1st
minke whale in the world to be satellite tagged and successfully rescued
Marine Mammal Rescue
Embracing the highest tenets of animal welfare and robust science for over 20 years, we have evolved into one of the most respected global marine mammal stranding response programs.
1st
minke whale in the world to be satellite tagged and successfully rescued
5,600
marine mammal stranding responses since 1998
460
dolphins have been rescued
Our team encounters marine mammals affected by fishing gear entanglements, ocean noise, vessel collisions, and climate change. If we don’t act now, these threats facing marine life will lead to species extinction and will have devastating effects on our planet.
Saving Lives & Advancing Research
Every distress call is an opportunity to advance what we know about marine life and how to help it thrive. Through years of data, we proved that individual stranded dolphins deemed healthy can be successfully released and reintegrated back into a pod. Our team has developed rapid and effective response techniques that have increased the survival rate of stranded animals. In the late 1990s, we were only able to release 1 in 10 rescued dolphins……today, that number is 7 in 10.
Along with breaking records in 2019 during the busiest year in our history, our team also reached a milestone achievement in responding to 5,000 individual animals since the program’s inception. Marine mammal response on Cape Cod has become both a center of innovation and a symbol of hope for the global rescue community.
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 revolutionized 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.
Rescue center boosts survival for stranded dolphins on Cape Cod
See projectmarine mammal rescue meets conservation
See projectfishing nets don’t just trap, they kill
See projectWhen the tide is low, the stakes are high for marine mammals
See projectveterinary medicine and drone technology can help free whales trapped in fishing gear
See projectpollution is killing marine mammals, we’re saving them
See projectPress releases
Unprecedented stranding of bottlenose dolphins on Cape Cod
Read moreBlog
What is bycatch?
Read moreUpdates
IFAW responds to the largest dolphin mass stranding in US history
Read morePress releases
Rescuers race to save 125 dolphins in one of the largest single mass stranding events on Cape Cod
Read moreStay in the know. Be ready to act.
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