National Contingency Plan for Response to Unusual Marine Mammal Mortality Events

The primary purpose of this plan is to provide a blueprint to the Onsite Coordinator for the response to mortality events. It provide guidance to Regional Directors of the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on: steps to be taken to protect the public health and welfare; advance planning for such events; steps to identify the cause(s) of an event; and measures to determine the biological significance of an event.