#marine mammal protection act

[rjzimmerman]

A ghost net, entangling 17 deceased sea turtles, was discovered days after a storm off the coast of Bahia, Brazil. Projeto Tamar Brazil/Marine Photobank/Courtesy of World Animal Protection

Excerpt from this press release from the Center for Biological Diversity:

Conservation groups sued several federal officials and departments today in the U.S. Court of International Trade over their failure to implement the import provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The provisions’ purpose is to protect marine mammals from bycatch in foreign fishing gear by holding countries exporting seafood to the United States to the same standards as U.S. fisheries.

The lawsuit was filed by the Animal Welfare Institute, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Natural Resources Defense Council against the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (and their respective leaders). The suit seeks a court order directing the government to implement the Act’s mandate to ban seafood imports from countries whose fisheries kill too many marine mammals.

“The U.S. government has violated the MMPA for far too long, causing significant harm to marine mammals worldwide,” said Kate O’Connell, senior policy consultant for the Animal Welfare Institute’s Marine Wildlife Program. “It is reprehensible that more than half a century after the MMPA was enacted, Americans are still buying seafood dinners with an invisible side of whale, dolphin, porpoise, or seal. Enough is enough.”

Approximately 70% to 85% of seafood consumed in the United States is imported from over 130 countries, including Canada, Indonesia, Ecuador and Mexico. The United States is the largest seafood importer in the world, with more than $21 billion worth of seafood products imported annually, accounting for more than 15% of the global value of all marine food products in trade.

Congress enacted the law in 1972 and included provisions about protecting marine mammals from bycatch and banning seafood imports from noncompliant fisheries. But NMFS did not adopt a rule to implement these provisions until 2016.

This import rule, as it is known, requires foreign fisheries to provide evidence that their bycatch prevention measures meet U.S. standards. The rule initially included a five-year exemption period to give countries sufficient time to assess marine mammal stocks, estimate bycatch, and develop rules to reduce bycatch. After that time, NMFS was supposed to determine whether countries’ fisheries were meeting U.S. standards and, if they were not, the U.S. government was supposed to ban imports from noncompliant fisheries.

In 2020 the agency extended implementation of the rule by one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then it has delayed implementation twice more, and the ban on harmful fishery imports is now on hold until Jan. 1, 2026.

[trendynewsnow]

Investigation into Butchered Dolphin Remains at Jersey Shore

Investigation Launched into Disturbing Dolphin Discovery at Jersey Shore Federal wildlife authorities have initiated an investigation following a shocking discovery on a Jersey Shore beach: the partial remains of a dolphin that, according to a marine animal rescue organization, “appeared to have been butchered.” This unsettling incident has raised concerns among conservationists and the local…

[naturalresourcestoday]

Biden Administration Says "No" to Right Whale Protection

The Biden administration refused Jan. 20 to extend emergency protections under two federal wildlife protection laws to critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. A December 2022 petition sought federal regulatory intervention to prevent ships from striking females of the species and their calves. Specifically, the Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Law Foundation, Defenders of…

[orcinus-veterinarius]

Currently watching Smallville, and do they realize Arthur Curry probably killed those dolphins he “rescued” from the ocean park by releasing them?

[whaleexpertsanonymous]

The best part? All of this was directed at one of Toki’s trainers.

(I don’t want to defend her pool, it’s atrocious, but it actually is chilled to the same temp as SeaWorld’s orca habitats. And contrary to popular belief, algae growth is a sign of healthy water and also helps reduce glare. Aquariums remove it only because it looks “dirty” to guests).

(Also… her teeth? Are beautiful? The best teeth of any geriatric orca in human care hands down. This lady doesn’t even know what whale she’s talking about).

[sealsdaily]

The asker on that PSA post turned out to be kind of an unsavory type beyond just rudeness, but the general message is important so i'm archiving it here.

The thing about seals is their PR is ideal: they're cute and round and all, there's tons of videos of aquarium workers having fun interacting with them. They're just so cute, it should be fine to get all close and touch one when you see one in the wild, right?

Well...nope. Despite their lack of mobility on land, seals are still Carnivora, and their closest relatives are bears: even the cutest smallest seals have sharp claws and teeth for hunting fish.

One of the top predators in the Antarctic waters is the Leopard seal, and Elephant seals (who tend to live around places humans live, too) can be aggressive and their thick skin and fat help them withstand blows that would pulverize the average human.

