16 U.S. Code § 1421f–2 - Marine Mammal Health Monitoring and Analysis Platform

(a) In general

Not later than 1 year after December 23, 2022, the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and the Marine Mammal Commission, shall—

(1) establish a marine mammal health monitoring and analysis platform (referred to in this chapter as the “Health MAP”);

(2) incorporate the Health MAP into the Observation System; and

(3) make the Health MAP—

(A) publicly accessible through the web portal of the Observation System; and

(B) interoperable with other national data systems or other data systems for management or research purposes, as practicable.

(b) Purposes

The purposes of the Health MAP are—

(1) to promote—

(A) interdisciplinary research among individuals with knowledge and experience in marine mammal science, marine mammal veterinary and husbandry practices, medical science, and oceanography, and with other marine scientists;

(B) timely and sustained dissemination and availability of marine mammal health, stranding, entanglement, and mortality data;

(C) identification of spatial and temporal patterns of marine mammal mortality, disease, and stranding;

(D) evaluation of marine mammal health in terms of mortality, as well as sublethal marine mammal health impacts;

(E) improved collaboration and forecasting of marine mammal and larger ecosystem health events;

(F) rapid communication and dissemination of information regarding marine mammal strandings that may have implications for human health, such as those caused by harmful algal blooms; and

(G) increased accessibility of data in a user friendly visual interface for public education and outreach; and

(2) to contribute to an ocean health index that incorporates marine mammal health data.

(c) Requirements

The Health MAP shall—

(1) integrate in situ, remote, and other marine mammal health, stranding, and mortality data, including visualizations and metadata, collected by marine mammal stranding networks, Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments, private partners, and academia; and

(2) be designed—

(A) to enhance data and information availability, including data sharing among stranding network participants, scientists, and the public within and across stranding network regions;

(B) to facilitate data and information access across scientific disciplines, scientists, and managers;

(C) to facilitate public access to national and regional marine mammal health, stranding, entanglement, and mortality data, including visualizations and metadata, through the national and regional data portals of the Observation System; and

(D) in collaboration with, and with input from, States and stranding network participants.

(d) Procedures and guidelines

The Secretary shall establish and implement policies, protocols, and standards for—

(1) reporting marine mammal health data collected by stranding networks consistent with subsections (c) and (d) of section 1421a of this title;

(2) promptly transmitting health data from the stranding networks and other appropriate data providers to the Health MAP;

(3) disseminating and making publicly available data on marine mammal health, stranding, entanglement, and mortality data in a timely and sustained manner; and

(4) integrating additional marine mammal health, stranding, or other relevant data as the Secretary determines appropriate.

(e) Consultation

The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall maintain and update the Health MAP in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and the Marine Mammal Commission.

(f) Acceptance of donations

(1) In general

For the purposes of carrying out this section, the Secretary may solicit, accept, receive, hold, administer, and use gifts, devises, and bequests without any further approval or administrative action.

(2) Monetary donations

A monetary gift, devise, or bequest accepted by the Secretary under paragraph (1) shall be credited as discretionary offsetting collections to the currently applicable appropriation, account, or fund of the Department of Commerce and shall be made available for such purposes only to the extent and in the amounts provided in advance in appropriations Acts.

(Pub. L. 92–522, title IV, § 408A, as added Pub. L. 117–263, div. J, title CIV, § 10407(a), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3988.)