DARC
Dolphin Advocacy Research & Conservation
Voice for dolphins
current mission
For decades, the U.S. Navy has used bottlenose dolphins in military operations, including mine detection, harbor security, and underwater surveillance. While the program highlights their extraordinary intelligence and echolocation abilities, it also raises serious ethical concerns about confining highly intelligent wild animals for human conflict. Conservation groups have long argued that these dolphins experience captivity, transportation stress, hazardous deployments, and unnecessary risks while serving missions they never chose.
At DARC, we believe dolphins should never become instruments of warfare. Their intelligence should inspire our respect—not justify their exploitation. We advocate for replacing military marine mammal programs with modern technologies that protect both national security and marine life, ensuring dolphins remain where they belong: free in the ocean.