However, this isn't just for your safety, but theirs too! As some of you may know, the US has the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which plainly serves to protect the ecosystems of marine mammals such as seals. It prohibits the "taking" of marine mammals, which includes not only killing and displacing the animals but also "harassment", which in turn is defined as behavior that has the potential to either injure said wild mammal or disturb behavioral patterns: breathing, feeding, breeding, migrating, sheltering, nursing. Any US aquarium with seals, or scientists bothering seals for research have received a permit to take them from their natural habitat and harass them. That doesn't mean that once you're outside the US you're free to stick your hand into that Leopard seal's mouth: regulations are written in blood, laws aren't just required but can just be common sense even when they don't apply where you are. A lot of facilities containing seals are rescue centers; the seals have to be there for their own good because of an injury or disease.

This has been a Sealsdaily PSA; please remember that most interactions with seals you see out there are done by professionals who have been permitted and trusted to interact with these animals, and if it's an everyman doing the interacting it can lead to consequences.

Oh i didn't know about seal finger before, but that's also a valid point about taking caution in human-seal interactions.

Technically this one is less "seal puncture leads to disease" and more "seals live in the same area as Mycoplasma bacteria that can infect punctures", but like, again, just, general safety. Seals aren't an outlier; if you see any wild animal it's best to keep your distance

[todropscience]

Altruism is the behavioral assistance of another in need, has ancient origins in mammalian evolution. Recently, marine ecologists has observed for the first time, an act of altruism performed by a male northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris), when trying to protect a young pup in distress from drowing at high tide at a colony at Point Reyes National Seashore, California.

Researchers noted the high tide had pulled the pup into the water and it was yelling for help. The male reacted and entered to the water, it swam to the pup and very gently nudged it to shore, near to where its mother was waiting. Marine ecologists did not report the male attempted to gain an approach or interest in the mother of the pup. Male altruism is rarely seen in marine mammals, as sea lions and elephant seals, and more examples may emerge as more efforts were focused on breeding colony observations.

Photographs: Above: Male helping the pup from drowing. Below: mother and her pup reunited after the event.

Reference (Open Access): Allen et al., 2024. An observation of potential altruism by a male northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris). Marine Mammal Science.

[ms-demeanor]

If while walking along the shore of South Georgia Island and gazing out into the Atlantic, you noticed a Elephant seal pup galumphing in your direction, what would you do?

Run the fuck inland as fast as I can; elephant seals can weigh 80 pounds and be 4 feet long at birth and I do not want to fuck with that nor with the marine mammal protection act, nor with the 10-foot-long, one-ton, pissed-off mama elephant seal.

Basically this:

[brightdarkness-2013]

Chapter 28: And Here It Comes!

Summary: The day of the attempted merge is drawing in.

Several days of what felt like wasted time. Several more days with Prowl making me learn his language rather than the other way around. Several days of Blaster laughing his ass off at me. I was about ready to throw in the towel. Sure I knew that I wouldn’t be gone for long if I did get frustrated enough to walk out, but it would be a great couple of days. I already knew how they would go. I would spend those days ignoring calls, listening to music, playing video games, and eating to my heart's content. Then I would come back and be back to this. But I wasn’t at that point yet. So here I was. Writing and rewriting symbol after symbol. Percy and Jack were having a field day with our notes on what these symbols translated to. I didn’t know exactly what they were doing with them, but I assumed they were trying to find a pattern or compare them to already know symbols and mer mythology or something. Whatever it was they were doing was going to be brought up to some serious big wig scientists and theorists at some point I was sure. Hopefully by then Prowl would be out of here and making a new home out in the ocean somewhere. I would miss him there was no doubt about that, but when it came around I didn’t want him being taken off somewhere and studied. He had already been through enough and he didn’t need anyone else poking and prodding at him.

“Ok. Done. How about we have some fun now, huh? Puzzles are great. Lets put together some puzzles. Or we can eat some candy. I’ll go get one of those mixed packs with kitkats, m&ms, and snickers.”

“Yeah he’s not going for it.” Blaster responded as he just shoved another carved coral piece at me before pointing to the seashell.

“Come on, Prowls. Doesn’t it at least Sound fun?”

“Jazz, your education is far more important than some candy and puzzles.” Blaster scolded mockingly. “You know if you learn enough words or at least get enough of them written down then we could write him a message to get him to understand that we’re trying to teach him Our language. And the more you get down the quicker that’ll happen. So get writing.”

