May 21, 2018 — Federal fisheries officials have issued a reminder that the Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits killing marine mammals, except for exemptions for subsistence harvests by Alaska Natives.
“Marine mammals are an integral part of a healthy ecosystem,” said NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Administrator Jim Balsiger. “Unless it is being harvested for subsistence purposes, or is otherwise authorized, intentionally killing a marine mammal is illegal.
The Marine Mammal Protection Act also protects marine mammals from harassment, which is defined as “any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance which has the potential to injure a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild; or has the potential to disturb a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by causing disruption of behavioral patterns, including, but not limited to, migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering.”
Penalties for violation of the MMPA include up to a fine of $28,520 and/or one-year imprisonment.
Read the full story at the Cordova Times