1. Marine Mammal Protection Act

2. Purpose of law Protects all marine mammals Regulates “take” animals in US waters Regulates imports of protected mammals Amendment s To allow Native Alaskans to whale for subsistence To control by-catch

3. Date passed and amendments October 21, 1972 Major amendments: 1981- allowed incidental take in commercial fishing 1984- restricted import of tuna based on fishing technique 1986-allows incidental take in noncomercial practice 1988-allows commercial fishers to have incidental take, ecological study for population level, conservation plans for “depleted” populations, allows permits to take for research and breeding, monitary reward system for people reporting violations of law

4. Date passed and amendments 1986-allows incidental take in non-commercial practice 1988-allows commercial fishers to have incidental take, ecological study for population level, conservation plans for “depleted” populations, allows permits to take for research and breeding, monetary reward system for people reporting violations of law

5. What does this law impact Cetaceans Pinnipeds Sirenians Sea otters Polar bears Native Alaskans Whaling freerepublic.com hedweb.com whyy.org biology-blog.com

6. Why was this law needed? To prevent species from going extinct To prevent species from decreasing below a sustainable population level There was a lack of knowledge about the ecology of the ocean

7. Changes to human behavior Change in fishing practices Ecotourism/whale watching Ecotourism bigtravelweb.com

8. Effectiveness of the law Bottlenose Dolphins Overall the act is helpful Populations are still declining 1990s laws regarding tuna labels helped reduce by-catch by 97% (national parks conservation association) Law protects marine mammal but not necessarily their necessary resources

9. How to improve the law Bottlenose Dolphins Create a national marine conservation program that limits commercial fishing, regulates fishing practices, and promotes sustainable use of resources. One over-reaching law not small separate laws with loop-holes No incidental catches allowed/incure fines

10. Works Cited in MLA format Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. June 14, 2011. http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/mmpa/. http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/mmpa/ Digest of Federal Resource Laws of Interest to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. US Fish and Wildlife Service. June 14, 2011. http://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/marmam.html.http://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/marmam.html Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). National Parks Conservation Association. June 14, 2011. http://www.npca.org/marine_and_coastal/marine_wildlife/ dolphin.html http://www.npca.org/marine_and_coastal/marine_wildlife/ dolphin.html