“How about You waste all day writing nonsense and then ya can try and say that again.”

“It’s not nonsense. This is a real language of the sea here. And you’re the first to learn it so you should feel privileged.”

“Oh whatever. Besides as excited as I am that we could eventually speak to Prowl I really don’t want him stuck being interrogated and gawked at by people. I know the media would eat this up as much as some serious people in the scientific and marine fields, but in turn so would the public and… Prowl doesn’t deserve that. He’s been through enough.”

“I wouldn’t worry. Ratchet will keep people away if we can’t.”

“Yeah I suppose you’re right on that.” I laughed softly.

“After all this is a sanctuary for injured and ill mers. This isn’t a zoo you know!” Blaster did his best impression of Ratchet and I had to admit that lifted my spirits quite a bit along with pushing away my worry.

The people here were good. They cared for the mers. No matter how they acted they were worth protecting. No matter how damaged they were worth saving. Even if they seemed like they wouldn’t make it no matter what they did they would at least try. They wouldn’t let anything happen to Prowl. They’d fight it if they pestered him or tried to take Prowl away. I suppose this was why I liked the people here so much. The people here put some of my faith back in humanity. The faith I had lost through the years. What was eighteen years with neglectful and controlling parents compared to what I could do with the rest of my life? Sure most of the friends I would make here would be fish- mammals, but what did that matter in the long run? Maybe one day I could be fluent in Prowls language. At least writing anyway. Being able to talk to mers whenever would be pretty neat.

“So the big days tomorrow.”

“Huh? Oh. Right. I hope Prowl doesn’t rip their heads off or something. He really doesn’t seem to like them from long distance. I can’t imagine how he’s going to like them close up.”

“Eh. Prowl’s pretty level headed. He won’t go and attack them. I really don’t think it will end in violence this time around. I think the odds are good.”

“With how things are going I don’t think they’d hurt him either, but that leaves things up to Prowl and ya know how stubborn Prowl can be. If he says no he Never changes his mind.”

“Bribe him with a few m&ms every once in awhile to be nice and see where it goes.”

“I don’t think that will work out. If anything he’d take them anyway and still say no. He’d think I owe him for putting him in that situation.”

“Oh yeah. Well prepare for the worst and hope for the best then. The sooner he makes nice with one of the other pods here the sooner he gets out. Well after he teaches you how to write.”

“I know how to write.”

“Well he doesn’t think so. And what I mean is if things go well then we might have some more time with him to teach you his language. He’s the only one that’s actually tried or at least been willing to try and teach the language. At least to our knowledge. Maybe there is someone out there speaking and living with the mers or whatever, but this will be the only time it’s documented.”

“Who would have thought my seeing Prowl on a rock back in highschool would lead to this?”

“I know. Life really is something else.”

“The funny thing is I really thought that Prowl was an annoyance back then. I was walking home and then I ended up feeding him because he was too injured to hunt. Now I can’t picture my life without him there.”

Next

First

Masterpost

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

Infectious disease, captive animals, and the Endangered Species Act

There's been a really interesting development in how the Endangered Species Act relates to captive animals in the United States. I picked up on it last fall and spent most of the early part of this year writing a paper about what happened and what implications it might have in the future - but what I didn't expect was to proved right within a month!

Basically, two different lower court judges have ruled recently that exposing captive endangered animals to an increased risk of infectious disease is a violation of the Endangered Species Act. They don’t actually have to get sick - just the fact that the risk wasn’t prevented qualifies. This has super huge implications for zoos and sanctuaries and anywhere else with an endangered species collection. Both lawsuits (one about a lemur, and one about some of the tiger king lions) resulted in major consequences: the lemurs were seized, and since the lions had already been removed prior to that lawsuit, the guy involved got hit with major penalties and prohibitions for the future.

Where I think this potentially creates the most immediate issue is, of course, SARS-CoV-2. Most zoological facilities are ending their requirements for staff to mask and socially distance around susceptible species (and holy heck, I was not aware how many species can get sick from it). This is especially a huge concern for big cats, since they seem to be the most at risk. The ESA lawsuit from 2020, against Jeff Lowe for his treatment of lion cubs, specifically notes that it was a violation for him to not follow “generally accepted” risk mitigation procedures, specifically, not masking and not distancing. So does that mean that zoos and sanctuaries that are having staff stop masking around tigers and lions and snow leopards are violating the ESA? We don’t know for sure, but it’s entirely possible.

