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The Marine Mammal Protection Act Essay

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The Marine Mammal Protection Act

Abstract
This paper includes information a particular environmental law. Specifically, the Marine Mammal Protection Act is discussed along with the history and background of this particular environmental law. In addition, the reasoning behind its existence will be elaborately deliberated.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act
The Marine Mammal Protection Act was established and signed in 1972. According to Ray and Potter (2011), this bill was “passed, despite some times-contentious testimony, without significant opposition or debate by both the House of Representatives and the Senate and was signed into law on 21 October 1972”. This particular environmental act sought to protect whales, dolphins, …show more content…

Congress created the Marine Mammal Protection Act as a reaction to the public's concern that human activities were threatening to extinguish certain species of marine mammals. As Dye (1993) states, “Congress enacted the MMPA to prohibit the harassing, catching and killing of marine mammals by U.S. citizens or within the jurisdiction of the United States”.
The MMPA is managed by primarily by both the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) external and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) external. The Marine Mammal Commission (MMC) external was bought in also to review and amend existing policies. This group of three members, chosen by the U.S. President, is appointed for three year terms. The FWS and NOAA have different roles in protecting marine mammals; the first taking responsibility for sea otters, walruses, polar bears, manatees; the latter taking responsibility for pinnipeds, including seals and sea lions, and cetaceans such as whales and dolphins. Also, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service external, part of the Department of Agriculture, is accountable for the regulations managing marine mammals in captivity.
There have been a number of amendments to the MMPA since 1972. According to Risenhoover (2012), “these amendments have added more legislation or, in some parts, lessened the regulations”. An example is the International Dolphin Conservation Act

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