Senator Cantwell's Statement on the Final Decision by NOAA Fisheries to Designate Orcas "Depleted" and Embark on a Conservation Plan

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The final depleted status determination recognizes that we must do more to conserve Southern Resident orcas.

The challenge confronting us is to work together to develop a conservation plan to reverse the decline in these icons of the Northwest. The $750,000 in funding for orca research which I secured earlier this year will help serve as the scientific foundation for the conservation plan. The commitment of our region to protecting orcas will serve as the community foundation.

Today's announcement also underscores the importance of the preserving the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Last week, the House passed legislation weakening MMPA. We cannot afford to put marine life like the orca and other marine mammals at risk by eliminating conservation legislation that has worked well for decades.