The reason we don’t know is that the scope of the ESA is being changed by the interpretation of the courts. Rather than getting amendments passed, or having FWS choose to consider certain things violations, these judges are basically ruling on what they see as a violation of their understanding of the law. And those precedents can have some pretty serious impacts. Other judges aren’t required to rule the same way on similar topics (as long as they’re not in the same district, and a lower court, than the original ruling) but they often take previous precedents on the topic into pretty serious consideration. So for example, the argument that not masking around the lions was based on a precedent from the previous case, where it was ruled that having a lemur living in a situation that made it more likely to get sick was also a violation. So in the next case, courts could choose to agree with the lion and lemur precedents - or not - and we don’t know for sure until it’s litigated. Sigh.

But here’s the thing: there’s plenty of other zoonotic diseases that captive animals have to be protected from. I wrote my paper originally about SARS-CoV-2, but noted at the end that “While SARS-CoV-2 was the zoonotic disease risk during the [lion] court case, it is important to recognize that the ESA violations identified by the courts in that lawsuit and in [the lemur court case] were on the topic of increased or unmitigated disease risk more generally. This new scope of the ESA captive take provision may be relevant to other circulating zoonotic pathogens; for instance, the H5N1 strain of avian influenza has recently proven to be fatal to tigers, mustelids, and some marine mammal species.” I realized after publication that it could be argued that EEHV - the really deadly elephant hemorrhagic herpes virus - might also fall under the scope of these rulings.

And surprise! A couple days ago, it made the news that the Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary in Georgia was told to change their practices or be sued for violating the ESA. Some of the allegations? That the facility “failed to prevent tigers and a lion from exposure to the potentially deadly Avian Influenza virus.” I expected to see additional claims in ESA lawsuits about infectious disease risk - I just didn’t expect to see them so quickly after I published a big project warning about the possibility.

I don’t have a sense of where this issue will continue to go from here, as each additional court decisions changes how the precedent might have impacts. But I do think it’s going to be important to pay attention to, and might have pretty big impacts on how facilities handle zoonotic disease moving forwards.

A link to the full 13-page paper on the legal precedents - and my concerns about the impact of ending SARS-CoV-2 precautions around endangered animals - is below.

[idiopath-fic-smile]

uhhhhh e/r beach bum + lifeguard au

from "name an AU and i'll tell you five facts about it" here

this is a lovely prompt and i'm gonna apologize rn bc i will not be able to do it justice due to the fact that i wilt at the slightest hint of sun or sand

grantaire was once a young surfing prodigy who washed out (no pun intended) after an injury and now he sometimes sells popsicles on the beach. he can't bring himself to surf again but he also can't bring himself to totally leave those waves behind. he is making a very patchy living and camping out on the couch of ex-lawyer friend bossuet, who runs a little seaside bar

enjolras is an idealistic lifeguard who really believes in making the beach experience as accessible as possible, not just for wealthy tourists. grantaire starts showing up on days grantaire isn't working just to watch enjolras ensuring the safety and wellbeing of everyone on the beach

combeferre is a marine biology grad student gathering data on like local seaweed. grantaire feels so bad for this poor nerd who is clearly totallly at sea (no pun intended) that sometimes grantaire helps him accumulate samples without knowing combeferre is enjolras's longterm bff.

there is an Inciting Incident where grantaire is so distracted by the majesty of enjolras like reprimanding some drunk tourists for throwing rocks at sea lions (Marine Mammal Protection Act, motherfuckers) that grantaire forgets to observe proper sun safety rules and gets sunstroke, oof how embarrassing for a local.

enjolras sees grantaire drop to the sand in a half-faint and runs to him with a bottle of water and escorts him to the shade. enjolras crankily (but gently) rubs sunscreen on grantaire's back and lectures him about Slip, Slap, Slop (slip on a shirt, slap on a hat, slop on some sunscreen) and grantaire woozily says "isn't that for Australia?" which it is, it's part of the Australian Cancer Council's messaging and grantaire only knows this because he toured australia when he was a hotshot kid athlete. which is about the time enjolras puts together that grantaire is the same promising young surfing talent who inspired enjolras to get into lifeguarding.

