First They Came

(Artist credit:  BunnyBubble @ Deviant Art)

In yesterday's post I shared a link to an article that included a poll about the use of dolphins in the military.  When I first read that article a few days ago, the poll for and against the use of dolphins in this manner was pretty much split down the middle.

Now that number has risen dramatically to over 70% on the side of NOT using dolphins in this way.  Quite a turn around!

If you haven't seen that article yet or voted, here it is:  Dolphins Used to Detect Underwater Mines

In other news, Sea Shepherd is setting up a chapter of it's organization in Hervey Bay, Australia this June.  There appears to be a split in that community over whether or not to support the SSCS.

Many who have vocalized opposition have stated they disagree with SSCS's "violent" methods at sea against the Japan whalers. 

Read more here:  Split on Whaling Protest Group

Personally, I'm more inclined to support an organization like Sea Shepherd vs, for example, Greenpeace. Sea Shepherd, despite their controversial tactics, get results.  Greenpeace just appears, to me anyway, to blow a lot of hot air, spend a lot of donated money on campaigns and protests, but not much in the way of real hands on action.  That's just my impression anyway and I could be wrong.  However, I hear more about Sea Shepherds actual successful results in reducing the whale kill quota versus the publicity and media loving Greenpeace.  To be fair, Greenpeace does raise awareness.  But visible action just seems to be more apparent from Sea Shepherd.  

Japan has made it clear they dislike the SSCS.  Why?  Because the Sea Shepherds actually impede their progress and make the whalers' jobs much harder to kill off the whales.  

That is enough for me to be a Sea Shepherd supporter.

They've also been instrumental in the Faroe pilot whale slaughter, Canada's harp seal culls, and Taiji's dolphin slaughtering.  Ric O' Barry's organization Save Japan Dolphins is another shining example of activism in action by making their presence heavily felt not just in Japan on the dolphin slaughter, but around the world as well.

When I think of Sea Shepherd, I think of whales and harp seals.  When I think of Save Japan Dolphins, I think of dolphins.  Both are filled with passionate people who are out there doing something about these inhumane killings.

You know that famous quote by Martin Niem'Her?

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Let's alter that a little.

First they came for the whales, and I did not speak out because I was not a whale.  Then they came for the seals, and I did not speak out because I was not a seal.  Then they came for the dolphins, and I did not speak out because I was not a dolphin.  Then they came for everything else left in the sea, leading to a slow death for the entire world, and I wondered why there was nothing and no one left to speak up and do something about it. 

Whale Hunts About to Begin Again

In briefly continuing the spirit of my last post about Proposition 8 .... We've certainly come a long way in the past 48 years, haven't we?

(Artist credit: Christian Lassen)

Did you know that Greenpeace, just two weeks before the Japan whale hunt is slated to begin, has surrendered their fight out in the Southern Ocean?

Sea Shepherd's Captain Paul Watson said:

"As a Greenpeace co-founder, I am deeply offended that Greenpeace has been raising millions of dollars in the name of defending whales all year and now two weeks before the Japanese whaling fleet is scheduled to depart, they announce they will not be going," said Captain Paul Watson. "In my opinion they collected funds under false pretenses and now they have abandoned the whales. Shame on them."

You can read Sea Shepherd's version of this here: Greenpeace Surrenders


However, Greenpeace claims they are taking the fight directly to Japan this time.

Greenpeace also claims credit for one of Japan's ships, the Oriental Bluebird, being shut down by the Panamanian authorities. If you recall, the Oriental Bluebird was not only used to help the Japan fleets to refuel, they were also transporting whale meat - illegally. This particular ship was not authorized or licensed for this purpose.

Regardless, these two organizations, in my opinion, need to stop fighting each other and just keep on fighting the battle to save the whales. They may take different routes to achieve their results, but both have collectively accomplished a great deal in bringing the whale slaughter issue to greater awareness globally.

In other news, I'm saddened to report that the Supreme Court has little to no sympathy for the plight of our marine mammals and the effect that Navy sonar has on them.

"I thought the whole point of the armed forces was to hurt the environment," Associate Justice Stephen Breyer said, half-jokingly. "Of course they're going to do harm."

Kidding or not, I find this statement just appalling. It's comments like this that encourage the continuing raping and pillaging of our planet and it's sentient beings, without any regard to the consequences.

Till next time,

Dolphin

More BS from Japan

(Artist Credit: Christian Lassen)

Lots of news headlines out there that state two thirds of the Japan population supports whaling.

Previous reports had indicated that the majority of Japanese (1) no longer eat whale meat and (2) have misgivings about the whaling, touting it as unnecessary.

Color me stupid, but how does a telephone poll of just over 2,000 people define that two thirds of the country's population supports whaling? Japan is home to millions of people.

Personally, I give zero stock in this so-called poll and am skeptical as hell that it proves anything other than a poor attempt for Japan to save face and get their country to falsely rally around their "scientific research." Does anyone else find this insulting or am I just being hyper critical?

Australia was also not planning to release any photos the Ocean Viking custom ship had taken, but changed their minds. The photos that have generated a lot of controversy include a mother whale and a baby calf.

You can see some of the photos over at GreensBlog.

Japan denies that the mother and baby are related and are rather, two separate whales they harpooned. They also have officially stated that they "regret" these photos were made public.

