International Marine Mammal Protection Day is celebrated in many countries on February 19. Initially, it was called World Whale Day, but it spread to all types of sea animals, because not only whales, but most species of marine fauna suffer from human activities. This day was established in 1986, when the moratorium on whaling introduced by the International Whale Commission came into force.
In Russia, the Day for the Protection of Marine Mammals has been celebrated since 2002 and is of particular importance, since the seas of our country are home to several dozen species of whales, dolphins, and seals, many of which are endangered and are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation and the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
This is an opportunity to annually attract the attention of the population and authorities to the problems of studying and preserving marine animals. And there is something to attract attention. The fishing trade has been replaced by an era of marine and coastal tourism, ocean pollution, heavy shipping and other anthropogenic impacts on marine mammals amid a changing global climate. All these factors have negative effects on the well-being of the population and species of whales and dolphins, seals and sea otters, polar bears and walruses.
The imperfection of the regulatory framework, lack of attention and funding from the state and business make it impossible to obtain timely, reliable and comprehensive information about the species of marine mammals living in Russian waters and limit the possibilities of their protection.
On this day, we wish success to all specialists involved in working with marine mammals: scientists, employees of rehabilitation centers, nature reserves and national parks, human rights and animal protection organizations. Your work is very important for our present and future!
Dmitry Glazov, executive director of the RPO “Council for Marine Mammals”, member of the IPO “Expert Council on Conservation Affairs”.
Source: Our reserve council