New legislation introduced into Congress would phase out the captivity of orcas, beluga whales, pilot whales, and false killer whales, all species that do poorly in small concrete tanks. If passed the SWIMS Act would prohibit breeding in captivity, importing and exporting these species, with an exception for moving the animals to seaside sanctuaries.
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For 50 years, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) has been a powerful tool to protect whales, dolphins, seals & sea lions, sea otters, and manatees in the US. But, the MMPA has been weakened by both Congress and dubious administrative action. The MMPA is to be celebrated, but also strengthened!
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For 40 years, the International Marine Mammal Project has been working to protect whales, dolphins, and their ocean homes.
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Along the California coast, Indigenous tribes hunted abalone, a resource providing them with food and beautiful shells. But overharvesting of abalone along with the killing of sea otters for fur have led to increased sea urchin populations, destroying kelp beds and harming the once rich ocean ecosystem.
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On August 19, 2021, the International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute sent the following letter to the US National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) and the US Coast Guard, urging these agencies to put in place mandatory speed limits for large commercial vessels that threaten whales with ship strikes along the coast of California. Currently, ships speeds are voluntary, and as many as half of the commercial vessels ignore the limits.
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US Congress has introduced two new bills that would ban offshore oil drilling in two major areas off our coastline.
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He issued a number of executive orders during his first days in office, working to reverse the damage of the Trump Administration on the environment.
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As we enter a new year, the International Marine Mammal Project is still hard at work laying out our plans and hopes to help save whales, dolphins, and their ocean homes.
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SeaWorld is a global kingpin in promoting cetacean captivity, instructing many overseas facilities in capture and training techniques, and providing the captivity industry’s major talking points. We encourage you to send a message to SeaWorld’s Interim CEO, Marc Swanson.
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In a letter delivered to congressional leaders on Monday, July 20th, the International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) of Earth Island Institute, Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), and 17 other animal protection and conservation groups urged lawmakers to require that any aquarium or marine theme park benefiting from COVID-19 emergency funds take steps to phase out the captivity of whales and dolphins.
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