The marine mammal center (the center) has become a leading marine mammal health, research, teaching hospital, and education center

The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC) was awarded a $1,000,000 Project Grant from the Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under the Congressionally Identified Awards and Projects program (CFDA 11.469).

The grant will support TMMC's 24-hour marine mammal stranding response hotline and dispatch team to manage over 10,000 annual calls regarding sick, injured, orphaned, entangled or stranded seals, sea lions, sea otters, whales, dolphins and sea turtles in California. Funding will also ensure TMMC can care for stranded marine mammals brought to its facility for medical treatment, including endangered and threatened species. In addition to responding to non-endangered marine mammals, TMMC will continue its first responder role to support recovery of endangered and threatened species.

This project will ensure the centers 24-hour response hotline and dispatch team based in sausalito can manage and respond to more than 10,000 calls each year about sick, injured, and orphaned seals, sea lions, and sea otters, as well as entangled and stranded whales, dolphins, other cetaceans, and sea turtles. This project also will ensure the center has the resources needed to care for the stranded marine mammals IT brings in for medical care. In addition to responding to and supporting the management of the states nonendangered marine mammal species, the center will continue serving as a first responder to marine mammal species considered to be endangered or threatened to help support their recovery and save them from extinction.