RRI Joins Call to Defend the Marine Mammal Protection Act
On July 21, 2025, we joined a coalition of environmental organizations in sending a letter to Congress strongly opposing the proposed rewriting of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) introduced by Rep. Begich (R-AK). This bill threatens to unravel one of the most successful conservation policies in U.S. history.
Why the MMPA Matters
Since its passage in 1972, the MMPA has safeguarded iconic species like whales, dolphins, polar bears, manatees, sea otters, and seals. The law was groundbreaking in its science-based approach, ensuring that human activities such as fishing and energy development could continue only with strict protections for marine life. Thanks to this framework, no marine mammal species has gone extinct in U.S. waters in over five decades, even as ocean use has intensified.
Marine mammals are more than charismatic wildlife—they are vital to healthy ocean ecosystems, thriving fisheries, and coastal economies. The U.S. hosts the world’s largest wildlife-watching industry, generating billions of dollars annually and supporting thousands of jobs. For Alaska Natives, marine mammals also provide essential subsistence resources and hold deep cultural significance.
What’s Wrong with the Proposed Bill?
The draft bill threatens to undermine these hard-won protections by:
Replacing science-based standards with political definitions, weakening key terms like “optimum sustainable population” and “harassment,” which have guided conservation efforts for decades.
Removing the mandate to reduce lethal bycatch, meaning commercial fisheries would no longer be required to minimize accidental deaths of marine mammals to insignificant levels.
Creating legal loopholes by bypassing the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in permitting decisions, which would fast-track harmful activities without proper environmental review.
Endangering critically imperiled species such as the North Atlantic right whale. With fewer than 350 individuals remaining, delaying protections until 2035 would push this species to the brink of extinction.
The MMPA represents a commitment to balancing human use of the oceans with the responsibility to protect marine life. Weakening this landmark law would not only harm whales, dolphins, and seals, but also the coastal economies, ecosystems, and cultural traditions that depend on them.
RRI is proud to stand alongside national leaders, scientists, and conservation advocates to protect the integrity of the MMPA. We urge Congress to reject this harmful proposal and ensure that marine mammals—an irreplaceable part of our natural heritage—continue to thrive for generations to come.
