:
John,
Gray seals were once hunted to near extinction. But these beloved ocean mammals have officially entered their comeback era.
Since 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) has protected all marine mammals.[1]
Let's learn more about just one species -- the gray seal -- that has benefited from the MMPA's safeguards:
Gray seals are often spotted on land by their jolted, caterpillar-like movements, a result of their short flippers. They often gather in large groups during their mating and molting seasons.[2]
They may move clumsily on rocks and beaches, but gray seals are agile swimmers. Their flexible, torpedo-shaped bodies mean they can turn and change direction easily in the water as they chase their prey.
Another defining feature of the gray seal? Their noses. Males have longer ones than females, and they're so unique that the gray seal's scientific name means "hooked-nosed pig of the sea."[3]
Despite their adorableness, people have hunted gray seals throughout history. Whereas Native Americans once hunted them for sustenance, some New England bounty hunters killed gray seals for $5 a head as late as 1962.[4]
By the 1960s, gray seals were nearly wiped out from the northeastern U.S.[5]
Thanks to the passage of the MMPA in 1972, gray seals have made a comeback. That's because this legislation makes it illegal to hunt, capture or harm marine mammals.[6]
Gray seals aren't the only animals whose populations have rebounded in recent years. Other iconic ocean wildlife -- including California sea lions and humpback whales -- have also benefited from the MMPA's protections.
While gray seal populations have bounced back, they still need protection from fishing line entanglements, boat collisions and ocean pollution.[7]
Unfortunately, Congress is considering a move to weaken the Marine Mammal Protection Act and gut its much-needed protections.[8]
This could be devastating for gray seals and other vulnerable sea creatures, including the North Atlantic Right whale. This species only has about 370 individuals left in the wild, and even one extra death could tip them toward collapse.[9]
Weakening the Marine Mammal Protection Act would risk undoing half a century of conservation success. It would also turn back the clock to a time when iconic ocean mammals were on the verge of disappearing. That's why we're defending the act in Congress.
Thank you for standing with gray seals and all marine mammals,
Lisa Frank
Executive Director
P.S. Will you help grow our efforts to protect gray seals and other marine species with a donation today?
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1. Kelsey Lamp, "What's at stake if we weaken the Marine Mammal Protection Act?" Environment America, October 7, 2025.
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2. "Gray seal," NOAA Fisheries, last accessed October 28, 2025.
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3. "Gray seal," NOAA Fisheries, last accessed October 28, 2025.
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4. Andrea Bogomolni, Owen Nichols, and Dee Allen, "A Community Science Approach to Conservation Challenges Posed by Rebounding Marine Mammal Populations: Seal-Fishery Interactions in New England," Frontiers in Conservation Science," July 28, 2021.
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5. Robert D. Kenney, "Marine Mammals of Rhode Island, Part 14, Gray Seal," Rhode Island History Survey, January 14, 2020.
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6. "Laws & Policies: Marine Mammal Protection Act," NOAA Fisheries, last accessed November 3, 2025.
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7. "Gray seal," NOAA Fisheries, last accessed October 28, 2025.
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8. Kelsey Lamp, "What's at stake if we weaken the Marine Mammal Protection Act?," Environment America, October 7, 2025.
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9. "10 Things You Should Know About North Atlantic Right Whales," NOAA Fisheries, October 17, 2019.
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