Whale Conservation on Capitol Hill
Last week, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Animal Welfare Institute, Endangered Species Coalition, Environmental Investigation Agency, and Oceana partnered to host a congressional briefing and to lobby on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The congressional briefing titled, “Coast to Coast Strategies for Saving America’s Whales and Marine Life: Addressing Climate Change Impacts” with Dr. Heidi Pearson and Dr. Erin Meyer-Gutbrod was held in coordination with the House Sustainable Energy and Environmental Coalition’s Nature and Oceans Task Force.
The briefing and subsequent discussions with Senators’ and House Representatives’ offices from coast to coast aimed to bring awareness to recovery goals and benefits for large whale populations and the protections necessary to aid them in their recovery. Whale conservation is a bipartisan issue; therefore, it will require bipartisan solutions and support.
For North Atlantic right whales, protecting bedrock environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act is crucial to bring their species back from the brink of extinction. “Supporting current robust legislation like the EPA and MMPA, seminal pieces of legislation that are working, should stay intact and still receive continued full support,” said Dr. Heidi Pearson.
