You probably remember the Exxon Valdez, but have you heard much about the many spills since then? Or about the liquid, solid, and acoustic pollution that degrades marine habitats every day? The effects—from entanglement in discarded fishing lines to disorientation from naval sonar—can be deadly.
Pollution poses a threat to marine life in many forms. Plastics such as six-pack rings tangle around the snouts and necks of sea lions, making it hard to breathe or eat. Fishing lines wrap around whales and dolphins, slicing off flukes and fins.
Oil, PCBs, and other chemicals can poison animals and kill plant life vital to some species’ survival. Oil spills destroyed acres of sea-grass beds essential to dugong survival in the Persian Gulf after Operation Desert Storm.
And scientists believe naval sonar has caused mass strandings of dolphins and whales.
The HSUS works on many fronts to make the oceans safer homes for marine life.
News & Events
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January 28, 2010
Conservation Groups in Court to Save Highly Endangered Whales
Conservation groups, including The HSUS, challenged the U.S. Navy’s decision to build its $100 million Undersea Warfare Training Range next to the only known calving ground for the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.
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September 16, 2009
Groups Request Expansion of Critical Habitat for the Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale
Conservation and animal welfare groups filed a request with the National Marine Fisheries Service to expand protected habitat for the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.
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July 29, 2009
US House Votes to Help Sea Otters, Marine Turtles
The HSUS and the Humane Society Legislative Fund praise the U.S. House, which took steps to protect rare marine animals through legislation passed last night.
Our Victories
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December 29, 2009
2009: A Banner Year for Animals
The HSUS reflects on some major achievements for animal protection in 2009. Countless animals have been rescued from harm, spared from suffering and guaranteed basic standards of humane treatment.
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November 13, 2009
La Jolla Seals Decision
The HSUS heralds the ruling by Judge Timothy Taylor of the Superior Court of California in San Diego to allow harbor seals to continue living at Casa Beach in La Jolla. In his ruling, Judge Taylor vacated two previous judicial orders that would have required the City of San Diego to disperse the seals and to dredge the beach to ensure the seals did not return.
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June 29, 2009
Settlement Restores Endangered Species Act Protections To Great Lakes Wolves
A coalition of wolf advocates led by The HSUS has reached a settlement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore federal Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in the Great Lakes region.
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June 18, 2009
The HSUS Applauds Fla. Turtle Trade Ban
The Humane Society of the United States commends the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for unanimously passing a rule banning the commercial trapping and sale of freshwater turtles in Florida.