Defend the Marine Mammal Protection Act: Protect Whales, Dolphins, and Our Oceans

For over 50 years, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) has safeguarded whales, dolphins, seals, manatees, and other vital marine species from harassment, killing, and capture. This landmark law has helped prevent extinctions and allowed many populations to recover. However, recent legislative proposals threaten to weaken these protections, putting marine mammals and the health of our oceans at risk.

Draft legislation introduced by Rep. Nick Begich would limit the federal government's ability to address 'incidental take'—the killing of marine mammals through oil exploration, ship strikes, and bycatch in fishing gear. These changes would make it easier for industries to harm marine life in the name of 'essential projects' like energy development and port construction.

Marine mammals are already facing mounting threats from climate change, pollution, and habitat loss. Populations of right whales, manatees, dolphins, and gray whales are declining or struggling to recover. Weakening the MMPA now would be a death sentence for these species and a blow to the health of our oceans.

We cannot allow decades of environmental progress to be undone. The loss of marine mammals is a warning sign of the declining health of our oceans—ecosystems that all life on Earth depends on. We urge Congress and the President to reject any efforts to weaken the MMPA and instead strengthen protections for marine mammals and the ocean environment.