The Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Fishery Conservation and Management Act: The Need for Balance

This article presents an analysis of those provisions of the MMPA which may impede the achievement of FCMA objectives. It is important that these possible conflicts be resolved because while the United States controls off the coast of Alaska what may be the world\u27s largest resources of fish, these same waters contain enormous numbers of marine mammals. These fishery resources, if managed rationally, can make a large contribution to the economy of the United States and to the protein needs of the world. A reasonable accommodation between the MMPA and the FCMA must be found in order to achieve that possibility