The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, alleging that regulators are not doing enough to protect marine mammals in foreign fisheries.
“Americans love whale- and dolphin-safe seafood, and U.S. fishers take pride in putting more sustainable food on our tables,” NRDC Director of Global Biodiversity Conservation Zak Smith said in a statement. “But, our government continues to let foreign fisheries peddle their whale- and dolphin-killing fish in the U.S. market, while taxpayers and fishers spend millions domestically to do the right thing.”
Filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade, the suit claims that the U.S. federal goverment has failed to enforce the import provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), which require foreign fisheries to implement the same protections as U.S. fisheries before exporting products to the U.S. The conservation groups are asking the court to ban seafood imports from fisheries that allow too many marine mammals to be killed, as required under domestic legislation.
“The U.S. government has violated the MMPA for far too long, causing significant harm to marine mammals worldwide,” AWI Marine Wildlife Program Senior Policy Consultant Kate O’Connell said. “It is reprehensible that more than half a century after the MMPA was enacted, Americans are still buying seafood dinners with an invisible side of whale, dolphin, porpoise, or seal. Enough is enough.”
When Congress initially passed the requirement, it provided an exemption period to give countries time to come into compliance. The U.S. government has extended that period multiple times, last year pushing back the deadline until 31 December 2025.
“The MMPA sets a strong international standard for preventing bycatch, but the U.S. has been ignoring it and abandoning the iconic ocean animals it’s supposed to protect for more than half a century,” CBD Oceans Legal Director Kristen Monsell said. “Whales and dolphins being caught in fishing nets around the world can’t afford any more delays. It’s long past time for the federal government to stop dragging its feet and start banning seafood imports from countries harming too many marine mammals.”
