that is most likely to result in informed de-
cision making regarding the mitigation of 
those risks. 
(B) 
NATIONAL
SECURITY
CONSIDER-
ATIONS.—All monitoring methods, technologies, 
and protocols under this section shall be con-
sistent with national security considerations and 
interests. 
(4) MITIGATION
PROTOCOLS.—The Adminis-
trator shall, in consultation with the Secretary of the 
department in which the Coast Guard is operating, 
the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Transpor-
tation, and the Secretary of the Interior, and with 
input from affected stakeholders, develop and deploy 
mitigation protocols that make use of the near real- 
time monitoring system to direct sector-specific miti-
gation measures that avoid and significantly reduce 
risk of serious injury and mortality to North Atlan-
tic right whales. 
(5) ACCESS TO DATA.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), the Administrator shall pro-
vide access to data generated by the monitoring 
system for purposes of scientific research and 
evaluation, and public awareness and education, 
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including through the NOAA Right Whale 
Sighting Advisory System and WhaleMap or 
other successive public web portals. 
(B) NATIONAL SECURITY RELATED INFOR-
MATION.—The Administrator may not provide 
access to any data under subparagraph (A) that 
the Secretary of Defense determines should be 
withheld for national security reasons. 
(6) PILOT PROGRAM REPORTING.— 
(A) PRELIMINARY
REPORT.—Not later 
than 2 years after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Administrator, in consultation 
with the secretary of the department in which 
the Coast Guard is operating, shall submit to 
the appropriate congressional committees, and 
make available to the public, a preliminary re-
port on the pilot project established under para-
graph (1), which shall include— 
(i) a description of the monitoring 
methods and technology in use or planned 
for deployment; 
(ii) analyses of the efficacy of the 
methods and technology in use or planned 
for deployment for detecting North Atlan-
tic right whales; 
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(iii) how the monitoring system is di-
rectly informing and improving North 
American right whale management, health, 
and survival; 
(iv) a prioritized identification of tech-
nology or research gaps; 
(v) a plan to communicate the risks of 
injury to large whales to ocean users in a 
way that is most likely to result in in-
formed decision making regarding the miti-
gation of those risks; and 
(vi) additional information on the po-
tential benefits and efficacy of the pro-
gram, as appropriate. 
(B) FINAL
REPORT.—Not later than 6 
years after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Administrator, in coordination with the 
Secretary of Defense and the heads of other rel-
evant Federal departments and agencies, shall 
submit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees, and make available to the public, a 
final report on the pilot project established 
under paragraph (1), that addresses the infor-
mation described in subparagraph (A) and in-
cludes the following: 
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(i) An assessment of the benefits and 
efficacy of the near real-time monitoring 
and mitigation program. 
(ii) A strategic plan to expand the 
pilot program to provide near real-time 
monitoring and mitigation measures to— 
(I) additional large whale species 
of concern for which such measures 
would reduce risk of serious injury or 
death; and 
(II) important feeding, breeding, 
calving, rearing, or migratory habitats 
of whales that co-occur with areas of 
high risk of mortality or serious in-
jury of such whales from vessel strikes 
or disturbance. 
(iii) A prioritized plan for acquisition, 
deployment, and maintenance of moni-
toring technologies. 
(iv) The locations or species for which 
such plan would apply. 
(v) A budget and description of funds 
necessary to carry out the strategic plan. 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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