IFAW statement on proposed legislation that threatens to dismantle Marine Mammal Protection Act

“The proposed revisions would gut the MMPA’s core standards and create impossible hurdles to protecting imperiled marine mammals.” 

Washington, D.C. (July 10, 2025)—Rep. Nicholas Begich has released a discussion draft of a bill to “modernize” the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)—a bedrock conservation statute established in 1972 in response to alarming marine mammal population declines. As currently proposed, this legislation would weaken the MMPA for the benefit of industry, while effectively ending marine mammal conservation in the US.  

At a time when there are multiple attacks on the Endangered Species Act and mounting budget cuts to NOAA and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, this legislation could determine the fate of marine mammal species that sit on the precipice of extinction, including the North Atlantic right whale, Hawaiian monk seal, Southern Resident orcas, belugas, and polar bears. The proposed revisions would gut the MMPA’s core standards and create impossible hurdles to protecting imperiled marine mammals.  

“The notion that this bill, or elements of this bill, could move forward and undermine all of the extraordinary efforts made since the MMPA was originally enacted in 1972 is heartbreaking,” said Kathleen Collins, Senior Marine Campaign Manager, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). “The blood of thousands of marine mammals will be on the hands of Congress, and the entire well-being of the ocean ecosystem could very well be altered.” 

“Recent polling shows that 80% of Americans think it’s important to protect marine mammals under federal law,” added Danielle Kessler, US Country Director for IFAW. “As dolphins and whales delight beachgoers around the country each summer, our representatives are placing those same animals at grave risk. Protecting marine mammals is a shared value of all Americans, and we urge Congress to uphold it.” 

North Atlantic right whales—among the most endangered whales in the world—would be among the hardest hit. Since 2017, 157 North Atlantic right whales have died or suffered serious injuries from vessel strikes and entanglements. That’s 42% of the population, which now hovers around 370 surviving individuals.  

“We are on a path toward countless marine mammals being tortured and killed, all for the benefit of a handful of loud industries who want to operate without abandon off our coasts,” Collins continued. “This bill would be the final nail in the coffin for species like the North Atlantic right whale. Without the protective measures of the MMPA, we can virtually guarantee these beautiful creatures will face imminent, gruesome deaths from entanglements and violent vessel strikes.”