Contact: Gordon Helm FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2/5/96
Fishermen who must register with the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Marine Mammal Protection Act because of their interaction with marine mammals are being granted an extension of their current exemption certificates through March 31, 1996, to allow them enough time to receive the new authorizations, the Commerce Departmentþs National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today.
The recent government shutdown, coupled with a delay in publishing the final list of fisheries for 1996 due to an extended public comment process, are the reasons the fisheries service has extended the current fishing certificates.
Under amendments to the MMPA passed by Congress in 1994, commercial fishermen must reduce their incidental interactions with marine mammals to a near-zero level by 2001. Participants in fisheries with high or occasional levels of incidental mortality are placed in Category I or II and must register with the fisheries service and must carry an observer if requested. Registration is not required in Category III fisheries.
Commercial fishermen who plan to participate in Category I or II fisheries can expect to receive registration materials the second week of February. Fishermen who will participate in these fisheries in the spring should plan to submit their registration forms and fees to the fisheries service by March 1 to accommodate the 30 days that is required to process the forms. Fishermen who will be participating in affected fisheries later in the year are asked to submit their registration form and fee at least 30 days before they expect to begin fishing.
The new MMPA regulations for commercial fishermen were published in August. However, a required 90-day period for the public to comment on the list of fisheries postponed the publication of the final list until late December, 1995. The fisheries service originally established an effective date of the list beginning March 1, 1996, but has since extended the effective date to April 1, 1996, to give enough time for fishermen to complete the registration process.
The final list of 1996 category I and II fisheries and a fact sheet are available by fax. Call (301) 713-2370 to receive a copy.