Why? Why are you regretful Japan? If you're so gung ho about your whaling, why are you feeling regretful? Puhleaze. Give me a freakin' break.

Japan condemns Australia for releasing these photos and Australia defends itself. I say kudos to Australia for releasing the images. It's important people see for themselves just how barbaric and unnecessary this killing is.

Japan is planning to file a complaint over the release of these pictures. Umm ... why? If you're so passionate about how your whaling is so culturally and morally upstanding and you have nothing to hide, why complain? If you feel so strongly that what you are doing is good and right, you should have no objections and no fear. Me thinks thou art protest too much.

The time has arrived to also add Norway to the focus and scrutiny of whale culling.

Norway has announced plans to kill over 1,000 Minke whales. Their reason for killing all these whales? "Commercial purposes."

Greenpeace states the consumption of whale meat is dwindling while Norway states their citizens eat it regularly and their stock of whale meat is down. Like Japan, they whale because of "culture" and believe that whaling is sustainable.

Sea Shepherd has plenty of updates on their site and I'd encourage you to check them out and read the links to the right. At the moment, they are focusing on returning to the Southern Ocean to once again, find the Japan whalers, with the goal to get them on the run again.

Last but not least, I'd like to do a little blog spotlight today.

Please be sure to check out Dolphin Smile. They provide brief updates regularly and if you ever visit Hawaii, be sure to look up Scott as he offers some adventures with the local marine mammals. He has a solid reputation and all wildlife is respected and not interfered with. He also has a holistic and spiritual approach and if I had the money myself right now, I'd love to join his group :-)

Mahalo,

Dolphin

P.S. Radical Blog is doing a "Blog Against Whaling Campaign." Check it out, leave a comment with your blog link, and you'll be added to the list of bloggers against whaling in addition to receiving a linkback to your blog.

Love the Earth or Lose It

(Artist credit: Jim Warren Titled: Love, Lose)

What is is about any pristine or preserved wilderness or land space left on the planet that has not been screwed up, that puts the dollar signs in the eyes and greed in the hearts of certain people?

(1) The Kimberley Coast. Off the coast, it's famous for 8,000 - 12,000 humpback whales migrating there annually. Before Japan agreed they would not kill 50 of these humpbacks, they had planned to lie in wait near the Kimberley coast to kill these whales.

Inpex, a company partially owned by the Japanese government, hopes to "build a massive liquid natural gas processing plant on the Maret Islands, off the Kimberley coast. Inpex plans to pipe natural gas and light oil from the Browse Basin, where a huge natural gas field has been discovered, to a port and plant it would build on the Marets."

Excerpt:

The Marets sit in a major tidal area (the Kimberley is famous for its "horizontal waterfalls", which are massive and rapid tidal shifts), a cyclone area and an untainted, fertile marine habitat. There are other places in Western Australia, already developed but further away, where the gas could be processed. If a Japanese company were to propose this project for the Great Barrier Reef, they would be thrown out of court. But the Inpex plan, which dissects the migration and breeding terrain of the whales, is moving ahead. The Japanese can make valid arguments for their developments in Australia. The natural gas field represents a huge export industry. As for the Japanese whaling, the harvesting of 50 humpback whales would make only a dent on a population of 10,000 whales, and the Group IV population has been growing at about 10 per cent a year.

The author of this article talks about the "deceit of Japan." It's a good read here.

(2) The battle between the Polar Bears and Oil Drilling in Alaska.

The government is going ahead to issue permits for oil drilling in the Chukchi Sea, before the determination is made as to whether or not the polar bear species deserves protection.

It's interesting to note that the concern for the polar bears was delivered to the Bush Administration five years ago, and then the request for the oil drill leasing was submitted approximately a year ago. Absolutely no attention was paid to the fate of the polar bears and the requests for reviewing this issue. But the go ahead for the drilling sure came about mighty fast.

Excellent point here (excerpt):

"Robert Frost wrote about two roads diverging in the wood, and here we have the Bush administration looking down two roads with regard to the polar bear," Mr. Markey said. "Down one road lies the survival of the polar bear and the orderly consideration of oil drilling and global warming and common sense. Down the other road, too often traveled by this administration, lies regulatory lunacy and a blatant disregard for moral responsibility."

Full article here: Politics Pits Polar Bears vs Oil Drilling

Tell your Representative to support the Markey Bill and to protect the Polar Bears and the Chukchi Sea region: Voice Your Opposition here

(3) Utah.

That's right, I said the state of Utah. President Bush wants to drill for oil and gas development in an area designated by former President, Bill Clinton, as "permanent wilderness preservation."

If this goes ahead, the impact will be permanent and irreversible.

Areas of concern:

Vernal, in Northeastern Utah, ancient cultural artifacts and dinosaur fossils mingle with a range of wildlife and recreational opportunities.

Nine Mile Canyon, in the San Rafael Swell, offers hiking, serenity, and rock carvings over 1,000 years old.

In the Moab region, there's the Canyonlands and the Arches National Parks.

2.5 million acres at risk of being forever damaged

If preserving the National Parks in Utah concerns you, sign the petition to let the Bureau of Land Management and the Bush Administration know that you oppose it.

