Impacts Made Possible By Your Support

The Marine Mammal Center advances ocean health through marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, research, and education.

We are guided and inspired by a shared vision of a healthy ocean for marine mammals and humans alike.

Because of you, caring for individual animals leads to lasting change, advancing science and solutions that protect marine mammals and the ocean we all depend on. In this report, you will see the outcomes of that work – how each patient helps us understand and address the threats entire populations face, strengthening ocean health for the future.

Your Support In Action

35

future leaders in veterinary science and ocean conservation trained

777

marine mammals cared for

8,411

students and teachers engaged in ocean conservation

75+

research projects with 50+ global collaborators investigating critical solutions

1,233

active volunteers dedicated 133,360 hours powering our mission

20,941

hotline calls assessed and coordinated

50 years of impact and expanding what’s possible

From seals and sea lions to otters and whales, marine mammals provide crucial signals about the health of our shared ocean. In 2025, their signals grew more urgent: patient caseloads surged, new diseases emerged and ocean conditions continued to shift.

It was one of the most demanding years in our history, and one of the most significant as we celebrated 50 years of advancing ocean health.

We reached this milestone because of you. For five decades, your commitment and investment have made it possible to respond to animals, deepen scientific understanding and translate insights into actions that protect marine life and ocean health.

What we faced this past year tested us and strengthened us. It sharpened our focus and clarified what is needed next.

With this clarity, we are moving forward with purpose: advancing science and care with the potential to scale globally and engaging a growing network of partners to address the most urgent threats to marine mammals and our shared ocean.

Our work begins with individual animals, but it is designed to drive broader change by informing science, advancing solutions and protecting ecosystems. This progress is made possible by people like you and the shared belief that together we can meet these challenges.

I also want to thank Julian Brandes for his dedicated service and leadership as Board Chair over the last four years. We are pleased to welcome Joshua Copp as our new Board Chair. His decade of board service, deep commitment to this work and lifelong connection to the ocean position him well to lead us forward.

The need is clear, and so is the opportunity and responsibility to expand our impact. Together, we are building on 50 years of progress to become an even stronger force for ocean health—now and for the future we share.

With deep gratitude,

Cecily Majerus, M.A.
Chief Executive Officer

Meet Our Leadership

Meet our Board of Directors

Explore the Fiscal Year 2025 Impact Report

Rescue and Rehabilitation

Research

Education

Rescue and Rehabilitation

1

Contributed to the recovery of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal population with a fifth confirmed pup born to former patients, evidence of successful, cooperative and long-term conservation efforts.

2

Freed an entangled humpback whale alongside our partners from the Large Whale Entanglement Response Network. Known as Check, the whale was entangled in crab trap lines off Monterey, California, for six months before conditions allowed experts to free it from the more than 400 feet of rope it trailed.

3

Advanced understanding and treatment of leptospirosis, a life-threatening kidney disease, by caring for more than 300 affected sea lions in a single year, the most in our history, among the many other patients treated across our hospital.

4

Advanced efforts to reduce vessel strikes by responding to an unprecedented number of gray whale strandings in San Francisco Bay, which informed action with the San Francisco Harbor Safety Committee, United States Coast Guard and ferry operators to better protect whales.

I’m so grateful that your support helps us tackle entanglements and vessel strikes—two of the greatest threats facing whales around the world.

Research

1

Protected whale populations from entanglements and vessel strikes by collecting crucial data through 57 surveys and monitoring efforts in areas including San Francisco and Monterey Bays, confirming approximately 1,000 cetacean sightings.

2

Advanced solutions to human-wildlife interaction through a human behavior study that found 26 percent of rescued marine mammals experienced disturbance from humans or dogs. This research directly informs outreach strategies to reduce wildlife disturbance.

3

Advanced protection of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal by leading a bird flu vaccine trial in northern elephant seals, developing a potential tool to prevent disease and support species recovery.

4

Strengthened global understanding of ocean, marine mammal and human health through publishing 7 peer-reviewed publications and sharing scientific research findings through 30 presentations at 8 conferences, in collaboration with partners worldwide.

“Our work is connected across one ocean, and what we learn from each animal in our care strengthens our ability to protect endangered species like the Hawaiian monk seal.”

Education

1

Increased climate and conservation communication skills among Youth Crew participants, who inspired nearly 600 conservation pledges from visitors, as highlighted in a peer-reviewed publication published in the International Zoo Educators Association Journal.

2

Inspired the next generation of ocean stewards by engaging more than 8,400 students and teachers from urban, coastal and rural communities across California and Hawai‘i through place-based marine science education.

3

Advanced climate communication as a 2025 American Climate Leadership Awards semifinalist for the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change (NNOCCI), equipping educators and scientists with the communication tools to inspire meaningful climate action.

4

Strengthened the global network of marine mammal professionals by hosting 35 national and international learners, building their expertise through hands-on training, research and fieldwork.

Your investment in education cultivates knowledge and connection in people of all ages, inspiring action and building the next generation of ocean health leaders.

Community In Action

Expanded impact along California’s central coast and celebrated the opening of our new Monterey Bay Operations facility in Castroville, strengthening response, education and community engagement.

Ocean, animals, people – the health of each is deeply interconnected. That means the threats we face are complex. Your support enables us to take a One Health approach to our work, acknowledging these interdependencies to find impactful solutions for our planet.

Your support assists in supplying the resources (fish food, medicines, rescue gear, trucks, gas, etc.) volunteers like me use daily while rescuing and triaging marine mammals along our beautiful coasts at Monterey Bay Operations.

As a volunteer, I get to engage with the public and students in our school programs, bringing our mission to life through the stories of the animals in our care. Your generous support makes this work possible and inspires so many people to get involved. Thank you for being part of that change.

Financial Summary

Your support helps advance an integrated approach to rescue, rehabilitation, research, education, and public engagement, improving the health of marine mammals and the ocean we all share.

Careful stewardship of our resources ensures every contribution is managed with care and discipline and leveraged to maximize impact in the face of growing marine mammal health threats and changing ocean conditions

View the Full Impact Report

Because of you, caring for individual animals leads to lasting change, advancing science and solutions that protect marine mammals and the ocean we all depend on.

In the Fiscal Year 2025 Impact Report, you will see the outcomes of that work–how each patient helps us understand and address the threats entire populations face, strengthening ocean health for the future.

Dive in! Use the arrows to turn the page, view in full screen mode to read (hover over the image and click the box in the bottom left).

Hawaiian monk seals on the beach © NOAA, Permit #16632-00. Whale disentanglement © Bob Talbot. Unless otherwise noted, photos are by Darrin Allen, Clive Beavis, Dan Friedman, Elena Graham, Bill Hunnewell and Giancarlo Rulli © The Marine Mammal Center. Photos are taken under NOAA permit #24359 and USFWS permit MA101713-1.