Evidence of severe threats to the recently discovered importance of the area for marine mammals was revealed in the ‘80s by the scientific community, and highly covered by the national and international media. The need for the establishment of an international MPA, despite legal difficulties (>50% of proposed MPA in ABNJ), was emphasized to highlight the conservation shortcomings of customary law in a proposal named “Project Pelagos”, presented to the international community in March 1991.