(bonus) they share a popsicle and kiss under a bridge but way later bc there is nothing sexy about sunstroke

[death-mothblog]

idk if this counts as a 'questionable do you have any facts for any seals? :o

Oh so sorry it took so long. I got some stuff to do and now it's time for some seal's facts:

Seals typically sleep on land when they have pups or are searching for warmth. When sleeping in the water, seals are usually in a position called “bottling” where their bodies (except for their snout) remain completely underwater.

Seals and sea lions belong to a group of marine mammals called “pinnipeds.” In Latin, “pinniped” means “fin-” or “flipper-footed.” There are currently 33 different species of seals. The largest seal species is the Southern elephant seal, and the smallest is the ringed seal

Earless seals, including the walrus and leopard seal, don’t look like they have ears at first glance. However, they’re actually hiding underneath the surface of their skin. What’s missing is a pinna (a visible external ear

While not related to dogs, seals share certain traits. They’re known to be curious, playful, and sociable. But remember, seals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act which makes it illegal to harass, pursue, or take animals from their environment.

[wordy-little-witch]

Honestly I'm just gonna infodump on my Buggy AU bc I am a garbage mammal and I have work in like. 50 minutes. And I don't wanna be an adult.

So Buggy is a fae. His island was called Mystique, and he was about 4 when a preliminary approximate to a Buster Call was ordered. By that point, the fair folk of Mystique were considered high commodities to the wealthy and nobles. It was notoriously difficult to get TO the island, let alone get a person collared and smuggled off. The Fae there had many different kinds but all of them had a sort of "magic" that people didn't understand. ((In truth, it's an advanced branch of Observation Haki that kinda sorta mutated in their species to have a higher aptitude for. It's not IMPOSSIBLE to parn, but it's highly unlikely because the methods they use rely on a secondary set of vocal chords.))

To have a Fae collared and under your ownership became synonymous with wealth, prestige and renown.

It only got worse when eventually it was discovered that the wings the Fae had were made of a unique chemical structure which could be used to make a drug. It gave incredible highs, when prepared one way. It made you highly susceptible to persuasion, prepared another. The latter method also seemed to act as something of a super serum to some. It activated the adrenal gland, and the psychogenic effects essentially bypassed the natural inhibitors in your brain. So you can perform feats unfathomable on Fairy Dust, but it also disables your ability to perceive pain, leading to severe injury, often self inflicted. Prolonged use also strains your heart and ner out system, which leads to death.

Fairy Dust became a sought-after drug for a long time before the Marines decided to step in. Under. The Celestial Dragons' thumbs as they are, the plan was to destroy Mystique and collar as many as they could for monitoring and control of the source for the drug ((and also have access to it themselves as needed)).

Buggy, his sibling, and his mother were taken that day.

He spent a good long while in chains, a slave. Covering his back is a tattoo over a brand. He has scarring around his wrists and neck. He was the only survivor of the escape that led him to the sea.

Fae age differently than humans too, btw. They age slowly but also are highly social kinds of people. So on Mystique, the general populace aged slowly, a reflective process due to proximity.

On the Oro Jackson, Buggy ages a bit slower than most, but he's fairly in line with Shanks' development.

Buggy's Haki awakened very early (both by typical and Fae stadards), but his control of the branch of it that his people were known for was lacking. He was originally going to be used as a party trick essentially for the Masters of the house, but when it was announced that he couldn't do the small minor tricks by the other Faes, trying to protect him, there was anger and outrage. He eventually got assigned as a dancer - the youngest of them all.

There was one party when he was about 6-7 ~ where he was put on the spot to do some 'magic'. Buggy quite literally could not say no. So he tries.

He can use the secondary branch. He clstruggles to control it. The range of his Observation is ridiculously high by any means if the word, and so his range of access to the energies is outlandish as well. He simply can't control the amount properly. It's too much for his small body.

The little sparkler trick he tried damn near exploded. Nobody was hurt, but a girl's dress was slightly damaged. Buggy was punished severely for it.

They tore his wings off.

Not even a week after that, a large storm hit the island. There was a fire. There was chaos. Buggy's mother died. He lost his sibling. He escaped, and fell into the sea after tumbling down a muddy slope.

He washed ashore days later and survived.

A few months into his new life on the streets, he tries to pickpocket a giant of a man with a gaudy mustache and even more eye searing clothes. He is caught.

Roger recognizes the way the kid tilts his head with the wind, the way his pupils follow movements usually unseen. He sees what the child sees, he hears what the child hears, and so he does what the child does - he steals.

