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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Patrick Whittle

Republicans try to weaken 50-year-old law credited with saving rare whales

A harbor seal rests on a submerged ledge near fishermen harvesting herring, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, off Portland, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Republican lawmakers in the US are targeting the Marine Mammal Protection Act, a landmark 1972 environmental law credited with saving rare whales from extinction, as conservative leaders seek to remove its key provisions.

The Act was enacted to protect whales, seals, polar bears, and other sea animals, while also restricting commercial fishermen, shippers, and other marine industries.

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