Entanglement: Top news
Fishing takes place, obviously, at sea. Using technology to supplement other monitoring efforts, such as onboard government observers, is of growing interest to address issues such as bycatch of dolphins and other marine life while fishing for tuna. IMMP is working with the tuna industry and management agencies to promote closed circuit TV (CCTV) on board all tunaboats.
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Dr. Angel Herrera is the Director of the International Marine Mammal Project’s (IMMP’s) Dolphin Safe (DS) Tuna Monitoring Program in Latin America. As a representative of Earth Island Institute since 1993, his DS monitoring work spans countries including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panamá, Peru, and Uruguay.
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The North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered whales in the world, with around 360 animals left in the population. Ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear are the main causes of mortality, as conservationists fight to mitigate the drownings of the last few.
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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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The amount of plastic in the ocean is outrageous and over-whelming, but recent negotiations for the UN Plastic Treaty in Toronto were disappointing, to say the least. Will the nations of the world stop the plastic plague?
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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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Our lawsuit against ten major companies, who pollute our oceans with plastics, is taking another step forward. A revised complaint has been filed with the judge, and we await his decision for going forward with a trial.
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Sometimes whales and dolphins don't stay in the ocean, but come up on shore. Why do they do this, as individuals and sometimes as whole pods of animals? There are many reasons, but too often such strandings end in tragedy.
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A new study, based on interviews with fishermen, estimates that 2% of plastic fishing gear (nets and lines) is lost every year in our oceans. Some of this gear winds up continuing to entangle fish, marine mammals, and other marine life.
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For more than 30 years, Trixie Concepcion and her staff have worked to protect dolphins and other marine life in the Philippines, monitoring tuna fishing in the Western and Central Pacific Oceans to ensure the tuna is caught by Dolphin Safe methods, saving the lives of tens of thousands of dolphins annually.
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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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Dolphin captures in Taiji, Japan, occurred on the first of Sept. Now follows 6 months of slaughter and capture of dolphins in the notorious Cove. Our colleague Kunito Seko documented the opening catch of bottlenose dolphins, all destined for a miserable life in captivity.
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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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- Dolphin + Whale Project >
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A terrible "permit reform" bill now pending in the US Senate would gut the Endangered Species Act, delay protections for endangered right whales, encourage data centers, and block local action to prevent development projects. Contact your Congressmembers!!
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The Army Corps of Engineers planned to channel fresh water and sediment into the Barataria wetlands for 50 years, threatening wildlife and fisheries, including a population of bottlenose dolphins. Our lawsuit is at an end, and the project is dead. Read our blog.
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Things are bad for the declining gray whale population, but a recent symposium in Newport, Oregon, left a lot to be desired, as issues of policy and climate change were left behind in the discussions. Action is needed now!
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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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IMMP opposed the transfer of belugas from Canada's Marineland to US aquariums. This so-called "rescue" has resulted in 30 belugas being moved to marine parks, but one has already died at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. How many more will the captivity industry kill?
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Thirty belugas in a closed park in Canada are scheduled to be sent to five aquariums in the US and Spain. IMMP is demanding a better review of their health before moving them and a ban on breeding them in captivity. Read our letter.
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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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- Freeing Wikie & Keijo >