2016 proved to be a year of many accomplishments for whales and dolphins. The International Marine Mammal Project was kept busy indeed.
We appreciate the many donations and help from our supporters around the world. It is thanks to them that we can continue to protect and preserve whales, dolphins and their ocean habitats.
-- Successfully defended the California Coastal Commission in court to ban future orca forced breeding at SeaWorld, San Diego, with SeaWorld agreeing to halt orca breeding in ALL their parks
-- Spearheaded undercover investigation in Solomon Islands that led to release of more than 30 illegally caught dolphins bound for lives in captivity
-- Helped publicize and oppose a huge captivity capture operation proposed for Namibia by a Chinese company, including 10 orcas, dozens of dolphins, seals and penguins
-- Our Dolphin Safe Tuna program has expanded to over 700 companies saving 80,000+ dolphins annually from deadly fishing practices
-- Successfully pressed the U.S. government to list Sea of Okhotsk Russian beluga whales as “depleted” and prohibit their import to the U.S. for captivity
-- Initiated pioneering lawsuit against SeaWorld to compel the corporation to tell the truth about how their orcas suffer in captivity, fighting off two efforts by SeaWorld attorneys to dismiss the case
-- Participated in a victorious first lawsuit against the Taiji Whale Museum, opening the door to future litigation for the dolphins in Japan
-- Sponsored for the second year in a row the Fukushima Kids Dolphin Camp for victims of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster to swim with wild dolphins around dolphin-friendly Mikura Island
-- Launched a campaign to influence Japan to stop killing whales and dolphins as 2020 Tokyo Olympics approach
-- Wrote and published ECO, the whale activists’ newsletter, during recent meeting of International Whaling Commission in Slovenia
-- Helped local activists work to successfully shut down the Barcelona Zoo’s dolphinarium
-- Held special events with retiring Senator Barbara Boxer and to mourn the passing of our dear friend and colleague Mark Berman
-- Helped promote and lead demonstrations in San Francisco and San Diego against Taiji’s dolphin slaughter
