The State We're In

Aug 8, 2025

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation

Photo (c) Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, NOAA Research Permit # 594-1759

New Jersey’s marine mammals are in the crosshairs. Already struggling under multiple assaults, they are facing another blow. Recent federal budget cuts and rule changes promise to dismantle critical protections, endangering ocean ecosystems in our own backyard.

Created by Congress in 1972, the Marine Mammal Commission (MMC) oversees federal science and policy on marine mammals and their ecosystems. The Trump administration’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal, released in May 2025, eliminates all funding for the commission – about $4 million annually – effectively ending its operations starting October 1, 2025. No other federal agency performs the Commission’s unique role!

As an independent oversight agency, the MMC reviews proposed actions by agencies and provides recommendations to minimize impacts on marine mammals and their environment. It also provides funding for research and helps to ensure that protection and conservation of marine mammals is considered when public policies are being developed.

The new proposal dismantles other critical wildlife protections, including core provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), which requires the federal government to ensure the health and survival of all marine mammals within U.S. jurisdiction. The Act regulates harassment or killing of marine mammals and requires industries such as offshore energy and commercial fishing to report any injuries or deaths caused by their operations. The reporting ensures transparency and accountability, which would vanish under the current proposal.

To make matters worse, Rep. Nicholas Begich (R-AK) introduced a draft bill in July 2025 that further weakens the MMPA. The bill raises the allowable limits on “incidental take” – the unintentional killing of marine mammals during commercial activities – and halts protections for the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, a species truly on the brink of extinction, with only about 370 remaining alive today.

Sheila Dean, co-founder and executive director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) in Brigantine, has spent over 50 years working with the whales, dolphins, and seals that call our waters home. The Center is the only federally-authorized rescue, rehabilitation, release and first responder facility for marine mammals in New Jersey. “I’m not sure how it’s all going to work out,” she says, referring to the unraveling of the MMPA. “If there’s no protection for the animals, it’s going to be much harder for them to survive.”

These rollbacks reflect a broader agenda to prop up the oil and gas industries. By dismantling protections and scientific monitoring, the government is prioritizing faster, less restrictive permitting processes that allow increased offshore drilling and development.

Dean described the threats marine mammals already face, from entanglement in fishing gear to collisions with cargo ships and boats.  After a terrible accident on August 2^nd, when a small boat collided with and killed a minke whale in Barnegat Bay, it was Dean and her colleagues who answered the call on behalf of the whale.

“People say a healthy whale won’t get hit,” she says. “Not true. They come up from below with their mouths open. They’re not even aware ships and boats are above them. There’s just so much noise in the ocean.”

The balance of the entire ecosystem is under threat. “People think, ‘What’s a few less seals?'” Dean says. “But without them, their predators (like sharks and orcas) go without food. It’s all connected. Everything in nature is there to support something else.”

If the Marine Mammal Commission goes away, we will lose critical population data – data that tells us whether our marine mammals are thriving or declining. “It’s a shame,” Dean says. “If we can’t even count them, how can we protect them?” Will we even know when they’re gone?

We need to send the message that protecting marine life should still be a public priority! The current budget proposal requires approval from Congress, so contact your representatives and urge them to oppose the weakening of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the elimination of the Marine Mammal Commission.

Ocean animals can’t raise their voices to Congress. But we can.

You can also help by supporting the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. To learn more, please visit https://mmsc.org/. Stay informed; follow environmental organizations, and share what you learn with neighbors, family, and friends.

To learn more about how you can help preserve New Jersey’s natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation at www.njconservation.org or reach out to us at info@njconservation.org.