Take Action Now


Amazing. These are just three of the very few remaining places left on this planet for people to enjoy and to be reminded of how very fragile our ecosystem is and how vital nature is to each and every one of us.

I don't know if signing petitions helps, but at least the more people that speak up on this issue, the harder it is for the politicians to ignore.


In whaling news, the Japan whalers are headed to New Zealand waters, breaking an agreement to stay in Australian waters. It appears they are trying to avoid both the Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace protest ships.

New Zealand's Prime Minister has expressed "grave concern" over the whalers heading in her direction. She has warned them to stay away and that if they do not, surveillance photographs will be taken and released to the public.

The waters off of New Zealand are notorious for being rough and very dangerous. Last year, the Nisshin Maru ship suffered a fire while out in the Ross Sea (NZ waters) and one of the crew members died. It is logistically difficult for New Zealand to perform search and rescue operations out there.

Japanese officials state the fleets are trying to outrun Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace in hopes these two organizations will run out of fuel, having to leave, and thereby giving the whalers the freedom they want to resume their whale culling without both Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace pestering them.

Sneaky shits.

Outside the Japan Embassy in London, a 14 year old girl was arrested for protesting against the whaling. Both her and her father were arrested after tying themselves to a railing there. Their case will be heard February 6.

When asked why she was doing this, the girl stated that she had seen a video that included a whale being blown up by the Japan whalers. She expressed that it hit her rather hard and she felt that her protest was nothing in comparison to what the whales are going through.

It was the first time she had been removed from a protest or arrested. Previously, she had campaigned against Australia's nuclear policy.

I see a future leader in environmental politics in the making here. You go girl!

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Whale Politics

(Artist credit: Christian Lassen)

Yesterday, Greenpeace got between the Nisshin Maru and the refueling ship, Oriental Bluebird and for a time, prevented the refueling from happening. They were in their smaller boats running between these two big ships and the whalers were hosing them down with cold water, trying to prevent Greenpeace from interfering. The two ships eventually came side by side and it became too dangerous for the Greenpeace protesters to stay between them, so they had to give up and the Nisshin Maru was refueled.

Greenpeace alleges that the Oriental Bluebird ship did not have permits to be part of the whaling fleet. They radioed the Oriental Bluebird to inform them that they were violating an Antarctic treaty and also in violation of environmental law. That did nothing to dissuade them and they continued about their business in refueling the Japanese whaling ship.

Also as of yesterday, the Sea Shepherd crew stated they were about "a day's sail" from the whalers but given the fact that the refueling would take up to approximately eight hours, they were making good time.

There have been reports that the Japanese whalers might suspend whaling until both Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace leave the area since they'd have to leave within the next two weeks to refuel. But both organizations say that despite that, as long as they are able to stop the whaling, however temporarily, it cuts into Japan's whaling season as well as greatly diminishes how many whales Japan will kill. They expect Japan will not reach their goal to kill approximately 950 whales altogether.

On Monday, Greenpeace Japan sent a letter to two Japanese economic organizations, pointing out that whaling was hurting the Japanese economy.

The letter basically pointed out that global opinion of Japan's whaling is hurting them and has the potential to hurt further economic ties they have in addition to possibly spurring boycotts of Japan products that are sold around the world.

However, it's not clear if all of what has been done to this date, will have an impact on changing Japan's stance on whaling. Especially in light of the fact that Japan plans to build a new ship that will pretty much enable them to continue whaling for another 40 years.

There does continue to be consumer, media, and political pressure on Japan to do something about this issue. Unfortunately, Japan is pretty much standing their ground and has not made any concessions that they'll be changing their minds on this issue any time soon. Doesn't matter that their whaling has a very small and insignificant impact on their economy as a whole. And personally, that amazes me. Why push an issue that is widely unpopular around the globe, that is a very small portion of Japan's overall economy, but one that could very well have a negative influence on the rest of their country?

Meanwhile, Humane Society International hand delivered the rule of the law to the Japan whaling company yesterday. Not surprisingly, the company refused to accept it and said they were aware of the orders and are not abiding by them.

Humane Society Int'l had to leave the package at their feet instead and were told as they were leaving, that the package would be thrown out. If the whaling continues, Japan could be found in contempt of court. But somehow, I doubt anything will really happen. Call me a cynic.

The reason I am not optimistic at this point, that anything will be done within the rule of this law, is due to the economic relationship between Australia and Japan.

Both have stated that despite their differences on the whaling issue, they are in good shape and plan to continue their mutually beneficial partnership. You know what they say, money talks and bullshit walks.

Japan is pressuring Australia to press charges against the two Sea Shepherd crew members who boarded their ship last week and were detained. Australia claims that they'll be looking into the matter but otherwise, are not saying much else on the issue.

Despite all this bickering, the tensions, the protests, etc., it's now been over twelve days since any whales have been killed by Japan.

Elsewhere around the globe, there are at least other places that DO care about the marine mammals that live off their shores. Costa Rica is one.

Excerpt:

Over the weekend the Costa Rican President Oscar Arias along with Environmental Minister Robert Dobles signed a decree that would protect whales and dolphins from being hunted in the large Costa Rican waters.

The decree details that any pursuit, capture, injury, netting or commercialization of any whale and dolphin groups in the Costa Rican sea boundaries is forbidden, and now against the law.

