102 STAT. 4770
PUBLIC LAW 100-711—NOV. 23, 1988
"(2) A permit may be issued for public display purposes only to an applicant which offers a program for education or conservation purposes that, based on professionally recognized standards of the public display community, is acceptable to the Secretary and which submits with the permit application information indicating that the applicant's facilities are open to the public on a regularly scheduled basis and that access to the facilities is not limited or restricted other than by the charging of an admission fee. "(3) A permit may be issued for scientific research purposes only to an applicant which submits with its permit application information indicating that the taking is required to further a bona fide scientific purpose and does not involve unnecessary duplication of research. No permit issued for purposes of scientific research shall authorize the killing of a marine mammal unless the applicant demonstrates that a nonlethal method for carrying out the research is not feasible. The Secretary shall not issue a permit for research which involves the lethal taking of a marine mammal from a species or stock designated as depleted, unless the Secretary determines that the results of such research will directly benefit that species or stock, or that such research fulfills a critically important research need. "(4)(A) A permit may be issued for enhancing the survival or recovery of a species or stock only with respect to a species or stock for which the Secretary, after consultation with the Marine Mammal Commission and after notice and opportunity for public comment, has first determined that— "(i) taking or importation is likely to contribute significantly to maintaining or increasing distribution or numbers necessary to ensure the survival or recovery of the species or stock; and "(ii) taking or importation is consistent (I) with any conservation plan adopted by the Secretary under section 115(b) of this title or any recovery plan developed under section 4(f) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 for the species or stock, or (II) if there is no conservation or recovery plan in place, with the Secretary's evaluation of the actions required to enhance the survival or recovery of the species or stock in light of the factors that would be addressed in a conservation plan or a recovery plan. "(B) A permit issued in accordance with this paragraph may allow the captive maintenance of a marine mammal from a depleted species or stock only if the Secretary— "(i) determines that captive maintenance is likely to contribute to the survival or recovery of the species or stock by maintaining a viable gene pool, increasing productivity, providing biological information, or establishing animal reserves; (ii) determines that the expected benefit to the affected species or stock outweighs the expected benefit of alternatives which do not require removal of animals from the wild; and "(iii) requires that the marine mammal or its progeny be returned to the natural habitat of the species or stock as soon as feasible, consistent with the objectives of any applicable conservation plan or recovery plan, or of any evaluation by the Secretary under subparagraph (A). The Secretary may allow the public display of such a marine mammal only if the Secretary determines that such display is incidental to the authorized maintenance and will not interfere with the attainment of the survival or recovery objectives.".
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