Dear Supporters of the International Marine Mammal Project:
As 2019 comes to a close, we’re writing to thank you for your ongoing generosity and to share some of IMMP’s key accomplishments this year. Your continuing support of IMMP’s work is critical to our success, and you share these successes with us. Thank you for your caring and for your commitment to safeguarding the lives of whales and dolphins! 2020 promises to be an especially busy and potentially productive year for whales and dolphins, as our SeaWorld lawsuit finally comes to trial and we organize Olympians and Paralympians to urge Japan to end the killing of dolphins and whales.
Russian "Whale Jail"
•Joining Russian conservationists and international scientists, IMMP helped return 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales to freedom in Russian waters. At least two orcas have been documented rejoining and swimming with wild pods, and we hold high hopes that the others can reintegrate with their families. The whales were illegally captured and destined for sale to China, and were being kept in the notorious “Whale Jail”. Reversing this calamity is a historic event.
When our colleagues in Russia succeeded in Russian court in blocking the export of the whales, the issue became a huge crisis, publicized worldwide, with Russian President Vladimir Putin making the final decision to release the whales. To help our Russian colleagues gain this success, IMMP drafted and secured signatures for letters from international marine mammal scientists pressing for release, and a celebrity letter, which was signed by Queen Noor of Jordan, Mark Ruffalo, Pamela Anderson, Jane Goodall, the Heart sisters Nancy and Ann Wilson, Sir Richard Branson, Sylvia Earle, and numerous other renowned public figures.
A separate letter sent by Jean-Michelle Cousteau and IMMP’s Executive Director David Phillips led to Russia accepting a team of scientists who evaluated the whales for release. IMMP played a key role in coordinating the work of Russian activists with other whale organizations, scientists and celebrities outside Russia.
Our next step: to permanently end the captures of cetaceans in Russian waters and establishing other marine mammal conservation measures in Russia. This is the last place in the world where wild orcas and beluga whales are captured for export and ground zero for their supply to theme parks around the globe.
One of the last belugas from the Whale Jail is being hoisted in a sling over the side of the Russian research vessel to be released.
Dolphin Safe Tuna
•IMMP assisted the US Trade Representative leading to a historic World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling in January against Mexico’s 10-year attempt to weaken the Dolphin Safe tuna label. IMMP’s decade-long persistence, providing documentation and expert consultation, convinced the trade-oriented judges at the WTO about the importance of the Dolphin Safe label to dolphins. They finally agreed with us, and the decision was certified by the full WTO this year.
•Our Dolphin Safe tuna monitoring program grew to 817 companies in 74 countries, now saving more than 90,000 dolphins yearly from drowning in purse seine nets. In addition to protecting dolphins, our standards have continually been expanded to include provisions that protect other species. Under our policy, tuna fleets must release any netted live sea turtles back to the ocean. IMMP has similar policies that require the release of live sharks from tuna nets, prohibit shark finning onboard tuna vessels, and prevent tuna vessels from fishing in protected marine sanctuaries. Read our Q&A about the Dolphin Safe label.
A dolphin caught in a tuna net, from Samuel LaBudde’s 1988 film documenting the slaughter of dolphins by tuna fishing boats. IMMP worked with Sam to help him make his undercover video and then release it to the world. In 2019, the World Trade Organization, after ten years of litigation, finally concluded that the 1990 Dolphin Safe standards and tuna label, established by Congress through the work of Sam and IMMP, were legitimate conservation measures and not a trade barrier.
Anderson v. Seaworld Lawsuit
•In a key blow against SeaWorld’s secrecy, IMMP secured the release of Expert Witness Reports in our landmark lawsuit, Anderson v SeaWorld, to compel SeaWorld to cease making false statements about the welfare of its captive orcas. These four reports by top marine mammal scientists argue from a strong scientific standpoint that orcas do not belong in captivity and that SeaWorld is deceiving the public about the health of its captive orcas. IMMP has worked on this lawsuit for more than five years. SeaWorld has been rebuffed in efforts to have the case dismissed on five occasions. The case will finally go to trial in spring 2020 in a federal court in Oakland, CA. See our blog series about Expert Witnesses’ comments on SeaWorld’s false claims, with links to the full (redacted) Expert Witness Reports.
The orca Tilikum being fed by trainers at SeaWorld Orlando. Tilikum died in 2017. IMMP is suing SeaWorld for making false claims about their captive orcas and suing the National Marine Fisheries Service to obtain the necropsy report and health records of Tilikum. (Photo by Mark J. Palmer/Earth Island Institute)
Canada's "Free Willy" Bill
•IMMP recently initiated a campaign, with a coalition of organizations, against the import of five beluga whales for captive breeding to Connecticut’s Mystic Aquarium from Canada’s Marineland, in clear violation of Canada’s new law banning captive breeding of cetaceans.
•IMMP supported Canada’s passage of a historic “Free Willy” bill phasing out the captivity of cetaceans throughout Canada. Canada now joins several countries that are committed to ending captivity, such as India, the United Kingdom, and Croatia. IMMP is deeply committed to adding the US to this list.
Other Litigation
•IMMP sued the US National Marine Fisheries Service to comply with federal law requiring the release of health records for captive orcas who died at SeaWorld. The case is still pending in federal court. We also filed lawsuits against the Trump Administration to release illegally withheld information on captive dolphins and offshore oil drilling. As a result, these documents are slowly trickling into IMMP for our analysis and potential action.
IMMP’s passionate work protecting whales and dolphins and their ocean habitat is made possible through your continued generosity. Thank you for your critical support that fuels our mission and warms our hearts.
Enjoy a wonderful holiday season!
Sincerely,
 David Phillips Executive Director |
 Mary Jo Rice Associate Director |
 Mark J. Palmer Associate Director |