More here: Costa Rica Bans Whale and Dolphin Hunting

Is a Whale safe ship in the works to be designed? One whale researcher is strongly encouraging it.

Back to the issue of the Navy sonar court case in California, the state has filed another challenge to their sonar training off the California coast.

California officials argue that "Bush's waiver violates the separation-of-powers doctrine of the U.S. Constitution." It's possible this will go to a higher court of appeals.

I am unclear if, while this is being argued in court, if the Navy is required to suspend their sonar training. They are scheduled to begin sonar training this week and have nine more scheduled exercises throughout the remainder of the year. Let's hope the appeals court overrules President Bush on this matter.

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Bears, Drilling, and Whaling Stink Bombs

(Artist credit: Jim Warren Titled "Don't Mess With Mother Nature")

In the latest development regarding the polar bear habitat in a section of Alaska that may be opened to oil drilling, a congressional environmental panel stated that "The U.S. government must decide first if polar bears are threatened by climate change before it opens part of their icy habitat to oil drilling"

Excerpts:

"Rushing to allow drilling in polar bear habitat before protecting the bear would be the epitome of this administration's backward energy policy, a policy of drill first and ask questions later," Rep. Ed Markey said at a hearing of the House (of Representatives) Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, which he chairs.

The Bush administration is alone among major industrialized countries in rejecting the carbon-curbing Kyoto protocol. Washington also opposes mandatory limits on climate-warming greenhouse emissions.

The article further states that 15 million barrels are needed due to the increasing demand for petroleum.

When asked about the potential for oil spills and the impact on the local wildlife, more specifically the polar bears and marine mammals, Randall Luthi, director of the Minerals Management Service (which announced the oil lease) stated:

...the risk to the bears from oil drilling would be negligible and that if the oil sales went through before a decision was reached on the polar bears, there would be "an additional layer of consultation" with conservation officials as oil and gas companies worked in the area.

He further stated:

there was a 33 to 50 percent chance of a 1,000-barrel spill in this area, but also said no wildlife had been endangered by this kind of exploratory drilling.

Where's the contingency plan to avoid a spill? What are they doing to prevent such a thing from happening? Up to 50 percent chance of a spill is way more than enough cause for justifiable and deep concern.

What happens if a spill occurs? Excerpt from the article:

Steven Amstrup, a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, told the panel that if polar bears came in contact with spilled oil, they would probably die.

Polar bears do not do well when they get into oil," Amstrup said. "They tend to groom themselves, they ingest the oil and the spills, basically, are most likely fatal."

Full article here: Decide on Polar Bears First

Retrieving 15 million barrels of oil, which is a very temporary solution, that would have an irreparable and adverse effect on the local environment and the majority of the wildlife in the area, both on the land and in the sea, is, in my opinion, just plain stupid and crazy. And putting profits ahead of the planet is just insanity.

On the whaling front, Japan released the hostages yesterday, as agreed, to Australia's Oceanic Viking customs ship.

Shortly after the two Sea Shepherd crew members were returned to the Sea Shepherd ship, they then resume their protest against the Japanese whalers by going after the Yushin Maru ship and throwing "stink bombs" aboard. Apparently their throws were right on target and it appears that given the power of these "stink bombs" (which are basically rancid butter) it primarily prevents the whalers from staying on their ship's deck for any length of time, usually up to two days.

So far, it's now been over nine days since a whale has been killed by the Japanese hunters.

Captain Paul Watson promises to continue to "harass" and basically do everything possible, short of hurting anyone, to ensure no further whales are culled.

Is Japan feeling the pressure of their widely unpopular decision to continue whaling and all the myriad of reasons they use to explain it away? Greenpeace thinks so.

One excerpt that stands out:

Today, one of the leading newspapers in Japan, Asahi Shimbun, also called into question the validity of the whaling program, by asking "Why is the Japanese government so insistent on engaging in whaling?". The article cites concerns about the use of taxpayer's money, dubious science, the lack of interest from the fishing industry in supporting the whaling program, and the fact that former employees of the Japanese government Fisheries Agency were "parachuted" into key roles in the supposedly independent Institute of Cetacean Research – the agency which commissions the whaling fleet.

For the full article on this, please click here: Japan's "Fake" Whaling Program Begins to Crumble

Greenpeace also posted about this on their site: Fake Whale Science from Ship to Shore

Greenpeace continues to hound the main ship, the Nisshin Maru. So far, their efforts have remained successful in keeping the ship away from the whale sanctuary area.

Still, Japan has made it very clear they have every intention of resuming their whale culling within the next few days.

Between Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace, despite their differences, I imagine the disruptions will continue and hopefully we'll have minimal to preferably zero whales killed.

Meanwhile, Japan is complaining that Australia is giving preferential treatment to the Sea Shepherd activists who had been detained, then released. They accused Australia of giving "limousine service" to these activists.

When Sea Shepherd went to pick up their two crew members from the Oceanic Viking, they then lost the whalers because they had to travel approximately 80km (50 miles) to meet the ship. So they are once again back to trying to locate the whaling fleets.

Article here: Kicking Up a Stink

Excerpt from another article, Whale Activists Admit to Stink Bombs:

Mr Watson said the Steve Irwin was again trying to find the Japanese whaling fleet in order to launch more attacks.

