, C.E. BowlbyHumpback whale, Dr. Lou Herman
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Endangered Species Act
Text of the Act
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Text of the Act
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Text of the Endangered Species Act

Full Text [pdf] [266 KB]
(All sections are in PDF format.)

  • Sec. 1 - Table of Contents
  • Sec. 2 - Findings, purposes, and policy
  • Sec. 3 - Definitions
  • Sec. 4 - Determination of endangered and threatened species
  • Sec. 5 - Land Acquisition
  • Sec. 6 - Cooperation with States
  • Sec. 7 - Interagency cooperation
  • Sec. 8 - International cooperation
  • Sec. 8A - Convention implementation
  • Sec. 9 - Prohibited acts
  • Sec. 10 - Exceptions
  • Sec. 11 - Penalties and enforcement
  • Sec. 12 - Endangered plants
  • Sec. 13 - Conforming amendments
  • Sec. 14 - Repealer
  • Sec. 15 - Authorization of appropriations
  • Sec. 16 - Effective date
  • Sec. 17 - Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972
  • Sec. 18 - Annual cost analysis by the Fish and Wildlife Service

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