He just so happens to steal the child.

Buggy is taken to a pirate ship, offered a meal, a bath, a change of clothes, and amidst his vehement denials and bristling defensiveness, a redhaired boy steps out from a small cabin, and they meet eyes.

There's a ringing of bells in three men's ears, one two three. Shanks brightens. Buggy stares. Roger blinks.

Buggy proceeds to then not explain a single thing ever. And life as a pirate begins. It's only a few years later that Buggy explains, half asleep in Roger's bed after the Edd War, what the bells were, why the ones when he met Shanks were different from the ones that reverberated across the Seas before the ocean herself rose to engage as well; why Buggy, still a Devil Fruit User, had been half clinging to the mast, half hunched, looped fingers at his lips as he blew an unheard whistle to the waves, lips moving before and after the silent sound, pupils sharpened diamonds in a sea of glacier blue.

The Seas may entice him to a watery grave, the oceans may be his eternal tomb, but Buggy can hear and request things of the land and sky and sea that mortal men could barely fathom. Bells, he slurred, wedged between his father captain and his best friend, are the sounds of magic.

Outta time now gotta go, if anyone wants to hear more PLZ ASK ME I'M FERAL. SHAKING THE BARS OF MY CAGE

[turnstileskyline]

bouncing on it in a way that violates the marine mammal protection act of 1972

[rjzimmerman]

Environmental group calls for RFK Jr. to be investigated for reportedly sawing off whale head. (Washington Post)

First, kennedy told us that doctors discovered a parasitic worm in his brain. Later, we saw a photo posted on X showing him eating from the skeleton of a barbequed dog in Korea. (He claimed it was a goat, but veterinarians said it was a dog.) Then, we learned that he put the carcass of a bear cub in Central Park in NYC. Now we learn that he chopped off the head of a dead whale off the coast of Hyannis Port so he could take it to his New York home. "WTF" applies perfectly.

When RFK Jr. announced he was endorsing trump, trump said, "he's a great guy, respected by everybody." Tells us a lot about trump and this particular kennedy person.

Excerpt from this Washington Post story:

Former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is back in the headlines — not for suspending his campaign last week and endorsing Republican Donald Trump, nor for his recent admission that he was the one who had left a dead bear cub in Central Park as a joke a decade ago.

This time, the macabre spotlight is refocused on Kennedy, the 70-year-old nephew of the late 35th president, because of a resurfaced 2012 interview in which his daughter shared he had once used a chain saw to cut off a whale’s head to bring it home, reportedly to study.

According to Town & Country magazine, Kennedy once heard that a dead whale had washed up on Squaw Island in Hyannis Port and “ran down to the beach with a chainsaw, cut off the whale’s head, and then bungee-corded it to the roof of the family minivan for the five-hour haul back to Mount Kisco, New York.”

“Every time we accelerated on the highway, whale juice would pour into the windows of the car, and it was the rankest thing on the planet,” Kick Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy’s daughter, told the magazine then. “We all had plastic bags over our heads with mouth holes cut out, and people on the highway were giving us the finger, but that was just normal day-to-day stuff for us.”

Kennedy’s latest bizarre story involving a dead animal has prompted a push by one environmental group to look into whether Kennedy committed felonies if he did indeed saw off a whale’s head and strap it to the roof of his car.

In a letter Monday to government officials, the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund requested that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) open an investigation into whether Kennedy violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.

It is illegal to possess any part of an animal, dead or alive, protected under either statute, the group wrote, noting that several whale species in the Atlantic Ocean are included and that “continued possession of any whale skull” would represent an ongoing violation of the law.

“Furthermore, Mr. Kennedy’s apparent transport of the marine mammal skull from Massachusetts to New York, and therefore across state lines, also represented a felony violation of the Lacey Act, one of the earliest wildlife conservation laws enacted by United States in 1900,” Brett Hartl, national political director for the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, wrote in the letter.

[rabbitcruiser]

Marine Mammal Rescue Day

Marine Mammal Rescue Day is celebrated on April 27 annually. It is a holiday initiative by the state of California’s Senate. This day honors the people who have made a positive difference in the lives of marine mammals, such as wildlife biologists, veterinarians, and animal care specialists. It is also a day to consider our individual contributions to climate change that affect marine mammals’ lives. For the west coast, spring is the peak of animal rescue season owing to disease and famine. Action is conducted by marine mammal rescue organizations.