“Greenpeace knows where they are but Greenpeace won't tell us where they are, which I am a little annoyed with because if they start killing whales tomorrow I am going to hold Greenpeace responsible for that because Greenpeace knows that we could stop them.

My kudos to both Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd for their continued vigilance against these whalers. It should be inspiration to all of us that one single drop in the ocean by each of us, can cause a swell and make a difference around the world.

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Whaling Standoff

(Artist credit: Christian Lassen)

The good news is, the whaling has come to a standstill since January 11th, thanks to both Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd who have kept the Japan whaling fleet on the run.

The bad news is, the whalers have been defying the orders from their country to release the two Sea Shepherd crew members from their custody and allowing them to return to their ship.

The whalers are demanding that Sea Shepherd agree to not harass them or to interfere with their whaling in exchange for the release of those two men. How's that for arrogance?

The whalers can't cry and whine about protesters breaking the law when they are doing the same. They can't moan about others being hypocrites and liars, when they are hypocrites and liars themselves.

So what happens now? Things appear to be at a standstill here.

At least no whales are currently being killed.

Excerpt from the Sea Shepherd site:

The Japanese whalers continue to hold Australian citizen Benjamin Potts 28 and Giles Lane 35 of Great Britain. The Japanese government has ordered their release but the whalers are defying that order and refusing to release their hostages until Sea Shepherd agrees to their demands. One of the demands is for Sea Shepherd to discontinue opposing whaling activities. Captain Watson responded by refusing to acknowledge their demands and demanding instead that the hostages be released without conditions.

Full article can be read here: Sea Shepherd Shuts Down Antarctic Whale Hunt

Captain Paul Watson claims his crew members are being held hostage against their will. The whalers claim that the two men who boarded their fleet engaged in an illegal act of "piracy" and that the Sea Shepherd is prolonging this incident for publicity purposes.

Frankly, the fact that this is generating a lot of publicity is good news for the whales. It brings more attention to their plight and shines a rather dark light on Japan's own attitude and behavior on not only this very issue, but this "hostage" incident as well.

The New York Times has a good article on this incident here: Japan Pauses Whale Hunt During Standoff

Excerpts from the above NY Times article:

''These people aren't hostages, they're unwanted guests,'' Japan Foreign Ministry spokesman Tomohiko Taniguchi said. ''We want them off our ship immediately, but they're not giving us the chance.''

''It has become apparent that it will be impossible to hand the two trespassers back directly to Sea Shepherd, so our only option at this point is to make contact with another ship such as the customs vessel Australia dispatched,'' Moronuki said.

Despite all of this, Japan has no plans to call off the whale hunt. They plan to resume their whale culling when the activists are released. At it looks right now, it appears these two men will be released to the Australian customs ship, the Oceanic Viking. Arrangements are currently underway.

Sea Shepherd is refusing to comply with Japan's demands in exchange for its crew members. Captain Watson basically calls the whalers "terrorists" if they are making such demands. Personally, I'm in agreement.

Let's hope for a peaceful exchange here with no one getting hurt.

I have not been talking much about politics lately because I have been focused more on the whaling issues. I do want to point out one thing that should scare each and every single American in this election year. (Thanks to Bill at Bill's Random Thoughts for sharing this.)

Huckabee says this:

"[Some of my opponents] do not want to change the Constitution, but I believe it's a lot easier to change the constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God, and that's what we need to do is to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards," Huckabee said, referring to the need for a constitutional human life amendment and an amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

"God's standards?" Run .. run far far away from this man. We do NOT need a religious zealot running our country, coming into our homes to judge how we live and who we love, nor do we need a President who believes in discriminating against certain people who are not within his definition of "God's standards."

God help us all if he gets elected. This is NOT the direction our country needs to go in.


Mahalo,

Dolphin

The Chase is On

(Artist credit: Jeff Wilkie)

The decision recently by the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California to restrict Navy sonar usage off the California coast, might be implemented along the Eastern seaboard as well.

A beaked whale washed ashore on New Year's eve in Beach Haven, which has raised more concern about the Navy's use of sonar. It is suspected, but unproven, that this beaked whale died because of sonar due to no visible injuries or other signs pointing to its death.

As is well known on this issue, the usage of sonar has a potentially fatal effect on marine mammals. Sonar can cause a rupture of the inner ear and organs. It's also known to cause internal bleeding and disorientation. Once the damage occurs, death by beaching is common due to the disorientation the mammal experiences.

Naturally, the military denies that sonar does this and claims there is no evidence pointing to this as fact.

The attorney for the Natural Resources Defenses Council, Michal Jasny, disputes this and states: "The Navy will find itself alone in the scientific community with that conclusion."

Excerpt:

"It's beyond dispute that sonar kills and injures whales. I think statements like that from the Navy do not help advance this issue," Jasny said. "It would be great if they spent more energy trying to develop a solution to this problem than to deny the clear scientific record."

Whales around the world have been found dead or dying following encounters with mid-frequency military sonar, according to Jasny.

In 2004, the world's leading whale biologists examined the link between Navy sonar and whale strandings and concluded that the evidence of sonar causation is "very convincing" and "overwhelming", a spokesman for the NRDC said.

