The Secretary of State is authorized, with the concurrence of the Secretary of Commerce, to present or withdraw any objections on behalf of the United States Government to such regulations or amendments of the schedule to the convention as are adopted by the Commission and submitted to the United States Government in accordance with article V of the convention. The Secretary of State is further authorized to receive on behalf of the United States Government reports, requests, recommendations, and other communications of the Commission, and to act thereon either directly or by reference to the appropriate authority.

Any person who fails to make, keep, or furnish any catch return, statistical record, or any report that may be required by the convention, or by any regulation of the Commission, or by this subchapter, or by a regulation of the Secretary of Commerce, or any person who furnishes a false return, record, or report, upon conviction, shall be subject to such fine as may be imposed by the court not to exceed $500, and shall in addition be prohibited from whaling, processing, or possessing whales and whale products from the date of conviction until such time as any delinquent return, record, or report shall have been submitted or any false return, record, or report shall have been replaced by a duly certified correct and true return, record, or report to the satisfaction of the court. The penalties imposed by section 916f of this title shall not be invoked for failure to comply with requirements respecting returns, records, and reports.

Except as to violations defined in clause 3 of subsection (a) of section 916c of this title, any person violating any provision of the convention, or of any regulation of the Commission, or of this subchapter, or of any regulation of the Secretary of Commerce upon conviction, shall be fined not more than $10,000 or be imprisoned not more than one year, or both. In addition the court may prohibit such person from whaling for such period of time as it may determine, and may order forfeited, in whole or in part, the whales taken by such person in whaling during the season, or the whale products derived therefrom or the monetary value thereof. Such forfeited whales or whale products shall be disposed of in accordance with the direction of the court.

Nothing contained in this subchapter shall prevent the taking of whales and the conducting of biological experiments at any time for purposes of scientific investigation in accordance with scientific permits and regulations issued by the Secretary of Commerce or shall prevent the Commission from discharging its duties as prescribed by the convention.

Regulations of the Commission approved and effective in accordance with section 916b of this title and article V of the convention shall be submitted for appropriate action or publication in the Federal Register by the Secretary of Commerce and shall become effective with respect to all persons and vessels subject to the jurisdiction of the United States in accordance with the terms of such regulations and the provisions of article V of the convention.

There is hereby authorized to be appropriated from time to time, out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of the convention and of this subchapter, including (1) contributions to the Commission for the United States share of any joint expenses of the Commission agreed by the United States and any of the other contracting governments, and (2) the expenses of the United States Commissioner and his staff, including (a) personal services in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, without regard to the civil-service laws and chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5; (b) travel expenses without regard to subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5 and section 5731(a) of title 5; (c) transportation of things, communication services; (d) rent of offices; (e) printing and binding without regard to section 501 of title 44, and section 6101 of title 41; (f) stenographic and other services by contract, if deemed necessary, without regard to section 6101 of title 41; (g) supplies and materials; (h) equipment; (i) purchase, hire, operation, maintenance, and repair of aircraft, motor vehicles (including passenger-carrying vehicles), boats, and research vessels.