Animal Commons

Tell Congress: Don’t Gut the Marine Mammal Protection Act

From the haunting songs of humpback whales to the intelligence of dolphins and the playful charm of sea otters, marine mammals are some of our most iconic and beloved wildlife. 

For over 50 years, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) has served as a cornerstone of conservation in the United States, helping to safeguard these animals from exploitation, harassment, and extinction.

Now, this critical law is under attack. Please sign the petition today to tell Congress to reject any attempts to weaken this law.

A newly introduced proposal in Congress would gut the MMPA, stripping away long-standing protections and making it easier for commercial interests—like oil and gas companies, industrial fishing operations, and military contractors—to harm or kill marine mammals in U.S. waters. This bill would eliminate science-based review processes, reduce transparency, and weaken the very mechanisms that have kept species like sea lions, manatees, and whales alive.

Without the MMPA, marine mammals would be at even greater risk of entanglement in fishing gear, deadly ship strikes, and toxic pollution from major industries.

The MMPA was enacted in 1972 in response to the alarming decline of whales, dolphins, and seals due to unchecked human activity. It has worked: many populations have stabilized or rebounded, and the law has become a model for marine conservation globally. But those gains are fragile. Today, marine mammals face growing threats from climate change, plastic pollution, seismic blasting, and bycatch. 

Weakening the MMPA now would be a death sentence for countless animals already struggling to survive. 

Please sign the petition to demand that Congress uphold the Marine Mammal Protection Act and oppose any attempts to roll back vital protections.

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