The Society for Marine Mammalogy uses the Presidential Letter process as a mechanism whereby the Society may respond to issues of concern in a timely fashion. The SMM Conservation Committee monitors important marine mammal issues via input from the SMM Board of Governors and the SMM membership.
At the request of the Board of Governors, the Committee will research an issue of concern and develop a position. Based on the consensus view of the Committee, the Chair will draft a letter for signature by the President on behalf of the Society. Such letters and appropriate background and responses are published on the Society’s website.
View a PDF of the letter sent to members of the Mozambique government concerning dugong conservation on 15 March 2020 15 March 2020 Her Excellency Ivete Maibase, Minister of Land and Environment Her Excellency Augusta Maita, Minister of the Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries Your Excellencies, I am writing to you regarding the conservation of […]
See letter received from Director General Gonzalez Azuara regarding SMM’s 9 November 2019 Presidential Letter about the vaquita. See the version of this letter sent in Spanish on March 13, 2020 See the version of this letter sent in English on March 13, 2020 Dear President López Obrador, On 9 November 2019 I wrote, on […]
The following Presidential Letter was sent to Director Wieting, NOAA Office of Protected Resources, regarding the endangered southern resident population of killer whales on 23 December 2019. Read the signed letter sent to Donna Wietling, Director, NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Species 23 December 2019 Donna Wieting, Director NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Species 1315 […]
The following Presidential Letter was sent to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, President of México, on behalf of the Society for Marine Mammalogy on November 9, 2019 concerning the survival of the vaquita in the Sea of Cortez. See letter sent to President Obrador in English See letter sent to President Obrador in Spanish Lic. […]
The following Presidential Letter concerning the conservation of North Atlantic right whales was sent to The Hon. Tim Gallaudet, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy NOAA Administrator; the Hon. Neil Jacobs, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction, performing the duties of Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and […]