The Marine Mammal Protection Act
by emma marhefka, lauren drabenstott and kira butz
The marine mammal
protection act was passed in 1972. It was the first time the US government took legal action to defend the marine ecosystem. The act bans hunting, killing, capturing, or harrassing any marine mammal.
The primary government
agency responsible for enforcing
the MMPA concerning whales and dolphins is the National Marine Fisheries Service. However, walruses, manatees, dugongs, sea otters
and polar bears are under the
jurisdiction of the U. S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
Amendments
Positive Effects
These amendment, passed between, loosened some of the restrictions on non-commercial marine mammal interactions with humans.
- Alaska natives are permitted "small takes" of marine mammals because they use these animals to sustain their way of life.
- Non-commercial fishing operations are permitted to incidentally take small amounts of marine mammals.
- Marine mammals are able to be counted for research purposes by scientists.
- Photographs of marine mammals are permitted for educational and commecial purposes.
- There has been a rise in marine mammal populations globally
- DOLPHIN SAFE TUNA
- Shifted burden from resource managers to resource users to show proposed taking
- Living marine resources would not negtively affect the resource or the ecosystem
Recap Questions:
1993
1988
1986
1984
1981
1978
1976
Why did the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sue the U.S. Navy?
In which country is Dolphin hunting a serious problem?
The indigenous people of which U.S. state are permitted to capture marine mammals?
What do you call a pod of whales that play string instruments?
The Controversey
Works Cited
The Marine Mammal Center:
http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/what-we-do/rescue/marine-mammal-protection-act.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/mmpa/
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
http://www.fws.gov/international/laws-treaties-agreements/us-conservation-laws/marine-mammal-protection-act.html
Cornell University Law Library Database
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/16/chapter-31
The Marine Mammal Commission
http://www.mmc.gov/legislation/mmpa.shtml
Causes of this Act
The U.S. Humane Society
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/facts/marine_mammal_protection_act.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
The country of Japan does not have marine mammal protection laws like the U.S. About 20,000 dolphins a year are slaughtered annually in Japan. The ones who are not killed are trained to perform and are sold to animal parks aroud the world. The dolphins that are killed are often sold as mislabeled meat. Some of this meat is toxic and has massive detrimental health effects on the Japanese people.
The US Government wanted to create a sonar system for national security. They encountered problems because dolphins, whales and other marine mammals depend on their own sonar to find food and navigate the ocean. Being caught in the crosshairs of sonar exposure would put their well-being in jeopordy. The US Navy was sued but there have been no developments in favor of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Growing concerns among scientists and the public that significant declines in some species of marine mammals were caused by human activities.
- Dolphins are often caught and killed because of the tuna fishing industry
- Whales are commercially deseriable because of the usefulness of their:
-food
-blubber
-bone
Purpose of Law
The act establishes national policy to prevent mammal species and population stocks from declining beyond point where they ceased to be significant functioning elements of ecosystems that they live in.
- The Department of commmerce through National Marine Fisheries Service protects whales, porpoises, seals, and sea lions
- Walrus, manatees, otters, and polar bears are protected by the Department of Interior through U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Federal program was put in place of former instate programs
- Protection for population stocks in addition to species and subspecies
Animals Protected by the Marine
Mammal Protection Act:
Whales
Otters
Dolphins
Seals
Sea Lions