Program Term Archive
Whaling
Trump Administration Signals Potential Rollback of Lifesaving Protections for Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale
Press ReleaseMarch 4, 2026Marine WildlifeThe Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) today expressed deep concern following the publication of a Federal Register notice indicating that the Trump administration is considering weakening the 2008 vessel speed rule, one of the...
Making the Case for Marine Mammal Protection
Marine WildlifeFor 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...
Orcas Relocate for Rudder Ramming Behavior
Marine WildlifeThe 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...
Consortia Coalesce for Whale Conservation
Marine WildlifeThis 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...
Whaling Laws and Treaties
Marine WildlifeThe International Whaling Commission (IWC), formed from the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW), oversees the conservation and management of whales worldwide. In the US, the Whaling Convention...
Small Cetacean Hunts
Marine WildlifeSmall whales, dolphins and porpoises are hunted for commercial and subsistence purposes across the globe. They are killed for human consumption, fisheries bait, and to reduce the perceived competition for...
IWC Governance
Marine WildlifeThe International Whaling Commission (IWC)—created with the 1946 ratification of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling—is one of the earliest international bodies focused on wild species. The IWC...
Commercial Whaling
Marine WildlifeIn 1982, the International Whaling Commission agreed to a global prohibition on commercial whaling, known as the moratorium, but the IWC was unable to prevent Norway, Iceland, and Japan from...
Aboriginal Subsistence
Marine WildlifeThe International Whaling Commission (IWC) allows for whaling on otherwise protected animals when it is conducted by certain indigenous people to satisfy subsistence needs. The rules for aboriginal subsistence whaling (ASW)...
Marine Mammal Protection Act
Marine WildlifeOn October 21, 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) (P.L. 92-522) was signed into law, having passed both chambers of Congress with wide bipartisan support. The MMPA prohibits “taking”...