Our Mission
Marine Mammals are under a constant barrage of environmental pressures threatening the health and perseverance of their species. If we are to help ensure these extraordinary creatures continued success in our oceans we must first identify essential conservation needs.
It is our mission at the Marine Mammal Conservancy to provide professional and effective response and care for stranded marine mammals. Through this effort we will add to the overall understanding of marine mammals on both the scientific and public fronts. Via data collection, during both necropsies and rehabilitation, and through public education we will help ensure the success of an inspiring and threatened group of animals.
MMC’s Husbandry and Rehabilitation Program will aim to perfect methodologies for preparing marine mammals for release back into the wild, while providing conditions for their optimal mental and physical health. We are proponents of natural lagoon/sea pen rehabilitation, believing it provides the least stressful and most successful rehabilitation efforts. With a 68% success rate compared to a nationwide 14% for cetaceans, the empirical evidence would suggest that MMC is on the right path in using natural lagoon/sea pen rehabilitation.
Purpose
The purposes of the organization are to:
- Establish a model program of protocols for the rehabilitation of stranded marine mammals.
- Establish a model program of protocols for the reintroduction of long term held rehabilitated marine mammals to their original natural habitats.
- Provide access to researchers for the further understanding and treatment of marine mammals as well as collecting and disseminating data to the scientific community.
- Monitor marine mammals in the wild for the further understanding of their behaviors and habitats.
- Improve marine mammal habitat by monitoring legislation that prevents over fishing and pollution.
- Provide an education program that focuses on the facts about marine mammals in the wild, trains the next generation of marine mammal researcher/rehabilitator and teaches environmental education to the general public.