While there is hope that the decision that was made in California will reach the East Coast, the Navy has filed an appeal of that Californian decision. Still, the process is in the works to make this a National Policy and Jasny is at the forefront in fighting the litigation on this matter.

Excerpt:

"We have a companion case also before the same district court that challenges the Navy's violation of law on both coasts," Jasny said.

But for the litigation to have any impact on the Atlantic seaboard, Schoelkopf said, it would need modification. A 12 nautical mile coastal exclusion zone would not help whales such as the True's Beaked because they live further out in the ocean, he said.

"But I think it should be a national policy simply because we have the same problems with marine mammals coming up with the same unknown causes of death," Schoelkopf said.

Read the full article here: Whale Sets Off Debate Over Sonar

On the Japanese whaling front, Greenpeace's ship Esperanza, is still in close pursuit of the Nisshin Maru, Japan's main whaling ship.

As long as Greenpeace is running close by, the whalers are unable to do their killing because they are on the run. Greenpeace was able to find the whalers by following krill, the main diet of the whales.

One news article is calling this a "Deadly game of marine chess."

Greenpeace is behind the Nisshin Maru in pursuit while one of Japan's other ships, the Yushin Maru, is trailing behind.

Sea Shepherd claims to have spies within Greenpeace and they are in the same location the Nisshin Maru was "just hours ago." (This was as of yesterday.) Officially, Greenpeace has refused to provide the coordinates to the Sea Shepherd because they do not believe in Sea Shepherd's methods of protest.

Excerpt from the Sea Shepherd site:

The Greenpeace ship Esperanza is with the Japanese fleet. Peter Hammarstedt, the 2nd officer of the Steve Irwin called the Esperanza to speak with the Captain but was informed that the Captain was sleeping and was not to be disturbed. Mr. Hammarstedt spoke with Karli Thomas the Greenpeace expedition leader and congratulated her on finding the Japanese fleet and said that since Sea Shepherd gave Greenpeace the coordinates last year would they repay the favor and provide Sea Shepherd with the coordinates this year? Ms. Thomas replied that as expedition leader she did not have the authority to release that information nor did the Captain of the Esperanza. She added that Greenpeace was withholding the information for security reasons.

Although The Captain of the Esperanza and the expedition leader are under strict orders by Greenpeace International to not release the coordinates to Sea Shepherd, Captain Watson is a co-founder of Greenpeace (1972) and co-founder of Greenpeace International (1979).

While I personally do not want to see anyone killed out there, I do support Captain Paul Watson's contention that both organizations could do far more good by working together than by fighting each other. This is a highly volitile issue and simply standing by is not going to save the whales. Intervention is necessary by any and all means possible, short of killing anyone of course.

This may be a terrible analogy to use, but it's one that comes to mind. In the Godfather II movie, in one of the flashback portions when Don Corleone was a young boy, his mother took him to the head Don of the local Mafia, pleading with him to spare her son's life. Of course, after listening to her, he said "No," and the mother was then killed while young Corleone ran away.

So simply asking the whalers to stop killing, is not going to do any good. It's been proven time and time again that Japan is not listening and they are standing behind their own hypocritical stance of scientific research.

The whaling expedition leader, Hajime Ishikawa, warned his crews on departure from Shimonoseki in Japan to expect violent environmental terrorists. "We must fight against their hypocrisy and lies," Mr Ishikawa said.

Japan defends its whaling under the International Whaling Commission's scientific research clause. Institute of Cetacean Research spokesman Glenn Inwood said Greenpeace's actions had caused a collision in the past and the IWC had asked them to cease and desist against Japan's legal research. "Greenpeace actions are illegal under international law," Mr Inwood said.

It's funny that Japan calls both the Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd organizations "eco terrorists" and also labels them "hypocrites" and "liars." Apparently Japan has a difficult time looking into their own mirrors and seeing their own hypocrisy and lies.

Meanwhile, Australia's Oceanic Viking ship, is yet to reach the Japan whalers. Critics are calling it a "ghost ship" and various environmental groups and supporters are in agreement that the Australian government is not living up to its promise to do more on this issue.

Excerpt:

"We need to know how long it will be before the Australian government catches up with the Japanese whaling fleet."

Mr Hunt said the delay was not only ``a breach of faith'' to the Australian people but also the world.

"If you make a bold promise to the world and don't keep it, it sends a message to the Japanese that we are only kidding, we weren't serious and we were just playing a domestic game.

"It's vital if you make the promise to carry it through.''

Mr Hunt also called on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to talk to the Japanese government directly about whaling.

"The single most important action has yet to be taken and that is for Mr Rudd to pick up the phone and speak to the Japanese prime minister (Yasuo Fukuda) person to person.

"Because at the end of the day any decisions will be made by the Japanese prime minister.''

The Antarctic is not the only place where Japan has it's hooks into whaling. Bermuda is a whale loving nation and a couple days ago, they put on an impressive demonstration in front of a Fisheries of Japan patrol boat docked at the Hamilton harbour front.

Read more here: Bermudians Deliver a Strong Message to Japan

Kudos to Bermuda!

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Go Greenpeace Go!

(Artist credit: Christian Lassen)

Greenpeace has caught up with the Japanese whalers and acting like a bunch of children caught doing something wrong, the cowardly Japanese whalers immediately scattered in different directions.

