For six decades, the Navy has relied on trained marine mammals to assist and protect its personnel and assets in the water. It's an innovative program that has greatly advanced the world's understanding of marine mammal medicine,  while also working in service of the U.S.

The U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program, based at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, Calif., established in 1959 to assist Navy personnel in a variety of ocean-based missions, such as the protection of divers, the recovery of lost objects, and humanitarian demining missions. A variety of species were evaluated during the program's early years, including sharks, rays, sea turtles, and marine birds. Today, the program uses bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions exclusively, both of which possess unique capabilities that make them ideal for location and recovery work.

"Dolphins and sea lions have excellent low-light vision and underwater directional hearing that allow them to detect and track undersea targets, even in dark or murky waters," the program explains on its website. "They can also dive hundreds of feet below the surface, without risk of decompression sickness, or 'the bends' like human divers."

Animal care and training

Program administrators are quick to assure the animals are never placed in jeopardy as a result of their work. For example, dolphins are trained to place a location marker near a mine, never on it. To ensure the highest standards, the program is accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC), a nonprofit, nonregulatory organization that promotes high standards for animal care and use.