50 CFR § 216.25 - Exempted marine mammals and marine mammal products.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t50/s216.25"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "50 CFR § 216.25 - Exempted marine mammals and marine mammal products."
title_number: 50
title_name: "Wildlife and Fisheries"
section_number: "216.25"
section_name: "Exempted marine mammals and marine mammal products."
chapter_name: "NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE"
subchapter_number: "C"
subchapter_name: "MARINE MAMMALS"
part_number: "216"
part_name: "REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE TAKING AND IMPORTING OF MARINE MAMMALS"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-04-05"
last_updated: "2026-04-05"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "16 U.S.C. 1361  unless otherwise noted."
regulatory_source: "39 FR 1852, Jan. 15, 1974, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "216"
---


# 216.25 Exempted marine mammals and marine mammal products.

(a) The provisions of the MMPA and these regulations shall not apply:

(1) To any marine mammal taken before December 21, 1972 
<sup>1</sup>
[^], or

<sup>1</sup> In the context of captive maintenance of marine mammals, the only marine mammals exempted under this section are those that were actually captured or otherwise in captivity before December 21, 1972.

(2) To any marine mammal product if the marine mammal portion of such product consists solely of a marine mammal taken before such date.

(b) The prohibitions contained in § 216.12(c) (3) and (4) shall not apply to marine mammals or marine mammal products imported into the United States before the date on which a notice is published in the *Federal Register* with respect to the designation of the species or stock concerned as depleted or endangered.

(c) Section 216.12(b) shall not apply to articles imported into the United States before the effective date of the foreign law making the taking or sale, as the case may be, of such marine mammals or marine mammal products unlawful.

[39 FR 1852, Jan. 15, 1974, as amended at 56 FR 43888, Sept. 5, 1991; 59 FR 50376, Oct. 3, 1994]