Whales

December 1, 2009 -- U.S. Senator Mark Begich issued a statement today in response to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's proposal to establish a critical habitat for Cook Inlet's beluga whale population. Following this announcement, NOAA will hold a public meeting and accept comments on the proposed habitat for a period of 60 days. The proposed habitat consists of approximately a third of Cook Inlet.

"Alaska is an ocean state so the fish and wildlife which thrive in our waters are not an abstract scientific notion. Every Alaskan who has enjoyed watching beluga whales from the shoreline along Turnagain Arm knows these animals are important to us. That's why Alaskans are committed to protecting the beluga whales in Cook Inlet.    » read more »

Hobart, Tasmania - 10/28/2009 - The Pew Environment Group today called on the world’s governing body for conserving Antarctic marine life to geographically spread out krill catches in the Southern Ocean. This would prevent the concentration of the fishery from significantly reducing the amount of krill available for key predators including whales, penguins and seals.

Listen to an audio recording (MP3) of a press call on this topic.    » read more »

Larsen expresses concerns with rules, asks for more time for public comment

October 13, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representative Rick Larsen recently sent a letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) asking that they extend the public comment period for their proposed rules to restrict vessel activity near orca whales.

The rules, which were proposed in July, would prohibit vessels from approaching within 200 yards of orcas at all times, outlaw parking in the path of a moving orca, and ban virtually all vessel traffic within 800 yards of west side of San Juan Island for 5 months each year.    » read more »

Hawaiian False Killer Whale Population Faces Extinction

LOS ANGELES (September 30, 2009) – The Natural Resources Defense Council today called on the federal government to list the Hawaiian population of false killer whales as an endangered species and designate critical habitat to ensure its recovery under the Endangered Species Act. The Hawaiian false killer whale population is a small and ecologically unique population of 120 animals that has suffered a significant decline over the last 25 years.    » read more »

The planet’s largest animal may be returning to pre-whaling feeding grounds

May 11, 2009 -- Scientists have documented the first known migration of blue whales from the coast of California to areas off British Columbia and the Gulf of Alaska since the end of commercial whaling in 1965.

In the scientific journal Marine Mammal Science, researchers from Cascadia Research Collective in Washington state, NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center in California, and Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans identified 15 separate cases where blue whales were seen off British Columbia and the Gulf of Alaska. Four of the whales were identified as animals previously observed off the coast of California, suggesting a re-establishment of a historical migration pattern.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 02/12/2009 - Culling whales will not increase fisheries catches in tropical waters, according to a new paper supported by the Lenfest Ocean Program and published today in the journal Science. For years, Japan has argued that reducing the number of baleen whales in the oceans would improve fisheries because whales eat fish that are caught for human consumption. The study published today found that even a complete eradication of whale populations in tropical waters would not lead to any significant increase in fish populations.    » read more »

Lisbon, Portugal - 02/11/2009 - The Pew Whales Commission, a high level body of eminent diplomats, judges, lawyers, scientists and former Ministers, today called for government ministers to resolve the whaling stalemate.

"The Pew Whales Commission agreed on the need for a higher level of political muscle to move the International Whaling Commission (IWC) out of its current impasse," said Dr. Peter Bridgewater, Commission Chair and former chair of the IWC. "All agreed that the IWC must be preserved as the organization to conserve whales, but it needs to be brought up to date. The 1946 treaty simply does not protect whales from the threats of the 21st century."    » read more »

New Rules Endanger Whales and Dolphins and Fail to Satisfy Federal Law

LOS ANGELES (January 23, 2009) – Last-minute rules proposed by the Bush administration will expose millions of marine mammals to harm from naval training with high-intensity sonar unless amended by the Obama Administration. The rules, issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), address Navy sonar training in the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, in waters off Southern California, and around Hawaii.

Together, they authorize over 10 million marine mammal “takes” incidental to Navy sonar training during the next five years. Each “take” is an instance of harm caused by high intensity sonar that can range from disorientation, to hearing loss, stranding and death.    » read more »

21 May 2008 -- Witnesses say nearly 20 dead whales have washed up Wednesday on a beach in Dakar, Senegal.

Dakar journalist Ricci Shryock tells VOA national police are removing the carcasses in trucks. She said the whales measure some 3.5 to 4.5 meters.

Local villagers say as many as 100 whales swam up to shore late Tuesday night. Fisherman were able to tow some of the animals out to sea.

It is unclear why the animals swam close to shore.

Source: VOA News

December 21, 2007 -- Washington, DC -- U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) said they were encouraged by Japan’s decision to suspend its hunt of humpback whales at the request of the United States.

“I am pleased that Japan has responded to international pressure and suspended part of what its Fisheries Agency calls its largest whale hunt ever,” Boxer said. “While I am glad that the Japanese have called off their hunt of humpback whales, I remain concerned that they are still hunting over 1,000 whales, including the endangered fin whale.”    » read more »

Unprecedented Waiver Imperils Marine Mammals; White House Snubs California, Federal Courts and Congress

LOS ANGELES (January 16, 2008) – The Bush administration yesterday attempted to override a federal court order requiring the U.S. Navy to minimize harm to whales and dolphins during upcoming sonar exercises off Southern California.    » read more »

15 January 2008 -- Australia's foreign minister says Japan has agreed to free two anti-whaling activists being held aboard a Japanese whaling vessel in Antarctic waters.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told Australia's national radio early Wednesday that Japan has not yet handed the men back to their own ship.

Smith added that Australian police are investigating whether there had been any unlawful activity.    » read more »

November 29, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) led a bipartisan group of Senators in calling on Japan to reconsider the scale of a hunt for approximately 1,000 whales and to abandon plans to kill 100 vulnerable and endangered whales. The text of the letter to Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Ryozo Kato, signed by Senators Boxer, Joe Biden (D-DE), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), John Kerry (D-MA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) follows:

November 29, 2007

The Honorable Ryozo Kato    » read more »

20 November 2007 -- The European Union has joined other countries in urging Japan to halt a whaling expedition that could kill at least 1,000 whales.

An EU statement issued Tuesday said there is no need to use lethal means to obtain scientific information about whales. The EU also expressed particular concern that the hunt will include the threatened humpback whale and the endangered fin whale.

Japan claims it needs to kill whales to conduct research on their reproductive and feeding patterns, and says the number it kills is too small to endanger their populations.    » read more »

19 November 2007 -- The United States Monday urged Japan to call off plans for its largest-ever whale hunt, nominally for scientific research. Japanese whalers plan to kill, among others, humpback whales for the first time since they were put under international protection in 1963.

The United States has joined several other countries and environmental groups in calling on Japan to rescind plans for killing more than 1,000 whales, including humpback whales which had been nearly hunted to extinction before a ban on killing them was imposed in 1963.    » read more »