Ocean Disposal of Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Carcasses

The EPA has issued a general permit under the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) to authorize the transport and disposal of marine mammal and sea turtle carcasses in ocean waters under specified conditions. The term “marine mammal” means any mammal that is morphologically adapted to the marine environment, including sea otters and members of the orders Sirenia (e.g., manatee, dugong), Pinnipedia (e.g., seal, sea lion), and Cetacea (e.g., dolphin, whale) or primarily inhabits the marine environment (e.g., polar bears, sea otters). The Marine Turtle Conservation Act defines a sea turtle using the term “marine turtle”, which means any member of the taxonomic family Cheloniidae or Dermochelyidae.

The MPRSA general permit does not require that marine mammal or sea turtle carcasses be disposed of in ocean waters; it merely authorizes ocean disposal when there is a need for such disposals. The general permit was published in the Federal Register on July 16, 2025 [90 FR 31998] and will be effective on August 15, 2025. 

The previous general permit was published in the Federal Register on December 6, 2016 [81 FR 87928 (pdf)] and expired on January 4, 2024. The EPA did not make substantive changes to the content of the previous general permit, though it did revise the scope and eligibility provisions, and general permittees will be able to resume permitted deposition of marine mammal carcasses in ocean waters pursuant to the re-issued permit terms.