Amseas will be responding to marine mammals, over 125 on average each year, that strand in new york waters or on the beaches

Atlantic Marine Conservation Society LTD (AMSEAS) received a $128,882 Project Grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Marine Mammal Data Program (CFDA 11.439) for the period October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. The award funds AMSEAS' marine mammal stranding response operations in the New York/New Jersey Bight region, where the organization responds to an average of 125+ stranded marine mammals annually, including large whales, dolphins, and pinnipeds. Services include implementing the Large Whale Response Plan, conducting necropsies and disease surveillance to document natural and anthropogenic causes of mortality, and providing baseline health data on marine mammal populations to inform environmental management decisions.

The grant also supports capacity-building initiatives through training workshops and meetings with network partners using the Incident Command System framework to enhance emergency response readiness for large environmental events. AMSEAS will utilize funding to strengthen staff and partner capabilities in necropsy protocols and sampling techniques while preparing for the growing number of large whale strandings in the region. The data collected through these operations provides environmental managers with critical information needed to mitigate emerging threats from new ocean users and activities that impact marine mammal populations.

We will continue building capacity for large whale response through training efforts, working with our network partners and implementing the large whale response plan. We will be hosting training meetings and workshops with network partners to strengthen the skills of our staff and network partners for responding to large environmental disasters using the incident command system. Without continued documentation of natural and anthropogenic (human induced) causes of mortality, IT will be impossible to understand how these drivers are affecting marine mammal populations. Amseas will continue to respond to large whale, dolphin and pinniped strandings in this region, train with network partners and provide baseline data on the health of marine mammal populations and their environment. Investigating the mortalities of small cetaceans and pinnipeds will help to train amseass new team members on necropsy protocols, sampling techniques and better prepare for the ever-increasing large whale responses occurring each year in the NY bight. Continued stranding responses for marine mammals in the NY/NJ bight, will provide crucial data environmental managers need to mitigate threats that emerge from new ocean users.