If you see an entangled, stranded, sick, injured, or dead animal, please REPORT IT to your local NOAA Hotline number. If you are out of cell phone range, you can report it to the US Coast Guard using VHF radio Ch. 16.

Wildlife viewing guidelines and regulations

in alaska

MARINE MAMMAL VIEWING GUIDELINES AND REGULATIONS

Click here for information about marine mammal viewing guidelines and federal regulations in Alaska.

ALASKA MARINE MAMMAL VIEWING GUIDELINES AND REGULATIONS BOOKLET.

Download here

in the atlantic

MARINE WILDLIFE VIEWING GUIDELINES

Click here for whale watching and wildlife viewing marine viewing guidelines in New England and the mid-Atlantic.

NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE MANAGEMENT AREAS

Includes both mandatory and voluntary speed restrictions. Click here.

other species

Photo: WDC

DOLPHIN VIEWING BEST PRACTICES

These guidelines apply in all US waters. Click here.

SHARE THE SHORE WITH SEALS

It is important for New England beachgoers to share the shore with seals. Learn tips on to give them space here.

Conservation & Laws

Marine Mammal Protection Act

Protects all marine mammals (whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, sea lions, manatees, sea otters, walrus, and polar bears) regardless of the whether they are endangered, threatened, or depleted.  Learn more here.

Endangered Species Act

Additional protections for endangered & threatened marine mammals (most large whales). Learn more here.

TAKE REDUCTION PLANS & TEAMS

Take reduction plans help recover and prevent the depletion of strategic marine mammal stocks that interact with certain types of fisheries. Learn more here.

convention on migratory species

CMS provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats. Learn more here.

North Atlantic right whales. Photo: NOAA

Search for endangered marine species

Visit NOAA Fisheries’ website to search the database.

Other Helpful Resources

noaa right whale sightings advisory system

View near-real-time North Atlantic right whale sightings contributed to the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium and WhaleMap.

whale watch handbook

Created by the International Whaling Commission as a a comprehensive, online tool for regulators, industry and the general public. 

Reporting Strandings, Entanglements, and Violations

Regional stranding and entanglement hotlines

*Please note that Whale SENSE takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of external web pages.