Greenpeace is keeping the chase and focus on the main ship, the Nisshin Maru. And while these cowards are on the run and trying to hide from Greenpeace, they are unable to live up to the whaler murderer image they have arrogantly created.

The radio message from Greenpeace to the Japanese fleet was in both Japanese and English language. It condemned Japan for the hunt and strongly encouraged them to return to port.

Their message:

"Your so-called scientific whaling is a hoax and has been dismissed as useless by the International Whaling Commission. Modern scientific research on whales does not require killing them."

Read the full article here: Greenpeace Ship Chasing Japanese Whalers

Former federal environment minister in Australia, Ian Campbell, has joined the board of the Sea Shepherd organization.

In other Sea Shepherd news, Captain Paul Watson has been named one of 50 people who can save the planet.

Excerpt:

"I get called quite a few things with pirate and eco-terrorist being the more polite labels. But you don't make change by being nice and polite. Change requires cages to be rattled, the boat to be rocked and even sunk sometimes and it requires a deep passionate commitment to righting wrongs and upholding justice especially when justice must take precedence over laws designed for vested interests."

Keep rattling those cages Mr. Watson. You've got my support.

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Bears and Whaling

(Credit: Art.com)

Conservation groups have taken the first steps toward filing a lawsuit to protect the polar bears up in the Arctic. Read more here at the San Diego Tribune.

Meanwhile, until further information is available, I would encourage you to sign the following petition with the Defenders of Wildlife in the interest in increasing awareness about the polar bears.

Please sign the petition here: Oil Companies can wait, polar bears can't!

On the whaling front, Australia has finally made good on its' word and it's ship, the Oceanic Viking, has left port as of yesterday in search of the Japanese whalers. It takes about a week to get to their destination and they will remain at sea for 20 days, videotaping and photographing evidence of whale culling to potentially use against Japan in an International Court of Justice.

A cocky Japanese official states the case will never succeed.

"Antarctica is not a territory of any country. Lawful activities in open seas can never be blocked," he said.

The Australian government continues to decline the requests from both Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd to share their coordinates on the location of the whalers.

Greenpeace welcomed the icebreaker's departure, but called on the government to give the coordinates of the fleet to its anti-whaling ship in Antarctic waters, the Esperanza.

Neither Greenpeace nor a more militant environmental group, Sea Shepherd, has yet been able to find the whalers amid the icebergs and rough seas of the Southern Ocean.

"We would like those coordinates as we are much closer than the Oceanic Viking," said Rob Nicoll, Greenpeace whales campaigner.

Japan says the cull is for scientific research but makes no secret of the fact that the whale meat ends up in Japanese schools, supermarkets and restaurants.

There's a very interesting debate going on at Mammalian Misunderstanding?

Read the comments after this brief article.

Which brings me to ask it here too. If whale culling was going on in Japanese territorial waters, would we have the right to complain? If the whale culling is going on in international waters, do we have the right to complain?

I say yes to both. Whales are among many species on this planet that are either threatened or endangered.

I do believe the argument that the whaling going on in international waters is absolutely an international issue and everyone has the right to take a stand on that. For Japan to argue they kill whales for national pride or hide behind the BS excuse of scientific research, is weak - very weak. They have to go through Australian waters to reach the Southern Ocean which doesn't even belong to them, it belongs to the world.

How about the Amazon Rain Forest? That belongs to South America but due to its vast size it has an effect on worldwide climate. Therefore, the deforestation of the rain forest is an international issue and justifiably, there are people who protest it and work in the interest of protecting it.

Regardless of where one stands on any issue, take a stand. Be passionate and be heard. Otherwise, in a few short decades, all we'll have left for our children and grandchildren is a barren wasteland of nothingness and dark, empty seas.

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Polar Bears Unprotected - Again

(Photo Credit: Minden Pictures)

The polar bears were supposed to be put on the Endangered Species act tomorrow (Wednesday, Jan 9) but the government has decided to delay that for "further study."

Evidence has clearly pointed to these bears being seriously vulnerable due to the melting ice caps and the increased challenges they face in being able to hunt for food. The have to swim farther which often results in them drowning. They have to walk further and go for longer periods without food, which is resulting in increased starvation.

I've seen various documentary films on this very subject and it's patently clear how very vulnerable these bears are.

Does the government care? No. They wait until the 11Th hour to announce they are delaying a move that would protect the polar bears and justifying it with bureaucratic bullshit.

My opinion is they don't want anything to potentially interfere with their desire to drill the hell out of Northwest Alaskan coast.

Environmental groups are promising to file suit tomorrow in hopes of forcing quicker action.

Excerpts:

A key piece of data under consideration is a September report from the U.S. Geological Survey that predicted polar bears could disappear from places where Arctic sea ice is melting fastest, including the northern coast of Alaska.

Two-thirds of the world's polar bears could be gone by 2050 if predictions about melting sea ice hold true, the report said. The ice is melting at least in part because of human-caused climate change, scientists have said.

"The Bush administration has squandered seven years denying the devastating scientific evidence of global warming," Kert Davies of Greenpeace USA said in a statement. "Stalling has cost us dearly, putting the polar bear at risk of extinction and jeopardizing the future welfare of billions of people around the world."

