AWI Quarterly Articles | Marine Wildlife

In August 2022, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) published a positive 90-day finding regarding a petition from the sea urchin fishery in California to remove the southern sea otter subspecies (also known as...

The Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) met in Bled, Slovenia, in May. At these intense, annual two-week working meetings, up to 200 international cetacean biologists and policy experts discuss a broad range...

In March 2023, after nearly 20 years of planning and negotiations, governments of the world agreed to the final text of the High Seas Treaty (HST). The treaty establishes important rules to protect the “high...

Tropical rays occupy important roles in benthic ecosystems, as their foraging behaviors contribute to soft sediment turnover, which makes food available and creates microhabitats for other species. The Mesoamerican Reef (MAR), from the northern tip...

In a surprise move, the US Department of Agriculture published a notice that it was considering changes to its Animal Welfare Act regulations to improve the handling of wild and exotic animals as well as...

In March, Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA) reintroduced the Marine Mammal Climate Change Protection Act (HR 1383), to protect marine mammals adversely affected by the climate crisis. Since 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection Act has prohibited...

In February, Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) introduced the RESCUE Whales Act (HR 1213). This bill would repeal harmful language included in the fiscal year 2023 omnibus funding package that significantly threatens the survival and recovery...

In 2002, a subspecies of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin was identified in the coastal waters of western Taiwan: Sousa chinensis taiwanensis, now known as the Taiwanese white dolphin (TWD). Their skin, gray at birth, loses pigmentation...

Along with so many in the marine animal protection community, AWI is grieving the loss late last year of three outstanding advocates. Each of these professionals played a role in helping to shape the careers...

The millions of lines tied to the pots and traps used by lobster and crab fisheries in the western North Atlantic region continue to pose a considerable entanglement risk to the critically endangered North Atlantic...