Marine Animals

Marine Protected Areas and Cetacean Welfare

Effectively enforced marine protected areas provide cetaceans with refuge from fishing gear entanglement, noise pollution, and vessel disturbance.

Key Facts

Only about 8% of global ocean area is formally protected and less than 3% is highly protected
Marine protected areas with fishing restrictions benefit cetaceans through reduced bycatch risk
Noise-reduced zones allow cetaceans to communicate and navigate without acoustic disruption
Whale sanctuaries designated by the International Whaling Commission ban commercial whaling
Effective enforcement rather than paper protection determines actual welfare and conservation outcomes

Welfare Considerations

Marine protected areas benefit cetacean welfare by reducing the multiple human-caused stressors that cause ongoing suffering — entanglement, noise disruption, vessel strikes, and chemical contamination. Cetaceans within enforced MPAs have lower bycatch mortality and can communicate without noise interference. Expanding and enforcing MPAs is one of the highest-impact interventions for marine animal welfare at scale.

What You Can Do

Support expansion of marine protected areas in your jurisdiction and internationally
Advocate for high protection standards that exclude harmful fishing and vessel traffic
Donate to organizations working on MPA establishment and enforcement
Learn about cetacean welfare benefits from protected areas to advocate more effectively
Support 30x30 ocean protection initiatives aiming to protect 30% of ocean by 2030