Early supporters of the act, passed in 1972, had hoped it would be used to create a system of Marine wilderness reserves on the same principles as for those on land.
1972年通过的该法案的早期支持者曾希望利用它建立一个类似于陆上法案的海洋野生生物保护体系。
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But the September hunt was illegal, violating a federal court's 2002 order demanding that the Makahs get a waiver to the Marine Mammal Protection Act before killing another whale.
Conservationists had hitherto been struggling to preserve the waters around Hawaii using the National Marine Sanctuaries Act. The battle had been expected to continue for at least another year.