Who is the Marine Mammal Conservancy?

The Marine Mammal Conservancy (MMC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) IRS designated, all volunteer organization that rescues and rehabilitates dolphins and whales and engages in related research and educational activites.  MMC’s primary operating facilities are located in the Upper Keys of Florida. The Corporation is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes, including but not limited to the research, rescue, rehabilitation, release and/or retirement of marine mammals.

The Marine Mammal Conservancy in conjunction with other organizations has rehabilitated and responded to over 350 marine mammals, 18 different species, covering around 97 stranding events. These events allow the public to experience the rehabilitation process first hand as well as become “Citizen Scientists” in the efforts to understand the health and ecology of our oceans.

In addition, MMC provides research data and other information to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for tissue sampling and long term studies, U S Navy for acoustical sensitivity data and studies, Harbor Branch Oceanographic for heart studies, Portland State University for stomach content studies, University of Southern California for muscle and brain sample studies, among others.

MMC also provides results and studies of the animals they rehabilitate to the Chicago Zoological Society, Mote Marine Laboratory, the University of Georgia Athens Pathology lab, Speak Dolphin, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Central Florida.  In addition to these, MMC cooperates and works with many other different agencies, museums, and Universities.

MMC is part of the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Southeast United States Marine Mammal Stranding Network.  The National Marine Fisheries Service is a part of the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Each organization performing this work is authorized to do so by NMFS through a Stranding Agreement.  MMC operates under this type of Agreement in compliance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act, provisions of the Endangered Species Act and provisions of the Animal Welfare Act as well as all other relevant federal regulations.