Canada is making strides to help protect marine life.
The country's House of Commons passed a bill Monday that makes it illegal to keep a whale, dolphin or porpoise in captivity.
(MORE: World Ocean Day 2019: Ocean plastics problem isn't going away, but here's what you can do to help)Bill S-203, nicknamed the "Free Willy" bill after the iconic 1993 movie that portrayed a boy freeing an Orca whale from an amusement park, applies to those who own or have custody or control of a cetacean in captivity. People who breed or impregnate a cetacean or possess/seek to obtain reproductive materials of cetaceans, including sperm or an embryo, were also included in the bill.
Offenders can be fined up to $200,000.
The Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act makes exceptions for cetaceans that are rescued or are in rehabilitation and for researchers who obtain a license from the government.
"A person may move a live cetacean from its immediate vicinity when the cetacean is injured or in distress and is in need of assistance," the bill states.
(MORE: On the remotest of islands, hundreds of tons of plastic and other waste washing ashore: Study)Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that the country will ban single-use plastics, such as bags and straws, as early as 2021, according to The Associated Press.
The specific items to be banned will be determined based on a scientific review, Trudeau said.
(MORE: Breakdown of biodegradable plastics in ocean 'extremely slow,' UN report says)Canada drew inspiration from the European Union's decision in March to impose a ban on single-use plastics to counter pollution in waterways and fields, Trudeau said.
"Many other countries are doing that and Canada will be one of them," Trudeau said. "This is a big step but we know can do this for 2021."