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.

Dr. Sue Moore Receives the 2026

Kenneth S. Norris Lifetime Achievement Award

The Marine Mammal Commission staff, scientific advisors, and Commissioners would like to congratulate Commissioner Sue Moore on being named as the 2026 recipient of the Kenneth S. Norris Lifetime Achievement award!

The Society for Marine Mammalogy established the Kenneth S. Norris Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of the Society’s founding President and one of the most influential figures in our history, Dr. Kenneth S. Norris. The award recognizes exemplary lifetime contributions to science and society through research, teaching, and service in marine mammalogy. It is granted every second year, in association with the Society’s biennial conference, which is being held this October.

Commissioner Moore will deliver a keynote presentation at the 26th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Sue has an incredible record of studying the habitats of whales and working with communities in the Arctic. Her contributions to the field of marine mammalogy have inspired scientists and students alike. Please join us in celebration of this well-deserved honor for our colleague.

Welcoming New Faces at the Commission

Pam Stanziani

Administrative Officer

Amadi Afua Sefah-Twerefour

2026 Knauss Fellow

The Commission is delighted to announce the hiring of Pam Stanziani as the new Administrative Officer and Amadi Afua Sefah-Twerefour as the Commission's 2026 Knauss Fellow.

Pam has over 16 years of federal service and most recently served as Associate Director, Administration and Operations at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration – Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

Amadi joins the agency through the prestigious NOAA Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. She was nominated by the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium and is currently in the final year of her Marine Science Ph.D. program at the University of South Carolina.

Learn more about our new hires on our Meet the Commission webpage!

Commission Letter on Federal Action Concerning the

North Atlantic Right Whale

North Atlantic right whale #4617 and her first known calf (the 23^rd calf of the 2026 season) swimming approximately a quarter mile off Crescent Beach, Florida. Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, taken under NOAA permit #26919.

The Commission has reviewed the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) advance notice of proposed rulemaking announcing possible deregulatory action to modify and modernize the North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW) Vessel Speed Rule and inviting comments thereon (91 Fed. Reg. 10580). 

In general, the Commission commends NMFS for its increased efforts to protect NARWs in recent years and recommends that NMFS retain and strengthen current vessel strike protections while continuing to support the development, testing, and integration of technologies to further reduce vessel strike risk to NARWs. The Commission further recommends that NMFS refrain from amending the 2008 vessel speed rule until alternative management areas and advanced technologies have been demonstrated to provide greater protection from vessel strikes than existing measures.

The full letter is available on the Commission's website.

Commission Hosts Inaugural Meeting of the

National Marine Mammal Stranding Association

Credit: International Fund for Animal Welfare, Inc.

Earlier this month, the Commission hosted the inaugural meeting of the newly formed National Marine Mammal Stranding Association (NMMSA). The launch of NMMSA follows months of planning by a nationally representative steering committee. Marine mammal stranding response leaders from across the US gathered in Bethesda, Maryland during Capitol Hill Ocean Week to finalize planning in advance of launch of the initiative on World Ocean’s Day.

This collaborative initiative aims to improve animal care, maximize scientific understanding, advance ocean health science and support the dedicated responders working on the front lines every day. For more about the announcement, visit the press release.

New MMC-affiliated publications, media, and reports!

Below are a few recent publications that reflect some of the ongoing scientific research, collaborations, comments, and accomplishments of our world-renowned marine mammal scientists. For a reminder about our Commissioners, Committee of Scientific Advisors, and Staff, visit our website. 

Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient - Sue Moore

Planning the Reintroduction of Mediterranean Monk Seals - Jason Baker

Rescues are No Longer Enough for South American River Dolphins - Randall Reeves

Microplastic Munchies and Bottlenose Dolphins - Randall Wells

NARW Mortality-Prompted Legislation - Amadi Afua Sefah-Twerefour and Erin Meyer-Gutbrod

Rare Seals and 'Bubble Caves' - Frances Gulland and Jason Baker

Right Whales in the 'Ocean State' - Daniel Palacios

California;s 2026 Coast and Ocean Assessment: Marine Mammals - Frances Gulland, Sue Moore, Karin Forney, and Jacquelyn Shaff

Limited Risk to Whales from Offshore Wind Vessel Traffic - Erin Meyer-Gutbrod and Andy

Read

Diving Behavior of Hawaiian False Killer Whales - Jacquelyn Shaff

Long-Lasting Impacts of Oil Spill on Dolphins - Lori Schwacke

Visit mmc.gov