Cetacean Habitat: Top news
Blue whales are the largest animals on Earth, but their numbers were decimated by commercial whaling. Now, as blue and other whales recover, efforts are underway to protect special places used by the whales. One such place is the Costa Rica Thermal Dome, where blue whales congregate to mate and give birth.
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the federal agency charged with studying the weather and addressing ocean issues. Part of their work is support for whales and dolphins, but all of that may get thrown out in the current frenzy by President Trump and Elon Musk to cut programs without regard to the benefits. Read on about why we need NOAA!
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The Plastic Plague continues in our oceans, threatening the lives and populations of whales and dolphins, as well as other marine life.
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We need to end the plastics plague in our oceans. Here are stories from 2023 about marine mammals dying or seriously injured in plastic fishing gear and through ingestion of plastics, resulting in internal damage to organs and blockage of the stomach and intestines.
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Plastic keeps entering our oceans, harming marine mammals and other marine life and cluttering our beaches and coasts. But Earth Island and the International Marine Mammal Project are suing ten major corporations to end their considerable contributions to trash and pollution. Read the latest!
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Negotiations are going forward with the United Nations in Ottawa this week for a treaty addressing the global wave of plastic pollution. But will it work?
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With our oceans suffering from onshore pollution, oil drilling, and acidification associated with global warming, do we really need to add mining the seabed?
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A huge project to divert Mississippi water, mud and toxins into the Barataria basin has broken ground. It would devastate the basin's ecosystem. So the International Marine Mammal Project and local fishermen sued today in Louisiana to halt the project and protect dolphins, endangered birds, and sea turtles.
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The damages of global warming are already here, and worse is to come. Can COP28 overcome national resistance and lobbying from the oil industry to adopt real solutions to global warming, including an equitable phase-out of the burning of fossil fuels?
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Thousands of whales were wiped out in the Antarctic Ocean. Now, after commercial whaling was brought to an end in the Southern Ocean, whales are making a comeback. But they aren't the same whales off South Georgia Island.
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Campaign Top News
- International Marine Mammal Project >
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From pushing for sanctuaries for Wikie & Keijo and 30 beluga whales, to opposing attempts to gut the Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Protection Acts, to protecting wetlands in the Barataria basin, the International Marine Mammal Project has accomplished a great deal in 2025 for whales and dolphins.
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What is it like being a student intern at the International Marine Mammal Project? An internship can be life-changing for a student. Our intern Jillian talks about her experience with IMMP.
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From battling the whaling industry in Japan and Iceland, to exposing the continued slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan, to saving the lives of tens of thousands of dolphins annually through Dolphin Safe tuna, the International Marine Mammal Project has accomplished a lot in 2024.
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- Save Japan Dolphins >
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The Taiji dolphin drive hunts have again ended, killing hundreds of dolphins for meat after removing "show quality" animals for a miserable life in captivity. Numbers were slightly higher this year for slaughter, although historically low compared to recent years.
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Three species of dolphins have been captured and slaughtered over the past month as the bloody Taiji dolphin drive hunts continue. Most of the dolphins you see in these photos are now dead. The hunts end on March 1st, but six months later, they will begin again.
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A former dolphin trainer explains the damage done by dolphin and small whale captures in Taiji, Japan. Learn the facts about how the aquarium industry sources wild dolphins for a lifetime of misery in small concrete tanks.
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- Dolphin + Whale Project >
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The Trump administration's proposals to remove speed limits to avoid ship strikes on right whales would set the species on the road to extinction. The International Marine Mammal Project joins our colleagues in denouncing this proposal and urging stronger measures to protect the endangered right whales.
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In the North Atlantic right whale habitat, speed zones slow vessels to prevent ship strikes on these endangered species. Now the Trump Administration is trying to end those speed zones in favor of unproven and limited technological alternatives. We need to stop this proposal to avoid right whale extinction.
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A true environmental crime: A group of Trump officials convened as the so-called "God Squad" to exempt the endangered Rice's whale and sea turtles from ESA protections against oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The Extinction Committee is a better name for this shameful group.
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- Keiko Whale Rescue >
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Like most cetaceans, beluga whales do poorly in captivity. Many are now kept in aquariums around the world -- some get stranded once the aquarium or park goes broke and shuts down. Learn about the beluga whale, and why it is a bad idea to keep them in small concrete tanks.
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We are deeply saddened at the death of orca whale Tokitae. Calls for her release were denied for decades and it’s shameful that she never got a chance to go home.
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30 years ago, the movie "Free Willy" was a huge hit. The plight of its orca star, Keiko, touched the public along with the moving story. Read how the International Marine Mammal Project took that spark of concern and returned Keiko to his home waters. SeaWorld and other captive dolphin parks would never be the same!
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- Dolphin Safe Fishing >
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The US is now the biggest importer of seafood in the world, but the sustainability of many of the fisheries involved is highly questionable. The experience with the Dolphin Safe tuna label can help form better monitoring and protection for fish populations, as well as protect non-target species like marine mammals.
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Every year, we estimate that the Dolphin Safe label on tuna cans saves the lives of 90,000 dolphins annually in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, and many more in other oceans of the world. You, as a consumer, should know how the Dolphin Safe label works to protect dolphins in global tuna fisheries.
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A new Marine Mammal Protection Act has been proposed for the Philippines, with strong support from our IMMP Philippines office, with the support of Representative Co. Read about this new legislation to protect endangered species like the Irrawaddy dolphin and other Filipino whales and dolphins.
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- Freeing Orca Whales from Captivity >
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The orcas Wikie and her son Keijo are still trapped in Marineland in France. Marineland wants the orcas to go to Loro Parque Zoo, an aquarium in Spain with one of the worst records of captive orca deaths. IMMP is urging the French government to instead retire Wikie and Keijo to a seaside sanctuary in Nova Scotia.
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Captivity in small concrete aquarium tanks is hard and often fatal for whales and dolphins. Dr. Lori Marino and her colleagues have laid out the issues for cetaceans in captivity in a new scientific article, building a powerful scientific case for ending captivity for whales and dolphins.
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Four captive orcas died in their concrete tanks in 2025, never to see or feel the ocean ever again. This tragic death march will continue until all captive cetaceans are retired to seaside sanctuaries. Learn about Katina, Kshamenk, Earth, and Kamea -- all dead.
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- Freeing Wikie & Keijo >