Commission Newsletter • Winter 2025 | |
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For about 1 penny per American per year, the Marine Mammal Commission has met its Congressional mandate to conserve marine mammals for over 50 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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A Year in Review: the Commission's 2024 Annual Report | |
The Marine Mammal Commission is proud to release our 2024 Annual Report, highlighting our work and accomplishments in the previous calendar year. The Commission has published this yearly report to Congress since its inception in 1974. Within this edition, you will find information on our work to provide independent oversight, engage local communities and stakeholders on marine mammal issues, and more. This annual report was designed primarily for electronic distribution and use, directing the reader to relevant sections of our website for additional information. To view Annual Reports from previous years, visit our website. | |
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Check out two new major updates to webpages on the Commission website, www.mmc.gov!
Scientific Publications Webpage - The Commissioners, Committee of Scientific Advisors, and Commission staff are actively involved in scientific research that supports the Commission’s overall mission under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. This updated webpage now includes a list of the Commission’s recent peer-reviewed publications.
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Adding Highly-Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) to Commission’s Marine Mammal Health and Strandings Webpage - An ongoing global epizootic caused by a HPAI virus is posing serious threats for marine mammals. It has caused massive die-offs of seals and sea lions in South America, smaller epidemics in seals in North America and Europe, and sporadic deaths of dolphins in North America, Europe and South America. Read more on the website and check out the Commission’s HPAI factsheet. This page highlights connections among marine mammal health, ocean health, and human health.
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Welcoming a New Commission Scientific Advisor | |
The Commission is assisted in its work by a nine-member Committee of Scientific Advisors (CSA) on Marine Mammals. Committee members are appointed by the Chair of the Commission after consultation with science agencies required under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. | |
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Dr. Laura May-Collado, Assistant Professor at the University of Vermont, was appointed to the CSA, by Commission Chair, Dr. Frances Gulland. Dr. May-Collado is a marine mammal evolutionary biologist; she examines the phylogenetic and ecological factors that shape the acoustic repertoires of aquatic mammals. Learn more on the “Meet the Commission” page.
The Commission would like to extend its appreciation to Dr. Samantha Strindberg, who is rotating off the CSA. Dr. Strindberg served on the CSA for eight years, providing statistical expertise on abundance estimation, spatial distribution, temporal trends, and survey techniques.
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Society for Marine Mammalogy's 25th Biennial Conference | |
The Commission had a booth at the conference, where staff engaged with marine mammal scientists and managers from all over the globe. | |
In November 2024, Commissioner Gulland and Commission staff attended the 25th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in Perth, Western Australia. The Society for Marine Mammalogy welcomed over 1500 participants from more than 75 countries. The conference theme, “Culture and Conservation: Fishing for Change”, focused on the urgent need to address interactions with fisheries, which are one of the most significant threats to marine mammals worldwide and the intersection of marine mammals and human cultures. It was a busy week full of inspiring plenary talks, impressive scientific presentations, and engaging discussions with scientists at our exhibitor booth. Additionally, the Commission attended and helped organize workshops on topics including right whale conservation, entanglement of large whales, rare pinniped conservation, and global stranding response. The next meeting of this scientific society will be in Puerto Rico 2026! | |
Welcoming our 2025 NOAA Sea Grant Knauss Fellow | |
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The Commission is excited to welcome and host Dr. Robin Fail for the 2025 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. Robin holds a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s in Public Policy from Duke University. Robin completed her Ph.D. in Marine Science and Conservation at Duke University in January 2025. As a marine social scientist, her research is guided by an interest in how social systems and marine ecosystems interact, the governance structures used to moderate those interactions, and the processes for integrating various priorities into policymaking. Her dissertation research focused on the role of discourse and values in constituting the politics and policies related to aquaculture. Robin is excited to expand the scope of her oceans governance work with the Commission beginning in February 2025.
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Alaska Happenings in 2025! | |
The Alaska Marine Science Symposium featured a Backyard Buoys Keynote Presentation led and shared by John Hopson Jr. and Jenny Evans of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission and Sheyna Wisdom of the Alaska Ocean Observing System. | |
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2025 has been a busy period in Alaska for Commission staff and leadership!
- In addition, Commissioners Moore and Andy Read attended the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission’s 2025 Annual Whaling Captains' Convention in Utqiagvik during the week of February 10, alongside Commission Scientific Advisor Robert Suydam.
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New MMC-affiliated publications, media, and reports! | | | | |
