Action Alert on Defense Authorization legislation and the MMPA
Congress will be meeting shortly after the August recess to discuss the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) in the context of the Department of Defense authorization bill for next year.
Dolphin Safe Tuna
The Secretary of Commerce has determined that encircling and netting dolphins posed “no significant adverse impact” for dolphin populations in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. The environmental community says otherwise...
January 31, 2003 Letter from environmental organizations urging the rejection of adding anti-environmental provisions to the Administration’s Department of Defense Authorization proposal.
The International Whaling Commission
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was set up under the
International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling which was signed in
Washington DC on 2 December 1946 (Click here to view full text). The purpose
of the Convention is to provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks
and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry.
Federal Government
NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources
The NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources (OPR) is charged with the
implementation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), Endangered
Species Act (ESA), and the Fur Seal Act (FSA) with respect to marine mammal
species under NOAA Fisheries jurisdiction- whales, dolphins, porpoises,
seals, and sea lions.
As part of the MMPA mandate, OPR works in
collaboration with the NOAA Fisheries Regions and Fisheries Science Centers
to develop and implement a variety of programs for the protection,
conservation, and recovery of marine mammals (see below). OPR also
establishes cooperative agreements with states and Alaska Natives regarding
marine mammal resources, identifies important research needs to collect
appropriate information for management decisions, and administers the
activities of the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program.
Nongovernmental Organizations
American Cetacean Society
The American Cetacean Society (ACS) is the oldest whale conservation group
in the world. Founded in 1967, it is a non-profit, volunteer membership
organization with regional U.S. chapters and members in 22 countries. Our
National Headquarters is in San Pedro, California.
ACS works to protect
whales, dolphins, porpoises, and their habitats through education,
conservation and research. We believe the best way to protect cetaceans is
by educating the public about these remarkable animals and the problems they
face in their increasingly threatened habitats.
Earth Island Institute's International Marine Mammal Project
We work to make oceans safe for marine mammals worldwide. We strive to
eliminate dolphin mortality caused by the international tuna fishing
industry, to end the use of driftnets, and to stop tuna purse-seine fishers
from encircling dolphins in their nets. In addition, we aim to stop the
resumption of commercial whaling worldwide, to promote sustainable fishing,
and to protect the habitat of whales, dolphins, and other marine species.
The Keiko Project
A joint non-profit effort by the Free Willy Keiko
Foundation and The Humane Society
of the U.S. — was established in 1994 to rescue, rehabilitate, and release
to the wild Keiko, the most famous whale in the world. Through education,
research, and outreach, we are involving millions
of people in learning about the successful efforts to return a captive whale
to the wild for the first time in history. The site will be linked in with
the ABC 20/20 broadcast, the Warner Bros.
DVD release, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, HSUS, Earth Island Institute and
others.
Otter Project
The Otter Project exists to promote the rapid recovery of the California sea
otter, an indicator of near shore ocean health, by facilitating research and
communicating research results to the general public and policy makers. The
southern sea otter is both an umbrella species and a 'keystone species.'
As
an umbrella species, protections created for the sea otter—and its
habitat —will benefit a large variety of other species. As a keystone
species, the otter is responsible for much of the structure of the ecosystem
in which it lives. Diversity and productivity are enhanced by the return of
the sea otter to its historic range.
