Dear Marmamers, Join us for a half-day workshop at that Society for Marine Mammalogy Biennial Conference in Puerto Rico the morning (8:30) of Saturday, October 17, 2026. The workshop will focus on the U.S. Marine Mammal Import Rule. The rule, which bans fish imports into the United States for fisheries catching marine mammals in excess of U.S. standards under its Marine Mammal Protection Act, was implemented in 2025 and will continue to be implemented through 4-year cycles. Leaning into experts, the workshop is designed to assist you in understanding the rule, provide space to share experiences of its impacts thus far, and discuss how science plays a role now and in the future.
Workshop description pasted below and also found on the SMM conference website: Demystifying the US Marine Mammal Protection Act Imports Rule and its Application<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.smmconference.org/workshops/*1776733873117-0638fabe-84d9__;Iw!!IIed8l2J2Mno!b727l1COdkSp7NeMi_UY2Hj39X5XSfD9YV51MHhjdwn3nUJ_41rV0-Z9Z4-5BWF3dP4nidvLg9vqi0ioMrTpaQ$> Workshop Summary: After years of anticipation, in September 2025, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) fully implemented the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) Import Rule. The Rule requires nations' fisheries to have marine mammal bycatch standards comparable in effectiveness to those of the United States or lose access to the lucrative U.S. seafood market. NMFS identified 46 nations with fisheries that lack regulatory programs comparable to U.S. requirements and, as of January 2026, has implemented import bans. The expectation is that these bans will motivate nations to improve marine mammal bycatch standards in order for those fisheries to regain access to U.S. markets. This workshop will seek to demystify the U.S. MMPA Import Rule and foster practical conversations about the SMM community's role as this Rule encourages nations to both adopt and implement stronger marine mammal protection standards, to the benefit of marine mammals on a global scale. Providing participants with an understanding of how science plays a role in determining whether a nation has a comparable regulatory program, the workshop will focus on the key requirements for comparability of regulatory programs: marine mammal population assessments and estimates, monitoring how much bycatch is occurring in a given fishery, and whether that level of bycatch is in excess of what scientists consider sustainable (e.g., potential biological removal or "PBR" in the US). The workshop will also discuss and gather the on-the-ground experience from different nations. Participants will walk away with an understanding of the U.S. MMPA Import Rule framework, the process, the role of science, and the lessons learned since its implementation. In many instances, the Rule's implementation underscores the need for research of particular marine mammal populations-rationale that can be applied to bolster research proposals or funding requests. We look forward to seeing you In San Juan! Natalie Barefoot (Earthjustice) and Georgia Hancock (Animal Welfare Institute) Natalie N. Barefoot Senior Attorney, Oceans (International) 180 Steuart St #194330 San Francisco, CA 94105 C: +1.305.342.2602 https://earthjustice.org/ [Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: ej_logo_email_signature] Because the earth needs a good lawyer The information contained in this email message may be privileged, confidential and protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution or copying is strictly prohibited. If you think that you have received this email message in error, please notify the sender by reply email and delete the message and any attachments.
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