Final polices and best practices : marine mammal stranding response, rehabilitation, and release : standards for rehabilitation facilities Marine mammal stranding response, rehabilitation, and release Standards for rehabilitation facilities Policies and best practices for marine mammal response, rehabilitation, and release

"As part of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Stranding Agreements, the Agency will require that all rehabilitation facilities meet the Minimum Standards presented in this document. The goal of this document is to set MINIMUM facility, husbandry, and veterinary standards for rehabilitating marine mammals in order to meet the prescribed NMFS Best Practices Marine Mammal Stranding Response, Rehabilitation, and Release - Standards for Release. Likewise some of the standards put forth in this document are based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulations which define minimum standards for permanent captive marine mammals. However, there are some differences between the two documents in that these standards were developed for temporary care and all age groups. RECOMMENDED Standards are included in some sections, and consist of facility design and operational suggestions for optimizing the rehabilitation success rate. Meeting or exceeding the recommended standards may be considered a goal to strive towards when upgrading existing, or designing new facilities or protocols"--Introduction. prepared by Laurie Gage ; edited by Janet E. Whaley. "February 2009." System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Includes bibliographical references. 2009 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) Library Public Domain 1862