For about 1 penny per American per year, the Marine Mammal Commission has met its Congressional mandate to conserve marine mammals for almost 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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New Commissioners! – We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Andy Read and Dr. Sue Moore as new Commissioners. View the full announcement for more.
The Commission would like to thank outgoing Commissioners Dr. Daryl Boness and Dr. Michael Tillman for their outstanding 12 years of service as Commissioners. Dr. Boness served as Commission Chair from June 2010 to May 2022 when President Biden designated Dr. Frances Gulland as Chair. With his 17 years’ prior service on the Committee of Scientific Advisors Dr. Boness served the Commission for almost 30 years! The Commission is deeply grateful to Drs. Boness and Tillman for their leadership on the Commission’s mission to protect marine mammals and their habitats, including their strong support of Alaska Native co-management and subsistence.
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A Year in Review: the Commission's 2022 Annual Report |
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The Marine Mammal Commission is proud to release our 2022 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 legal and policy 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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Alaska Marine Sciences Symposium:
Celebrating 30 Years
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In late January, the Commission attended the annual Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS) in Anchorage, which focuses on recent research on physical and biological oceanography, marine species, and the human dimensions of important Alaskan marine ecosystems. Commission staff joined Commissioner Sue Moore and Commission Special Advisor on Native Affairs, Vera Metcalf, in celebrating thirty years since the first Science Workshop was held. While at AMSS, the Commission representatives were able to meet with agency partners, community leaders, researchers, and students.
Sue Moore and Vera Metcalf were both presented with 2023 Alaska Ocean Leadership Awards by the Alaska SeaLife Center. Dr. Moore was presented with the Marine Research Award, recognized by her peers to have made an original breakthrough contribution or a career spanning achievement in any field of scientific knowledge about Alaska’s oceans. Vera Metcalf, Director of the Eskimo Walrus Commission, was presented with the Walter J. & Ermalee Hickel’s Lifetime Achievement Award. This is awarded to an individual or institution that has made an exceptional contribution to management of Alaska’s coastal and ocean resources over a period of 20 or more years.
Congratulations to both Vera and Sue on their incredible achievements!
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Pictured from left to right: Wei Ying Wong (Alaska SeaLife Center), Vera Metcalf, Catherine Walker (Diamond High School), and Sue Moore. |
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Commission Climate Change Fact Sheets |
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The Commission recently developed a series of fact sheets addressing climate change and marine mammals. The fact sheets explore several key aspects of climate change and marine mammal research and management, including examples of species that have been particularly impacted by changes in their ecosystems. Look for more on this series coming soon! |
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The fact sheets will be used by Commission staff to communicate the need for increased research on climate change. The factsheets and a webstory will be published soon on the Commission website – stay tuned!
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Welcoming our 2023 NOAA Sea Grant Knauss Fellow |
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The Commission is excited to host and welcome Jacquelyn Shaff for the 2023 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. She earned her B.S. from the University of California, Davis in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology with a minor in Anthropology. She recently completed a Master’s in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington, where she worked with historical ecology and the role of local ecological knowledge of fishers to understand long-term trends of marine top predators. Prior to the fellowship, Jacquelyn studied the behavior of tagged odontocetes and fishery interactions in Hawaiian waters and participated in vessel-based surveys in Washington and Hawai’i, while working with Cascadia Research Collective. She previously worked as a marine conservation educator and assisted with marine mammal strandings at The Marine Mammal Center. Jacquelyn looks forward to expanding on her natural and social science backgrounds while gaining policy experience throughout her Knauss Fellowship at the Commission.
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Hot Topics in Marine Mammal Conservation:
Southern Right Whale Mortality Event
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Photo Credit: Macarena Agrelo/Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program |
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In September and October of 2022 a Southern right whale mortality event occurred in Golfo Neuvo at Península Valdés, Argentina. On September 24, 2022, an adult southern right whale was reported dead and by October 13, 2022, 26 adults and 4 juveniles had died. Although the whales were found over the course of several weeks, their states of decomposition suggested the deaths occurred around the same time; the whales were otherwise in good health and body composition. The Commission granted the Instituto de Conservacion de Ballenas an emergency grant of $9,100 to help fund urgent necropsies to determine the cause of the deaths. Necropsies were performed by the Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program and tissue samples were analyzed for, and found to contain, biotoxins from Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), specifically paralytic shellfish toxins, commonly known in North America as “red tide.” Deaths of penguins and other sea birds, and a sea lion, from paralytic shellfish toxins were also linked to the red tide event. Biotoxins from HABs represent an increasing danger to marine mammals as ocean temperatures warm due to climate change, and this mortality event is a clear illustration of the role the health of whales can play in providing early warning of ocean health changes.
