Whales

11/14/2007 -- PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- Navy officials said they are optimistic that a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Nov. 13 ordered a lower court to rewrite restrictions on the Navy's use of sonar in certain Southern California exercises.

That ruling was part of a lawsuit challenging the Navy's ability to train Sailors before they deploy to potential hotspots.    » read more »

17 September 2007 -- In the 19th century, intensive hunting brought the gray whale close to extinction. Although whales in the western Pacific are still endangered, protection efforts in the eastern Pacific seemed, at first, to have brought the population there back to pre-whaling numbers.

But new genetic research shows gray whales may once have been much more abundant than they are today. The finding suggests the world's oceans may no longer be able to support such a large population.    » read more »

08/14/2007 -- WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator John Kerry announced today that he has asked President Bush to finalize the so-called “ship strike rule,” which would implement speed restrictions to protect right whales from collisions with ships and other ocean-going vessels. As reported today in the Washington Post, although the draft rule has been complete for six months, it remains stalled at the Office of Management and Budget in response to pressure from the international shipping industry.    » read more »

Court Finds “Near Certainty” of Harm to Whales Near Channel Islands and Says Proposed Mitigation Measures Were Ineffectual

LOS ANGELES (August 6, 2007) – The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California today enjoined the U.S. Navy from using mid-frequency active sonar during 14 naval training exercises planned for the rich biological waters off Southern California through 2009. Mid-frequency active (or MFA) sonar is used by the Navy to detect submarines but has caused whale strandings and other harm to marine animals around the world.    » read more »

Asks Commission to Support the Renewal of Bowhead Whale Catch Limits

May 28, 2007, Anchorage, Alaska – Alaska Governor Sarah Palin today welcomed the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to Alaska and addressed its members. The commission is conducting its 59th Annual IWC meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.

In her address, Governor Palin spoke to the distinguished group, reminding them of the importance of aboriginal subsistence hunting and the scientific contributions Alaska’s whaling captains have made in the study of bowhead whales.    » read more »

28 May 2007 -- The International Whaling Commission is meeting in the northern U.S. state of Alaska to decide whether to drop a moratorium on commercial whale hunting.

The ban was enacted in 1986 to help prevent several species of great whales from becoming extinct.

Representatives from 75 member countries will debate the issue during their annual meeting, which ends Thursday.

Pro-whaling nations such as Japan, Norway and Iceland argue that the ban can be lifted since whale populations have recovered. Approval from 56 member nations would be needed to overturn the ban.    » read more »

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Pat Meehan recently announced two guilty pleas in connection with an international ring that smuggled dead body parts of endangered species into the United States.1 The endangered species was the marine mammal Physeter macrocephalus , commonly known as the Sperm whale. The dead body parts were teeth, each having the shape of a cone, pointed at one end, approximately eight inches high and six inches in diameter, and weighing between one and five pounds.    » read more »

April 20, 2007, Juneau, Alaska – Alaska Governor Sarah Palin today voiced her concerns about the implications of the proposed endangered species listing of Cook Inlet’s beluga whales. The Governor also encouraged the National Marine Fisheries Service to conduct public hearings on this important issue.    » read more »