For about 1 penny per American per year, the Marine Mammal Commission has met its Congressional mandate to conserve marine mammals for over 40 years.
We work to ensure that marine mammal populations are restored and maintained as functioning elements of healthy marine ecosystems in the world's oceans.
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Commission Announces Recipients of FY21 Research Grants
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Guadalupe fur seals are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act; based on increased strandings, an unusual mortality event for this species has been ongoing since 2015 (Photo credit: NOAA)
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This fiscal year (FY21) the Commission requested research proposals that would further the conservation and management goals of the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act ( MMPA) and assist the Commission in fulfilling its duties under the MMPA. We were especially interested in projects addressing human impacts on marine mammals and their ecosystems, or proposing research with clear management applications. All projects were to include an outreach, communication, or engagement component and additional weight was given to proposals that: 1) focused on species or population(s) of conservation concern, or 2) increased the inclusion or representation of people from underrepresented groups in marine mammal research, management, or conservation. We reviewed over 120 proposals totaling over $3.5 million in funding requests. We are pleased to announce the eight projects, totaling almost $250,000, selected for funding:
- Whales from space: Designing a standardized workflow to annotate whales and confounding features in very high resolution satellite images to assist the development of automated whale detection systems
- Internships program for diversity and inclusion in marine mammal science
- Initiation of a long-term Guadalupe fur seal (Arctocephalus townsendi) population monitoring program
- Advancing whale conservation and outreach with sustainable infrastructure for WhaleMap
- Migratory patterns and overwintering areas of the world’s rarest whale, the North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica)
- Preventing whale entanglements through gear innovations in the California Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery
- Design for an international virtual fishing gear marking system to reduce whale entanglements
- Assessing the status of two coastal cetacean species in a marine biodiversity hotspot off the west coast of India
For more information, visit our 2021 Grant Awards webpage. Please check back in November for information about next year's request for proposals.
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Supporting Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Ocean Science and Policy
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This year’s Capitol Hill Oceans Week, hosted by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, featured conversations on ways that we can create a more diverse, inclusive, equitable, and just oc ean and Great Lakes conservation movement. All of the sessions featured people working on these issues in communities around the country. The Commission was pleased to sponsor a plenary session titled “Indigenous and Local Knowledge and Wisdom for Strengthening Conservation”, which highlighted the ways in which indigenous knowledge and wisdom strengthen our understanding of the planet and improve decision-making. The Marine Mammal Commission’s Executive Director, Peter Thomas, and Senator Lisa Murkowski provided opening remarks for the session. As climate change affects more and more communities of the world, the need to learn from and incorporate traditional knowledge and wisdom into conservation-based decision-making becomes ever more important. Video recordings of all the plenaries and breakout sessions can be viewed here, by re-entering the conference platform. If you did not attend, you can still register and view all of the conversations at this website.
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Hot Topics in Marine Mammal Conservation: Proposed Ocean Salmon Fisheries Management to Benefit Southern Resident Killer Whale Conservation
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Southern Resident killer whales are a population of endangered whales that range along the west coast between southeast Alaska and central California. Chinook salmon are the primary prey species for these killer whales year-round, however, Chinook salmon abundance has declined in recent decades and many runs are threatened by dam construction, habitat loss, decreased water quality, and changes in ocean conditions. As a result, Southern Resident killer whales have been seriously impacted by a shortage of their primary prey. In addition, they are negatively affected by boats and ships interfering with their ability to find and capture prey and by the toxic effects of pollutants that accumulate in their blubber.
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A young killer whale chases a Chinook salmon (Photo credit: NOAA/Holly Fearnbach, SR3 and Lance Barrett-Lennard, Vancouver Aquarium)
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In an attempt to increase the number of Chinook salmon available for killer whales to eat, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) recently proposed to amend the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan (FMP). If adopted, this amendment will set a threshold for annual Chinook salmon abundance. If Chinook abundance falls below this level, certain management measures will go into effect, including decreasing the amount of Chinook that commercial fishermen are allowed to catch in certain areas. Commercial fishing would also be halted in times and foraging grounds critical to Southern Resident killer whales. The Commission recently submitted a letter with comments and recommendations on this amendment, which can be found on our website. The Commission thinks that the proposed measures, although an improvement over the existing FMP provisions, are insufficient to provide an adequate supply of Chinook salmon capable of supporting the survival and recovery of the population. The Commission recommended that NMFS assess additional higher, more precautionary thresholds that have a significantly greater chance of putting the population on a path toward recovery.
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Conserving Freshwater Cetaceans
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Three Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphins surface in a deep pool south of Stung Treng, Cambodia
(Photo credit: Peter Thomas/Marine Mammal Commission)
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The Marine Mammal Commission supports research and conservation efforts on freshwater cetacean species and populations around the world. Commissioner Gulland, CSA Chairman Reeves, and Executive Director Thomas assisted in organizing a December 2020 Trinational Workshop to review the status of the three freshwater populations of Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) in Southeast Asia. These populations, each of which numbers fewer than 100 animals, inhabit the Mekong River in Cambodia, the Mahakam River in Indonesia, and the Ayeyarwady River in Myanmar. Scientists and managers from the three river systems discussed the methodological, logistical, and other challenges they face in assessing the populations and addressing the threats to these dolphins. Gillnet mortality continues to be regarded as the most acute threat to all three populations. However, there is also a critical need to conserve the dolphins’ habitat, maintain the free-flowing character of the river sections they currently occupy, and, wherever and whenever possible, restore the suitability of those sections from which they have been extirpated.
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New Commission Annual Meeting Content - Web Stories
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Did you know that the Commission's website has over 130 pages for you to explore!?
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Each calendar year, the Marine Mammal Commission holds its annual meeting in a different region of the country to examine regional issues, as well as priority topics at the national and global levels. At our annual meetings, we engage other federal agencies, stakeholders, and interested members of the public on the science, policy, and management issues related to the Commission’s mission to conserve marine mammals and their ecosystems. Following the meetings, the meeting agendas, session summaries, and presentation materials are made available at our Annual Meetings page.
The Commission has begun to develop a new narrative of the agency’s annual meetings in the form of story maps. Story maps are a web-based tool, utilizing maps, images, videos, and text, to allow users to interact with more engaging content.
The Commission’s website, www.mmc.gov, was visited by over 100,000 users in the past year. Whether you are a teacher or young scientist looking for educational or career resources, or a citizen looking for up-to-date information on species of concern such as the North Atlantic right whale, our website has something for you.
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Marine Mammal Commission Staff,
Scientific Advisors, and Commissioners in the News
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Below are a few recent media highlights that reflect some of the ongoing scientific research, collaborations, and accomplishments of our world-renowned marine mammal scientists. For a reminder about our Commissioners, Committee of Scientific Advisors, and Staff, visit our website.
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A western gray whale off Sakhalin Island, Russia: A gray whale swam from the North Pacific to Namibia (Photo credit: Dave Weller/NOAA Fisheries)
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