We saved elephant seals, sea otters from extinction. Congress puts that at risk.

USA Today

3 days ago

I'm proud of the Marine Mammal Protect Act of 1972 and its legacy for our children. But a proposal in Congress would leave wildlife like dolphins and whales vulnerable.
Half a century ago, the American people took a remarkable step. They realized that their own survival is entwined with the survival of other animals. They understood the importance of keeping important species thriving, not just for environmental reasons but for economic ones, too.
People love dolphins, whales, seals, manatees, sea otters, polar bears and other species. In 1972, their overwhelming public support for these creatures, coupled with awareness of the importance of biodiversity, led Congress to pass, and President Richard Nixon to sign, the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Today, congressional leaders are working on a bill that, without major changes, would just about destroy the protection act.
In recent testimony, I shared my concern with lawmakers. I want to provide a glimpse into how the Marine Mammal Protection Act works, because I think it exposes just how extreme this new proposal is.
Resurgence of marine mammals is not an accident
It's important to understand that the protection act is a hugely successful law. Since its passage, not a single species has disappeared from American waters.
Perhaps the most incredible recovery to me is the mighty elephant seal. Once diminished to fewer than 100, its population is now 10,000 strong in Central California. The elephant seal also is an important economic resource for the people of California, because tens of millions of dollars flow into the region where people go to witness these incredible creatures.
Another marine mammal, the sea otter − once critically endangered and hunted for its fur − now thrives in much of its range, from Alaska to California.
The MMPA has helped keep our oceans productive. It also has helped yield the largest wildlife-watching industry on the planet, an economic boon for coastal communities. The act sets strong standards, requiring ocean users to minimize how they affect marine mammals to achieve thriving and resilient populations.
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Our ocean is a busy place, and we use it more and more every year. Marine species today face greater challenges than ever: displaced and shifting fish stocks, habitat loss, warming waters and increased pollution.
The Marine Mammal Protection Act's authors recognized that marine mammals can thrive only when their ecosystem as a whole is managed appropriately, using the best available science. That means scientific data, rigor and challenge.
Proposed changes in the law would threaten marine mammals
However, the legislation under consideration would ban the use of crucial data and scientific modeling. That would jeopardize marine mammals, especially those that are isolated or less studied.
It would slow − by 10 years − efforts to save North Atlantic right whales from entanglement in fishing gear and other threats. This vulnerable population is already on life support, down to about 370 individuals. Slowing protection could render the species extinct very soon.
The protection act aims to keep marine mammals healthy and restore them to their optimum sustainable population. But the proposed legislation would set a lower bar, just short of extinction. The new standards would merely require 'survival' of a species. That would drive population decline.
At a time when the administration is slashing agency budgets and staff, the new legislation would set artificially tight deadlines for regulating harmful activities. That would essentially allow those activities automatically, undermining conservation of the Florida manatee, Alaska polar bears, the Northwest's resident orcas and more.
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The proposed changes also would do away with important 'bycatch' provisions, which regulate unintentional capture of fish or marine wildlife during fishing operations.
Currently, management plans developed with input from commercial fishermen and other stakeholders protect endangered, threatened and depleted marine mammal populations from bycatch in commercial fisheries to reduce these incidental deaths to sustainable levels.
The proposed bill would make it harder for agencies to limit those losses.
I'm proud of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and its legacy for our children. America has vast natural resources. Having worked in more than 100 countries, I believe no other nation on earth rivals what we've been blessed with here.
Our extraordinary natural treasures, from fish to forests, contribute to our natural prosperity and global strength. Our shared natural treasures belong to every American to be wisely used, cared for and then passed on to future generations to harvest and cherish.
While America's nature is abundant, it is not unlimited. In the past, uniquely American species have been driven to extinction through negligence and exploitation.
There was robust bipartisan support to set up this system for protecting wildlife, and it's a system that has worked wonders. We need that bipartisan approach to continue.
If we support the protection act's mission by keeping the law strong, we will ensure that Americans inherit a nation rich in natural resources from the land to the sea. But if Congress fails to support this consequential legislation, it will be a catastrophe of our own making and on our watch.
Jeff Corwin is a wildlife biologist, executive producer and television host, outdoorsman and fisherman.