By Stella Little, Communications Intern
Earlier this month, a man intentionally hurled a rock the size of a coconut at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal off the shores of Lahaina, Maui. When confronted by witnesses after the event, he expressed no remorse for his actions, instead boasting that he was rich enough to pay off any fines. Now he faces charges for violating both the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, whose penalties include possible prison time and fines up to $70,000.
The victim “Lani” (as she is known dearly to locals), is one of an estimated 1,600 Monk seals that remain in the wild. Lani has been a frequent visitor to Lahaina’s coast, becoming a symbol of hope and healing to a community devastated by wildfires in 2023, as well as an ambassador for critically endangered species everywhere.
Lani’s thoughtless attack is an all too common occurrence of human harassment and violence towards wildlife; a concern that in December of 1972 prompted leaders in conservation, science, and policy to pass the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), which bars attempts to harass, hunt, capture and kill any marine mammal. The act also established a moratorium on the import, export, and sale of any marine mammal, along with any marine mammal part or product within the United States (NOAA Fisheries).
So why marine mammals and not all ocean species? Marine mammals are uniquely vulnerable to many threats because they have longer gestation periods, so their populations do not easily bounce back from decline. Their migratory patterns also take them through waters that cross political boundaries, leaving them vulnerable to different threats depending on the protections that exist within each country or state. Federal legislation was necessary in the US to allow for safe passage for marine mammals across state lines.
The creation of the MMPA set the bar for global marine conservation, revolutionary in its ecosystem-level approach to wildlife protection (monitoring ecosystem health as a whole, rather than just the protection of one species). In just over 50 years of its existence, the act has significantly improved endangered sea life populations, including facilitating the recovery of humpback whales, gray whales, and California sea lions (NOAA Fisheries). The Hawaiian monk seals, who were nearly extinct due to hunting in the mid-19th century, have been on a trend of slow, steady, recovery thanks to the MMPA and protections under the state of Hawaii, although their numbers still remain a third of their historic size.
Violators of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, such as the monk seal’s attacker, face strict regional and federal penalties if caught. These policies enforce the gravity of our conduct towards all living beings. You can’t pick up a rock at the beach and club another human, so why should you be able to pick up a rock and throw it at an animal?
The reason we have strict penalties for violators of these protections is not just for the marine mammals’ benefit, but for ours as well. Marine mammals keep our ocean ecosystems healthy, supporting all life across the planet. Species such as whales cycle key nutrients from deep waters to surface level through their feeding and diving behaviors, helping to sustain the marine food web. Sea otters play a keystone role in their habitats, preying on urchin populations to maintain kelp forest health. Many of these mammals, like Hawaii’s cherished monk seal, hold great cultural significance in addition to their ecosystem services.
As humans, we pose the greatest threat to marine mammal survival while simultaneously having the ability to be their greatest advocates. Let’s leave coconut-sized rocks where they lie, and instead raise arms for the protection of endangered animals. Now more than ever, it is essential to make our voices heard advocating for strong policy like the Marine Mammal Protection Act to insure the future of all species.
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