Marine Mammal Rescue

Saving lives and advancing research 

IFAW’s expert staff and volunteers have responded to more than 7,595 stranded marine mammals since 1998. In the early days of marine mammal rescue, most scientists believed that releasing a single animal from a social species would result in certain death, so stranded dolphins were instead humanely euthanised in the interest of animal welfare. 

Fuelled by science, and using satellite tracking technology, our years of data proved that healthy individual stranded dolphins can reintegrate back into a pod and survive. And we championed a change in policy across the marine mammal rescue profession. Around the globe—from Kenya to India, from the UK to New Zealand—healthy stranded dolphins can return to life in the ocean. We still see each event as an opportunity to improve and continue to advance our rescue techniques, health assessments, diagnostic capabilities, and treatment protocols. 

The rush to save seals 

In addition to helping sick seals on the beaches of Cape Cod, IFAW has pioneered new techniques to help rescue grey seals entangled in fishing gear. Tight wraps of netting around their neck become deadly as the seals grow and the gear cuts deeper. IFAW intervenes to remotely sedate these animals so that they can be captured, disentangled, and treated before being released back to the wild. These are the first ever operations of their kind in seals and have made a difference to individual animals and their entire populations. 

Driven toward solution 

In recent years, IFAW’s marine mammal rescue team has led groundbreaking efforts to improve whale rescue and welfare. In 2020, as part of a NOAA-led team, IFAW helped remotely administer antibiotics to an injured North Atlantic right whale calf—the first time medication was delivered this way. In 2023, our team made history again by successfully using remote sedation to assist in the disentanglement of a humpback whale calf—a first for the species. These advances show how IFAW continues to push the boundaries of marine mammal rescue and conservation. 

Not only is IFAW the only team in the world with the capabilities to provide medical intervention to free swimming large whales, but the team also maintains one of the most skilled necropsy teams in the US, and are frequently called upon by the US government to investigate the causes of death for stranded North Atlantic right whales—one of the most endangered animals in the world with only about 370 individuals remaining. The species has faced devastating population loss since an Unusual Mortality Event was declared in 2017, due to entanglements and vessel strikes. Every individual whale matters more than ever. 

People in action 

In addition to our hands-on rescue and research work, IFAW’s rescue team trains other response teams, improving the welfare, rescue techniques, and veterinary care provided to stranded marine mammals around the world. We engage and train passionate members of local communities to support rescue efforts as volunteer and professional responders. It’s a testament to what can be achieved for animals when we work together with the people living closest to them. 

We also collaborate with other organisations on research—IFAW provides vessel and biologist support to aid in dimethylsulfide (DMS) research conducted by scientists from the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. This research aims to establish a non-invasive method to track North Atlantic right whale movements, which helps reduce the risk of vessel strikes and entanglement. 

Learning from every response 

Our lifesaving efforts in the field and innovative research, like the use of remote sedation to aid in the disentanglement of large whales and pinnipeds, have revolutionised how marine mammals are rescued, assessed, and released. We take this knowledge and work with partners around the world to implement what we have learned. Our gold standard practices have transformed global marine stranding responses and brought forth groundbreaking outcomes accumulated from years of field experience. 

And why do we do this? Because individual animals matter. 

Help protect marine mammals 

Keep 46 metres (150 feet) from marine mammals at all times, and keep your pets leashed. This is for their safety and yours. Remember that it is illegal to touch, feed, or otherwise harass a marine mammal. 

If a dolphin, porpoise, or whale is on the beach or in shallow water, it needs immediate professional assistance. You can help save a life! 

Call our hotline: (508) 743-9548 

If a seal is on the beach, let it rest. Seals are semi-aquatic and spend time on land to rest, moult, mate, and pup. If a seal looks ill or injured, stay 46 metres (150 feet) away and report it to our hotline.