United States of America
USA Legal Protections
Country: USA
Section:
Theme:
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
All cetaceans in U.S. waters are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).
External URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/marine-mammal-protectionUSA Legal Protections
Legal developments
Country: USA
Section: Legal developments
Theme: Bycatch
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) contains provisions to address the incidental mortality and serious injury of marine mammals in both domestic and foreign commercial fisheries.
External URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/marine-mammal-protectionUSA Legal Protections
Legal developments
Country: USA
Section: Legal developments
Theme: Sanctuaries and protected areas
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
The U.S. also protects cetaceans and their habitat through the designation of national marine sanctuaries, authorized under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act
External URL: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/USA Legal Protections
Legal developments
Country: USA
Section: Legal developments
Theme: Other
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
In the U.S., a cetacean species deemed to be “in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range” is protected as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
External URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/endangered-species-conservationUSA Legal Protections
Legal developments
Country: USA
Section: Legal developments
Theme: Other
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
Federal activities that may affect cetacean and other wildlife species, or their habitats, or other components of the human environment, must undergo an environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
External URL: https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-national-environmental-policy-actUSA Whale Watching
Information on WhaleWatching operations
Country: USA
Section: Information on WhaleWatching operations
Theme: Whale watching
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
This section outlines U.S. domestic efforts related to whale watching.
External URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/marine-life-viewing-guidelines#overviewUSA Current Government Programs Related to Cetacean Conservation
Current Government programs related to cetacean conservation
Country: USA
Section: Current Government programs related to cetacean conservation
Theme: Bycatch
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
Marine Mammal Protection Act Imports Rulemaking.
External URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/foreign/international-affairs/list-foreign-fisheriesUSA Current Government Programs Related to Cetacean Conservation
Current Government programs related to cetacean conservation
Country: USA
Section: Current Government programs related to cetacean conservation
Theme: Bycatch, Other
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
The Marine Mammal Commission (Commission) is an independent agency of the U.S. government charged by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to further the conservation of marine mammals and their environment.
External URL: https://www.mmc.gov/USA Current Government Programs Related to Cetacean Conservation
Current Government programs related to cetacean conservation
Country: USA
Section: Current Government programs related to cetacean conservation
Theme: Cooperation and Research, Conservation Management plans
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
National initiatives related to cetacean conservation.
External URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-stock-assessmentsUSA Current Government Programs Related to Cetacean Conservation
Current Government programs related to cetacean conservation
Country: USA
Section: Current Government programs related to cetacean conservation
Theme: Cooperation and Research, Strandings
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
Cooperation with States, Tribes, Alaska Native Organizations, and Non-Governmental Organizations
External URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/USA Current Government Programs Related to Cetacean Conservation
Current Government programs related to cetacean conservation
Country: USA
Section: Current Government programs related to cetacean conservation
Theme: Cooperation and Research, Strandings
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
Cooperation with States, Tribes, Alaska Native Organizations, and Non-Governmental Organizations
External URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/USA Current Government Programs Related to Cetacean Conservation
Current Government programs related to cetacean conservation
Country: USA
Section: Current Government programs related to cetacean conservation
Theme: Cooperation and Research, Conservation Management plans
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
National initiatives related to cetacean conservation.
External URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-stock-assessmentsUSA Current Government Programs Related to Cetacean Conservation
Current Government programs related to cetacean conservation
Country: USA
Section: Current Government programs related to cetacean conservation
Theme: Bycatch, Other
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
The Marine Mammal Commission (Commission) is an independent agency of the U.S. government charged by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to further the conservation of marine mammals and their environment.
