Many species of marine mammals utilize Virginia waters, ranging from the commonly observed bottlenose dolphin to large baleen whales, such as the endangered North Atlantic right whale. While all marine mammal species are protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, state and federally listed species receive additional protection under the Virginia and United States Endangered Species acts, respectively.
Marine mammals are highly mobile marine mega-vertebrates that do not spend the entirety of their lives in Virginia waters. Some species, such as the harbor seal, only occur in state waters from late fall to early spring while others may quickly pass through during their northern and southern migrations. Although bottlenose dolphins are present year-round, their local distribution and abundance is variable and largely driven by water temperatures and prey availability. Regardless of the season, at least one marine mammal species is present in Virginia waters throughout the annual cycle.
Threats to marine mammals in Virginia waters are consistent with those throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Marine mammal injuries and mortality are primarily attributed to anthropogenic activities, including interactions with commercial and recreational fishing gear and vessel strikes. Non-lethal compounding stressors may also compromise animals, making them more susceptible to disease and parasites. These stressors include low levels of contaminants, poor water quality stemming from various types of pollution, harmful algal blooms, and disruptive human activities such as marine construction, harassment from recreational boaters, and in-water military training exercises.
The high diversity of species in Virginia and elevated conservation status (i.e. state and federally threatened or endangered) of some of these species makes the conservation and management of marine mammals and their habitats especially important in the Commonwealth. Because marine mammals occupy wide geographic ranges and exhibit seasonal distribution patterns throughout their ranges, effective conservation cannot be carried out by a single entity and requires coordinated efforts of multiple state, federal, nongovernmental, and international partners. The overarching goal of this Plan is to enhance the survival and conserve the habitats of marine mammals in Virginia in a manner that complements regional and federal management and conservation efforts. The Plan’s Conservation Narrative focuses on three goals, under which strategies, actions, Entities and timelines are identified and described, and include:
- Goal 1: Maintain a permanent and effective Marine Mammal Stranding Network in Virginia.
- Goal 2: Identify and mitigate risks to marine mammal populations and habitats in Virginia through cost-effective monitoring, research, and best practices.
- Goal 3: Promote marine mammal conservation in Virginia through social marketing and information dissemination.
As the agency responsible for conservation and management of protected species, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources is responsible for developing state conservation plans. Coordination and communication between the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the two state agencies responsible for managing protected marine species in the Commonwealth, along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the two federal agencies which oversee the protection and management of marine mammals at the federal level, is a key aspect of marine mammal conservation in Virginia. The successful implementation of most of the conservation strategies and actions identified in this Plan rely heavily on the cooperation of many other collaborating agencies, organizations, and partners. Since marine mammal conservation fundamentally involves human beings, the most successful conservation actions will be those aligned with the values, wellbeing, and perspectives of people who will be asked to support and/or adopt many of these actions for the benefit of marine mammals.
This Plan was developed in concert with the 2025 Sea Turtle Conservation Plan, and many of its strategies and actions are similar to those identified for marine mammals. The coordination and implementation of related efforts outlined in both plans should be executed in a way that maximizes limited state and federal resources and provides the greatest conservation benefits for both marine taxa. Lastly, the sea turtle and marine mammal conservation plans will serve as appendices to the 2025 Virginia Wildlife Action and the 2025 Virginia Ocean Plan, both of which are currently under development, and will help ensure that sea turtle and marine mammal conservation will be incorporated into the Commonwealth’s future wildlife and ocean resources management priorities.