USA enforces its own Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) on over 100 countries that export seafood to the USA. Pingers are included in the MMPA.
PARTCIPANTS:
US Federal Government, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- USA Government requires over 100 countries to reduce marine mammal bycatch.
- Pingers are included in the MMPA.
- Valuable import licenses worth billions of dollars may be withheld from countries that fail to protect their marine mammals to the same standard as the USA.
- The USA was the first country to introduce Pinger mandates in 1999.
- The USA MMPA is leading the world in marine mammal protection, and this act should be replicated in every country in the world that has commercial fisheries.
In 1999 Pingers were used in the world’s first large scale Pinger trials conducted by USA researchers.
As a result of the trials, the US Federal government mandated the use of Pingers in US fisheries.
In 2017 under the USA Marine Mammal Protection Act, (MMPA) all countries that export seafood to the USA must meet the MMPA regulation, which includes the use of Pingers.
America imports more than 20 billion dollars worth of seafood every year.
Commencing January 1st 2023, over 100 countries that export seafood to the USA will be required to demonstrate how they are meeting the MMPA. Failure to do so will jeopardise seafood import licences being granted.
This is the most important milestone for Pinger technology in the past 50 years, as most countries will need to introduce Pinger use in their fishing industry.
In 2020, Norway which exports over 2 billion dollars worth of fish to the USA annually, was among the first countries to introduce Pinger mandates in response to the MMPA.
Our goal is to raise awareness of the MMPA and the important role of Pingers in countries affected by the MMPA. Pingers will save whale and dolphin populations and protect the critical economic role fishing industries have in many countries.
