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In December, the House Natural Resources Committee voted to advance HR 4776, the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act. Targeting the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), our country’s basic charter for protecting the environment, the SPEED Act would narrow the scope of federal actions that receive an environmental review, as well as limit
For more than half a century, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) has played a crucial role in safeguarding marine mammals from myriad threats—from entanglement in fishing gear to human-caused noise pollution—enabling many vulnerable populations to recover. Despite its success and long-standing bipartisan support, in late July, Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK) released draft legislation that
The recently concluded 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP20), held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, resulted in significant victories for wildlife protection. Dozens of species were added to either CITES Appendix I (prohibiting most international trade for commercial purposes) or
In October, the Trump administration finalized plans to open the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas development. Designated as a protected area in 1960 and expanded in 1980, ANWR is a region of stunning biodiversity that provides habitat for an estimated 700 species of animals and plants, including
This past October, in Kingston, Jamaica, AWI participated in the biennial meetings for the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region. This international treaty—adopted in 1983 in Cartagena, Columbia, and commonly known as the “Cartagena Convention”—is dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of the Wider Caribbean
The 2013 documentary Blackfish told the story of Tilikum, an adult male orca who killed his trainer, Dawn Brancheau, in February 2010 at SeaWorld Orlando. In response to this incident, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited SeaWorld for a willful violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s “General Duty Clause” (GDC), which requires employers
The damaging interactions between orcas and yachts off the Iberian Peninsula in Europe continued in 2025, shifting for the first time in years back to the north (rather than concentrating around the Strait of Gibraltar). The first interactions were reported in 2020—for six seasons, almost half of the 40 or so orcas who live in
In October, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) convened in Australia. AWI is a member of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC), an alliance of conservation organizations from around the world that works to protect the Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems from harmful human activities. As an observer to
Gulf World Marine Park, a dolphinarium in Panama City Beach, Florida, has closed after 55 years. It was purchased in 2015 by The Dolphin Company (TDC), which owns a string of dolphinariums in Mexico (where the company is based) and which, over the past decade, has expanded into the United States. TDC filed for bankruptcy
This past October, AWI representatives attended back-to-back annual meetings of the Ropeless Consortium and the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium at the New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusetts. For four days, groups of scientists, policymakers, advocates, fishers, and educators gathered to discuss issues impacting the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, including the feasibility of
The Christine Stevens Wildlife Award—named in honor of AWI’s late founder and president for over 50 years—provides grants of up to $15,000 to help fund innovative strategies for humane, nonlethal wildlife conflict management and study. This year, over 40 applications were submitted encompassing species ranging from bees to beaked whales and issues such as mitigating light
The House Natural Resources Committee has continued to pursue a markedly anti-wildlife agenda by teeing up action on an array of bills to weaken and eliminate protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The committee spent July holding meetings on bills that would delist the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
In Ocean with David Attenborough, the legendary naturalist (who turned 99 in May) takes the viewer on a breathtaking tour of Earth’s marine ecosystems, from the coastal seas and kelp forests to sea grass meadows, sea mounts, and the open ocean. The documentary is full of interesting facts (e.g., around 2,000 new marine species are discovered
A pair of bipartisan bills currently before Congress would protect octopuses, finfish, and marine ecosystems from the animal welfare and environmental ills of marine factory farms in the United States. In April, Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) reintroduced the Keep Finfish Free Act to prohibit federal agencies from issuing permits for commercial
In March, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) sought public comment on the Makah Tribe’s request for a permit under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to hunt gray whales off the Washington coast. This is the final step in the government’s decades-long effort to allow the Tribe to resume whaling after nearly a hundred-year
The Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) took place in Nice, France, in June. One of its priorities was to advance implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14)—one of 17 such goals established by the United Nations in 2015—which aims to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.” At
The Trump administration’s aggressive “energy dominance” agenda is posing a serious threat to ocean wildlife and fragile marine ecosystems. Upon taking office, the president swiftly declared a national “energy emergency,” rescinding Biden-era bans on Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic offshore drilling and calling for the dismantling of a slew of offshore drilling safety regulations. Such safety
Efforts to protect octopuses from commercial farming continue, with legislation proposed this year in several states to prohibit octopus farming and the sale of farmed octopus products. Campaigns by animal protection and environmental groups have resulted in the introduction of bills to prevent the raising of octopuses for food in Connecticut, Hawai‘i, Massachusetts, New Jersey,
A SeaWorld Orlando trainer was injured while handling an orca in the park’s medical pool in September 2024. The injury (rumored to be a broken arm, but never confirmed by media) was serious enough to trigger an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. On March 21, OSHA issued a “serious citation” under the
For several years, AWI has opposed a project to divert fresh sediment-rich river water into Barataria Bay in an effort to restore Mississippi River Delta land lost to erosion. Delta restoration is a laudable goal, but the means chosen here would essentially eradicate the bay’s resident bottlenose dolphin population. (See AWI Quarterly, fall 2024.) These marine