History of Marine Mammal Rescue Day

Toni Atkins, a California State Senator, passed the bill that designates April 27 as Marine Mammal Rescue Day. The celebration began in 2017. Gratitude is also given to the Marine Mammal Stranding Network for its continued dedication to the rescue, rehabilitation, and return of creatures stranded off the coast of California. The Marine Mammal Rescue Day celebration may be fairly recent, but the work of these marine mammal rescues has been in existence for far longer.

In 1975, The Marine Mammal Center (T.M.M.C.), formerly known as The California Marine Mammal Center, a private and non-profit organization based in the United States was founded to rescue, rehabilitate, and release injured, ill, or abandoned marine animals. Lloyd Smalley, Pat Arrigoni, and Paul Maxwell created it in Sausalito, California. T.M.M.C. has rescued nearly 23,000 marine mammals since 1975. It also acts as a research and education facility for marine animals such as whales, dolphins, pinnipeds (seals, walruses, and sea lions), otters, manatees, and dugongs.

Many water species require medical assistance due to illness or damage. Polluted waters, marine trash, and illegal fishing gears injure and kill aquatic life in general. The ocean has been polluted and tainted as a result of human acts and inaction. The waters have warmed as a result of climate change, and the patterns in which fish swim have changed. Young marine mammals are frequently unable to travel long distances or dive deep enough to get the food they require. All types of aquatic life are harmed by illegal fishing gear, pollution, and garbage. This is where aquatic mammal rescuers and specialists come in, devoting their time, energy, and resources to safeguard the safety of the marine life that we all should care about.

Marine Mammal Rescue Day timeline

1972

Marine Mammal Protection Act

President Richard Nixon signs the Marine Mammal Protection Act (M.M.P.A.) into law, establishing a national policy.

1975

The Marine Mammal Center

The Marine Mammal Center (T.M.M.C.), a private and non-profit organization based in the United States, is founded.

1992

Foundation for Marine Animal Husbandry

The Foundation for Marine Animal Husbandry, a nonprofit organization in Florida, opens.

2017

Marine Mammal Rescue Day

Toni Atkins, a California State Senator, creates Marine Mammal Rescue Day through a bill.

Marine Mammal Rescue Day FAQs

What are baby whales called?

Baby whales are referred to as ‘calves.’

What are the kinds of marine mammals?

Cetaceans, pinnipeds, sirenians, and marine fissipeds are the four taxonomic groups that make up marine mammals.

Do dolphins lay eggs?

Dolphins are mammals. Thus, they do not lay eggs. Instead, they give live birth to their young.

How to Observe Marine Mammal Rescue Day

Reduce, reuse, recycle: Simple steps to improve your actions to assist in reducing marine body pollution can make a tremendous difference. Reduce, reuse, and recycle as much as possible. Single-use plastic should be avoided and other trash should be disposed of sustainably.

Learn about ocean conservation: Learn as much as you can about ocean conservation. Discover what it entails and how you can help. Know about ocean conservation organizations and consider donating to support their objectives.

Volunteer yourself: Make yourself available to help marine conservation charities. Joining and volunteering with beach cleanup is one of many ways to do so. It may not seem like much but if everyone performed their modest part, we could have a significant influence collectively.

5 Interesting Facts About Marine Mammals

Sea otters have deft hands: Sea otters have deft hands for smashing sea urchins off rocks.

Sleeping with one eye open: Dolphins only sleep with one half of their brain and one eye closed at a time.

Semi-aquatic creatures: Sea lions are semi-aquatic creatures.

Penguin proposal: During mating season, several species of male penguins "propose" to their lady with a pebble.

Elephant relatives: Manatees are related to elephants and have more in common with them than they do with dolphins or whales.

Why Marine Mammal Rescue Day is Important

Human and marine life interaction: Whale watching benefits local economies in a variety of ways. According to studies, people can derive economic benefits from simply knowing that marine mammals are present and healthy even if they are unable to see them.

Marine mammal protection: The Marine Mammal Protection Act protects all 125 species of marine mammals that live in American waters. This makes it illegal to harm a marine mammal in any way that would interfere with its normal behavior.

It promotes a healthy ocean ecosystem: Maintaining the equilibrium of marine ecosystems requires robust marine mammal populations. Reduced numbers of whales, dolphins, or seals can have unpredictably negative consequences for other key species such as fish, birds, and invertebrates.

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