Read more here: U.S. Delays Global Warming Decision on Polar Bears

What's more important right now and for the future? Oil or Polar Bears? You know what I'd choose, and what many people would choose, but our beloved government would choose the former obviously.

Alternative sources of energy are available. The technology to make these alternative sources of energy usable are very available. So why continue to destroy more environment for what will be only a temporary solution?

Polar Bears Vie With Oil for U.S. Government Focus

Remember the oil spill in Norway last month? That's just one more prime example of what could very well happen up in Alaska if oil drilling commences after the lease is sold.

Screw the BS statements that the government claims they can strike a balance between oil drilling and protecting the environment. It bears repeating that oil spills can and DO happen. Contingency plans for this sort of thing have even yet to be drawn up. It's like kill first, ask questions later.

This news article is almost a month old, but it bears a repeat: Norway Oil Spill Contained but Stirs Fears for Arctic

Greenpeace has a statement about the decision to delay protecting the polar bears here: Polar Bear Decision Delayed

Hopefully there will be better news tomorrow, in regards to the lawsuit being filed.

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Pulling the Race Card in Whaling

(Artist credit: Jeff Wilkie)

There are a number of Japanese citizens who are vehemently opposed to their country's whaling. They speak for a vocal majority who disagree with Japan's assertions that this is all in the interest of scientific research and/or national pride.

Good for them. You can read this in more detail here: Japanese Citizens Demand End to Japan's Whaling Atrocities

There's an uproar over a YouTube video that's received well over 100,000 hits, that basically states anti-whaling groups are racist. That's the nutshell version. I'm not going to bother getting into it nor am I going to dignify the issue with a link. I haven't seen the video but I hear it's rather graphic in displaying certain images.

Personally, I find it abhorrent that anytime there's an issue brought up that many people are passionate about, either for or against it, someone pulls the race card.

This isn't about race. This is about whaling. If there are those that can't get the distinction here, then to put it nicely, they're the ones who are being racist.

Just my ever so humble opinion of course.

The Foreign Affairs Minister of Australia states that they will begin surveillance of the Japanese whalers this week.

The ship, Oceanic Viking, will set sail for 20 days. An Airbus A-319 plane will also be dispatched to conduct surveillance flights.

Better late than never. Let's hope for some good news from these surveillance's.

On the flip side, Sea Shepherd alleges that Australia is working closely with Japan to prevent both Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace from interfering with the whaling. Is Australia being a two-faced bitch here?

Read Sea Shepherd's update here: Australian Government Assisting Whalers?

A few days ago, I shared that a Judge in California ruled against the Navy on the use of sonar within a certain area and distance, off the California coast.

There are still other areas of the world that need protection and while this order from the California Judge is a step in the right direction, the Navy still needs to hear our protests on this issue.

Sign the petition here: Whales in Danger

And while you're there, take a look at the video. It explains how military sonar affects marine mammals and how devastating and potentially fatal it can be.

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Whaling Protests

(Photo credit: The Australian)

The anti-whaling protests against Japan continue, most notably in Australia where a gathering of about 250+ people converged outside the Japanese consulate.

A spokesperson from Animal Liberation Victoria told the media that people had gathered "to send a strong message to Japan to stop whaling". One person was engaged in beating a gong 985 times symbolically for the whales Japan intends to slaughter this season.

The crowd was invited to sign the flag to send messages from Australia to Japan on the whaling issue. While people signed, the crowd chanted "Japan's bloodbath, ban whaling", "Boats of death, ban whaling", and "Japan's shame, ban whaling".

"It took about 40 minutes to strike the gong 985 times, the time it can take for a whale to die" said a spokesperson.

In other news, the government of Australia refuses to divulge the location of the Japanese whalers.

Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd calls it a "betrayal."

Greenpeace says they "understand the Australian government's position."

I'm with Sea Shepherd on this. All Australia plans to do is basically sit by and watch the whalers in action, recording their activities and taking pictures and/or video. Their goal is to potentially use the footage and other evidence against Japan in a court of law.

But that doesn't stop the whaling and obviously there will be no attempts by Australia to intervene with the killing.

As I've stated before, it seems to me that PM Rudd is basically putting on a dramatic show of being anti-whaling, blowing smoke up every one's butts, while being more concerned about continuing a mutually beneficial economic relationship with Japan.

Sea Shepherd's Executive Director Kim McCoy says it best:

"It is obvious that Japan is exerting intense pressure on Australia to do very little. For the Rudd government it appears that the policy is to present the appearance of aggressively opposing illegal whaling to satisfy the domestic pressure to end whaling but at the same to do very little in order to maintain a cordial trade relationship with Japan,"

What happened to everyone working together for a common goal? It doesn't matter who prevents the killing or who does what. What matters is that these whales do not meet with a cruel and inhumanely slow death by harpoon.

I mentioned in a previous post about one lone man who is on his own mission to participate in preventing whale culling and protesting against the Japanese government on this matter.

He's out there now in his 10-metre boat, battling the elements and hopes to get between a harpoon and a whale, much like Greenpeace plans to do, given the opportunity.

You can read more about this at: On a mission to battle whaling Goliath

Let's all hope and pray for his safety, and give props for his courage. Some might think it's foolhardy, but personally, I admire him. We should all follow our passions and stand up for what we feel is right, no matter the cost.

Mahalo,

Dolphin