FRIEND OF THE SAN JUANS PRESS RELEASE ABOUT ORCAS (KILLER WHALES)
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FRIEND OF THE SAN JUANS PRESS RELEASE ABOUT ORCAS (KILLER WHALES) |
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Related PagesList of stories about killer whales in the San Juan Islands |
Bilateral Cooperation Key to Orca Protection and Recoveryposted 06/10/02
Participants in the conference included international scientists, representatives of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Government of Canada, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, former Secretary of State Ralph Munro, environmental organizations and members of the Washington Whale Watch Operators Association (WWWOA). Formally known as the "Southern Resident Community," the entire population is down to just 79 whales. They are being impacted by declines in salmon, high levels of PCB poisoning, acoustic pollution from vessel traffic and Navy activities and the general decline of the Puget Sound ecosystem. Their continued survival is also threatened by the risk of a catastrophic oil spill. The Conference kicked off with a remarkable call to action by Washington’s Senator Maria Cantwell. "While there are existing treaties between our countries on orcas, I believe that what is missing is an established protocol for decision making between U.S. and Canadian agencies to quickly respond to situations like the orphaned orca off Vashon Island," says Sen. Cantwell. "Ultimately, cooperation between the U.S. and Canada is a vital component in the overall recovery of the Southern Resident orcas. The time for taking action to save the orcas is now. There can be no doubt that the Southern Resident orcas are a population in deep trouble." The government of British Columbia listed them as an Endangered Species in 1999. A majority of participants called on the National Marine Fisheries Service to list the Southern Resident orcas under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and endorsed the creation of an International Advisory Council for Orca Recovery. "The Government of Canada has already begun work on a recovery strategy for Southern Resident orcas and Canadian scientists are among the world’s leading marine mammal researchers. Canada welcomes the suggestion from Senators Cantwell and Murray to expand bilateral cooperation on this important effort," said Patrick Higgins of the Canadian Consulate. "We already have enough data on the Southern Resident population as an endangered orca stock and to define it critical habitat with a high level of confidence," said Dr. Martin Taylor of the Center for Biological Diversity, co-author of the ESA petition. Dr. Paul Spong, director of British Columbia’s renowned land-based research institution OrcaLab and co-founder of Greenpeace’s Save the Whales campaign some 30 years ago, said, "We have to lower people’s expectations. Instead of encroaching ever closer to the whales, we need to encourage a more benign, non-invasive interaction. We need to appreciate them in their natural habitat, to allow them the freedom to make a living. Perhaps no other group has contributed to building the public’s understanding of orcas than whale watchers. And here in Washington and British Columbia, commercial operators have done a pretty good job so far regulating themselves, but clearly we all need to do more." The draft report of the NMFS Biological Review Team found the risk of an oil spill to be the most acute threat to the continued survival of the Southern Resident Community. "Commercial vessel traffic bound to ports in British Columbia and Washington State make the waters shared with the Southern Resident Community among the busiest in North America. The lack of strategically placed rescue tugs along the vessel traffic lanes, as is done in Prince William Sound since the spill, makes the likelihood of a catastrophic accident an inevitability in Washington," said Fred Felleman, MSc. of Orca Conservancy. "There are many forms of pollution. Noise is toxic if you make your living listening for your prey," said Mark Palmer of the Earth Island Institute. "If you’re an orca, ‘home security’ translates to an abundant food supply free from toxins and harassing sound. It should come as no surprise that the orca are following the fate of their primary prey, salmon, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. We need to ensure that salmon and their prey (herring, surf smelt and sand lance) are protected and their habitat restored if we want to create a secure home for the orcas. One of the States’ last great herring spawning grounds, Cherry Point, is still under assault and barriers to salmon such as the Elwha Dam need to be removed," said Stephanie Buffum, Executive Director of Friends of the San Juans. "Every person has an essential role to play in the recovery of these whales because every person is contributing to their decline. How we live and what we consume are impacts we can modify and control. Information on how to act and help these whales now can be found at www.saveorcawhales.org," concluded Will Anderson of Earth Island Institute’s Orca Recovery Campaign. The Conference was sponsored by
Participants included:
Press release from the Friends of the San Juans |
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