Flippers, Fins, and Futures: The Fight to Save the Marine Mammal Protection Act
Remember the adrenaline rush of watching Free Willy leap over the rock wall? The excitement watching Flipper race through the waves? Or maybe the feeling of hope when Winter the dolphin swam for the first time with her prosthetic tail?
Those moments sparked wonder and awe for our oceans and the incredible life that calls it home. Moments that were made possible in part by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).
A LANDMARK LAW FOR MARINE MAMMALS
In the 1960’s and early 70’s, an estimated 6 million dolphins were dying in tuna nets, the commercial whaling industry was still slaughtering whales at an industrial rate, and harp seal pups were being clubbed to death for the fur trade. These events led to public outcry — and in 1972, Congress passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act with strong bipartisan support.
A HISTORY OF SUCCESS
One of the clearest examples of the MMPA in action is the recovery of the harbor porpoise in New England.
In the 1990s, researchers documented alarmingly high death rates from porpoises becoming entangled in fishing nets. Under the MMPA, a collaborative working group was created. Fisherman, scientists, state officials, and NGOs all working together to find solutions. The partnership produced seasonal management plans and new fishing technology that cut harbor porpoise deaths by 85%!
A healthy Marine Mammal Protection Act also actively contributes to America’s economic stability. The whale watching industry alone contributes billions of dollars to the economy and supports thousands of jobs. A fan favorite of many whale watching boats are Humpback whales. But before the MMPA, industrial whaling reduced humpbacks so dramatically that only 5% of the total population was left. Thanks to the MMPA and other measures, some groups of humpback whales have recovered so well, they’ve been removed from the endangered species list.
THE FIGHT TO SAVE THE MARINE MAMMAL PROTECTION ACT
Despite the past bipartisan support and the law’s success, Congress is currently considering a new bill that would take a sledgehammer to the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The proposed bill undermines three of the MMPA’s keystone principles in the following ways:
- Legalizes Harm: Currently, the MMPA generally makes it illegal to harass, hunt, capture, kill, or injure marine mammals, including actions that disturb and disrupt their habitat. The proposed bill would narrow these protections and allow more activities that could harm marine mammals. It also allows activities that could cause harm to get automatic approvals if agencies don’t act fast enough – a big problem when agency budgets and staff are already being cut.
- Allows More Death: Right now, fisheries are required to reduce accidental killings of marine mammals. This helps prevent, for example, dolphin massacres like the ones that occurred before the MMPA became law. But the proposed bill significantly weakens these standards, allowing more deaths.
- Abandons Recovery: Today, agencies are required to use the best available science to maintain and recover marine mammal populations to healthy levels. This bill would downgrade the threshold from thriving to simply surviving.
We cannot let whales, dolphins, seals, and sea otters be pushed towards extinction, allowing them to only exist as stuffed animals in the bedrooms of countless children or as a nostalgic memory that can only be found on the movie screen.
Marine mammals need us now more than ever. Join Oceana to call on Congress to defend the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
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