Saving Endangered Marine Megafauna

On Endangered Species Day, May 21st, I joined a great panel of colleagues to discuss the current situation with marine megafauna (large marine species, such as whales, dolphins, sharks and manta rays) facing population declines and extinction around the world’s oceans.

You can view the webinar here:

The webinar was organized and moderated by David McGuire, Director and Founder of Shark Stewards, a fellow Earth Island Institute project with the International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP).

In addition to me, panelists included Attorney Kristen Monsell of the Center for Biological Diversity; Dr. Robert Rubin of California’s Santa Rosa Junior College; Vince Smith, founder and director of Blue Endeavors; and Simon Christopher, Founder and Executive Director of Blue Hope Malaysia.

The discussion detailed the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), which was severely gutted by the Trump Administration, and included many examples of endangered marine species and their habitats which can benefit from a robust, well-funded, and well-enforced ESA.

Panelists also suggested many ways in which the public can take action to protect endangered marine life.

We encourage you to watch the webinar and follow the prompts in the presentations to take action.