External URL: https://www.mmc.gov/USA Current Threats to Cetacean Conservation and Management Measures Taken/Proposed
Current threats to cetacean conservation and management measures taken/proposed
Country: USA
Section: Current threats to cetacean conservation and management measures taken/proposed
Theme: Anthropogenic underwater noise
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
Anthropogenic underwater sound has the potential to cause adverse effects on cetaceans and cetacean populations
External URL: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/acoustics/guidelines.htmUSA Current Threats to Cetacean Conservation and Management Measures Taken/Proposed
Current threats to cetacean conservation and management measures taken/proposed
Country: USA
Section: Current threats to cetacean conservation and management measures taken/proposed
Theme: Bycatch
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
Interaction with fishing gear can incidentally injure and kill cetaceans and is a leading human-related cause of mortality and serious injury for multiple cetacean species (including North Atlantic right whales and harbor porpoise in the Atlantic Ocean, bottlenose dolphins in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, humpback whales in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, and false killer whales in the Pacific Ocean).
External URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/national-bycatch-reportUSA Current Threats to Cetacean Conservation and Management Measures Taken/Proposed
Current threats to cetacean conservation and management measures taken/proposed
Country: USA
Section: Current threats to cetacean conservation and management measures taken/proposed
Theme: Marine debris
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
Through the combination of removal and prevention, the NOAA Marine Debris Program is working towards a global ocean free from the harmful impacts of marine debris, including those of entanglement in and ingestion by cetaceans.
External URL: https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/USA Current Threats to Cetacean Conservation and Management Measures Taken/Proposed
Current threats to cetacean conservation and management measures taken/proposed
Country: USA
Section: Current threats to cetacean conservation and management measures taken/proposed
Theme: Ship Strikes
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
Ship strikes are a significant threat to large whales. To address this threat, NOAA has developed regulatory and non-regulatory measures to reduce ship strikes, including modification of vessel operations, education and outreach programs, and research and monitoring activities. Stranded large whales are examined externally and internally whenever logistically feasible to assist in diagnosis and appropriate quantification of ship strikes.
External URL: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shipstrike/USA Fisheries Bycatch Reporting
Reporting systems for cetacean injuries/mortality/strandings
Country: USA
Section: Reporting systems for cetacean injuries/mortality/strandings
Theme: Bycatch
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
All U.S. fishing vessel owners or operators must report all incidental mortalities and injuries of marine mammals that occur during commercial fishing operations under the Marine Mammal Authorization Program.
External URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-authorization-programUSA Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program
Reporting systems for cetacean injuries/mortality/strandings
Country: USA
Section: Reporting systems for cetacean injuries/mortality/strandings
Theme: Strandings
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
The Marine Mammal Protection Act was amended in 1992 to formally establish the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program (MMHSRP).
External URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/marine-mammal-health-and-stranding-response-programUSA International Workshops and Collaborative Initiatives
International cooperation activities
Country: USA
Section: International cooperation activities
Theme: Cooperation and Research, Bycatch
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
Since the 2016 IWC meeting, the U.S. has worked with international partners to reduce bycatch of marine mammals through gear modification and to support collaborative initiatives to better understand and mitigate serious injuries and mortalities of marine mammal.
External URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/international-affairs/international-marine-mammal-conservationUSA Cross-Border Sanctuaries
International cooperation activities
Country: USA
Section: International cooperation activities
Theme: Sanctuaries and protected areas
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
The Sister Sanctuary Program, managed by Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, was established in 2006 to facilitate the effective management of a shared population of humpback whales across jurisdictional boundaries throughout its migratory range, from feeding and nursery grounds in the Gulf of Maine to breeding and calving areas in the Wider Caribbean region.
External URL: https://stellwagen.noaa.gov/sister/USA International Research and International Marine Mammal Action Plan
International cooperation activities
Country: USA
Section: International cooperation activities
Theme: Cooperation and Research
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
The U.S. Government, through the NMFS, the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission, and other Federal agencies, undertakes a number of research projects on cetaceans in U.S. waters and overseas.
External URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/international-affairs/international-marine-mammal-conservationUSA International Workshops and Collaborative Initiatives
International cooperation activities
Country: USA
Section: International cooperation activities
Theme: Cooperation and Research, Bycatch
Date started:
Date ended:
Status: Active
Since the 2016 IWC meeting, the U.S. has worked with international partners to reduce bycatch of marine mammals through gear modification and to support collaborative initiatives to better understand and mitigate serious injuries and mortalities of marine mammal.
External URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/international-affairs/international-marine-mammal-conservation