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Commission Trip Report: Mekong River Population of Irrawaddy Dolphins |
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Images captured by Jason Allen, Sarasota Dolphin Research Project, during the identification survey. |
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In January, the Commission supported the travel of an expert group to Cambodia to work with WWF-Cambodia and the Fisheries Administration on their research and conservation efforts on Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphins, continuing an international collaboration underway for over a decade. The most recent population estimate in 2020 was 89 and there is concern over the number of animals lost from the population over the last few years, as 26 have been found dead since then. Commission Chair Gulland conducted necropsy training for the WWF staff and the river guards, focusing on the diagnosis of bycatch and specimen archiving. She has been involved with the local team since 2009, evaluating causes of death in the population. Jason Allen, from the Sarasota Dolphin Research Project of the Chicago Zoological Society, participated in a photo-identification survey of the current dolphin habitat and worked with the team on photo-id methodology and analysis, continuing training started during a Commission sponsored capacity building trip of the Cambodian team to Sarasota in 2018. Dr. Brian Smith of the Wildlife Conservation Society focused on the river guard and law enforcement situation and Ph.D. student Sarah Tubbs from Newcastle University engaged with the team on survey methods, exploring the use of acoustic detections in the river. The trip came at a time of intense focus on the dolphins in Cambodia, as three dolphins were found dead in fishing gear in late December, spurring the Prime Minister of Cambodia to call for increased protection from this primary threat to the existence of this population. Led by Executive Director Thomas, the visiting expert team met with the Cambodian Director General of Fisheries, the U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia, and the USAID mission team to draw attention to the need to take further action to protect this small population.
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White House Antarctica Day Commemoration |
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On December 1, 2022 Commission Executive Director Peter Thomas joined representatives from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, State Department, National Science Foundation, and National Marine Fisheries Service at the Antarctica Day Commemoration to celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the signing of the Antarctica Treaty. Dr. Thomas described how the Marine Mammal Commission and the Marine Mammal Protection Act’s (MMPA) ecosystem focus shaped the Antarctic treaty system which embraced and incorporated the MMPA’s Optimum Sustainable Population Concept and ecosystem approach for the management for Antarctic Marine Living resources. Climate change and its effects on marine mammals is one of the Commission’s priority topics, and the Commission looks forward to continuing research and interagency collaboration to understand the impact of climate change on Antarctic marine mammal species.
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Summary of Marine Mammal Research Response Act Provisions |
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On December 15, 2022, Congress passed and on December 23, 2022 President Biden signed the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes many key provisions critical to marine mammal health, rescue response, and research, including:
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The reauthorization of the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program, which awards grants to eligible stranding network participants and collaborators. In addition to the NDAA, the Prescott Grant Program was appropriated funds under the FY23 Omnibus Spending Bill through USFWS at $2.3M and through NOAA at $4.5M. Click here for more on the John H. Prescott Grant Program, and how to apply.
- The reauthorization of the Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Event Fund
- The establishment of the Joseph R. Geraci Marine Mammal Rescue and Rapid Response Fund which will be available as emergency rescue and response assistance.
- The establishment of the Marine Mammal Health Monitoring and Analysis Platform (Health MAP) which will be publicly available and:
- promote interdisciplinary research among individuals with knowledge and experience in marine mammal science
- disseminate marine mammal health, stranding, entanglement, and mortality data
- identify patterns of marine mammal mortality, disease, and stranding
- evaluate marine mammal health
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New MMC-affiliated publications, media, and reports! |
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Photo of an Irrawaddy dolphin by Jason Allen, Sarasota Dolphin Research Project. |
Below are a few recent highlights that reflect some of the ongoing scientific research, collaborations, interviews, and accomplishments of our world-renowned marine mammal scientists. For a reminder about our Commissioners, Committee of Scientific Advisors, and Staff, visit our website.
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