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and the international trade in shark fins and other
shark products.
SEC. 1108. WESTERN PACIFIC LONGLINE FISHERIES COOP-
ERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM.
The National Marine Fisheries Service, in consulta-
tion with the Western Pacific Fisheries Management
Council, shall initiate a cooperative research program with
the commercial longlining industry to carry out activities
consistent with this title, including research described in
section 1107 of this title. The service may initiate such
shark cooperative research programs upon the request of
any other fishery management council.
SEC. 1109. SHARK-FINNING DEFINED.
In this title, the term ‘‘shark-finning’’ means the tak-
ing of a shark, removing the fin or fins (whether or not
including the tail) of a shark, and returning the remainder
of the shark to the sea.
SEC. 1110. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary of Commerce for fiscal years 2001 through 2005
such sums as are necessary to carry out this title.
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TITLE XII—JOHN H. PRESCOTT
MARINE 
MAMMAL 
RESCUE
ASSISTANCE 
GRANT 
PRO-
GRAM
SEC. 1201. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Marine Mammal Res-
cue Assistance Act of 2000’’.
SEC. 1202. JOHN H. PRESCOTT MARINE MAMMAL RESCUE
ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title IV of the Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1371 et seq.) is
amended—
(1) by redesignating sections 408 and 409 as
sections 409 and 410, respectively; and
(2) by inserting after section 407 the following:
‘‘SEC. 408. JOHN H. PRESCOTT MARINE MAMMAL RESCUE
ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) Subject to the availability of
appropriations, the Secretary shall conduct a grant pro-
gram to be known as the John H. Prescott Marine Mam-
mal Rescue Assistance Grant Program, to provide grants
to eligible stranding network participants for the recovery
or treatment of marine mammals, the collection of data
from living or dead marine mammals for scientific re-
104
search regarding marine mammal health, and facility op-
eration costs that are directly related to those purposes.
‘‘(2)(A) The Secretary shall ensure that, to the great-
est extent practicable, funds provided as grants under this
subsection are distributed equitably among the designated
stranding regions.
‘‘(B) In determining priorities among such regions,
the Secretary may consider—
‘‘(i) any episodic stranding or any mortality
event other than an event described in section
410(6), that occurred in any region in the preceding
year; and
‘‘(ii) data regarding average annual strandings
and mortality events per region.
‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—To receive a grant under this
section, a stranding network participant shall submit an
application in such form and manner as the Secretary may
prescribe.
‘‘(c) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall consult
with the Marine Mammal Commission, a representative
from each of the designated stranding regions, and other
individuals who represent public and private organizations
that are actively involved in rescue, rehabilitation, release,
scientific research, marine conservation, and forensic
science regarding stranded marine mammals, regarding
105
the development of criteria for the implementation of the
grant program.
‘‘(d) LIMITATION.—The amount of a grant under this
section shall not exceed $100,000.
‘‘(e) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The non-Federal share of
the costs of an activity conducted with a grant under
this section shall be 25 percent of such costs.
‘‘(2) IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS.—The Secretary
may apply to the non-Federal share of an activity
conducted with a grant under this section the
amount of funds, and the fair market value of prop-
erty and services, provided by non-Federal sources
and used for the activity.
‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATIVE
EXPENSES.—Of amounts
available each fiscal year to carry out this section, the Sec-
retary may expend not more than 6 percent or $80,000,
whichever is greater, to pay the administrative expenses
necessary to carry out this section.
‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
‘‘(1) DESIGNATED
STRANDING
REGION.—The
term ‘designated stranding region’ means a geo-
graphic region designated by the Secretary for pur-
poses of administration of this title.
106
‘‘(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ has
the meaning given that term in section 3(12)(A).
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2003,
to remain available until expended, of which—
‘‘(1) $4,000,000 may be available to the Sec-
retary of Commerce; and
‘‘(2) $1,000,000 may be available to the Sec-
retary of the Interior.’’.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 3(12)(B)
of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C.
1362(12)(B)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(other than sec-
tion 408)’’ after ‘‘title IV’’.
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents
in the first section of the Marine Mammal Protection Act
of 1972 (86 Stat. 1027) is amended by striking the items
relating to sections 408 and 409 and inserting the fol-
lowing:
‘‘Sec. 408. John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Pro-
gram.
‘‘Sec. 409. Authorization of appropriations.
‘‘Sec. 410. Definitions.’’.
SEC. 1203. STUDY OF THE EASTERN GRAY WHALE POPU-
LATION.
(a) STUDY.—Not later than 180 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act and subject to the availability
107
of appropriations, the Secretary of Commerce shall initiate
a study of the environmental and biological factors respon-
sible for the significant increase in mortality events of the
eastern gray whale population.
(b) CONSIDERATION OF WESTERN POPULATION IN-
FORMATION.—The Secretary should ensure that, to the
greatest extent practicable, information from current and
future studies of the western gray whale population is con-
sidered in the study under this section, so as to better
understand the dynamics of each population and to test
different hypotheses that may lead to an increased under-
standing of the mechanism driving their respective popu-
lation dynamics.
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In addi-
tion to other amounts authorized under this title, there
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry
out this section—
(1) $290,000 for fiscal year 2001; and