Results

This summary provides a brief history behind the adoption of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It also examines the goals of the Act and current controversies that have arisen due to modern pressures on dolphin populations.

This overview discusses the origin of the International Whaling Commission as a regulatory body to manage the whaling industry. As whale populations decreased in the latter part of the 20th century, the IWC took on the role of conservation, which included the implementation of a moratorium on whaling and the designation of ocean sanctuaries.

This overview summarizes the major federal laws that protect whales on a federal, international, and local level.

Human interest in dolphins has grown in recent decades, spurred on by the appearances in film and popular culture as well as new research on dolphin cognition. People have developed a strong affinity for dolphins in part due to their similarities to humans.

This overview explores the laws, both domestic and non-U.S., in place to protect polar bears. It also discusses the current threats to polar bear populations, including climate change, oil and other development, pollution, hunting and self-defense killing, intraspecific predation, tourism in the Arctic, and capture for public display.

In response to the 2009 European Union (EU) ban on the import and export of most products made from seals, Canada and Norway, as large producers of seal products, have initiated proceedings against the EU for violating World Trade Organization (WTO) law. The authors of this law review, Robert Howse and Joanna Langille, promote the EU’s position and argue that animal welfare has long been a genuine motivation for legislation. More specifically, the authors of this law review argue that expressions of a community’s moral and spiritual belief are a legitimate basis for trade restriction.

A direct impact of the pelagic driftnet is the incidental taking of marine mammals. Pelagic driftnet fisheries are conducted by vessels from Japan, Taiwan and the Republic of Korea. The incidental taking of marine mammals within the Fishery Conservation Zone by the Japanese fleet is subject to regulation under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.