U.S. Admits Seismic Studies "Harass" Endangered Cetaceans

Adelaide, Australia - 02 July 2000: While representatives of some 40 nations debate the decades old requests by traditional whaling cultures to harvest minimal numbers of plentiful whales to feed their people, the United States, long opposed to allowing these cultures to maintain their ethnically important practices, admits seismic tests designed to study the drinking water for its people in Southern California harasses endangered blue whales and other cetacean species.

The U.S. National Marine Fishery Service (NMFS) approved plans by the U.S. Geological Survey to conduct seismic testing for a three-week period this summer to determine the source of salt water leaking into the freshwater supplies for Los Angeles and the San Pedro areas in Southern California as well as help predict hazards presented by earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. around the nearby underwater faults. Both agencies acknowledged that the tests would harass "up to 50 blue whales, 5 killer whales, 10 minke whales, 10 sea otters, 50 humpback whales, 50 northern sea lions, 100 northern fur seals, 100 northern elephant seals, 100 Dall's porpoise, 100 Risso's dolphins, 100 northern right-whale dolphins, 100-200 Pacific white-sided dolphins, 100 bottlenosed dolphins, 200 California sea lions, 200 Pacific harbor seals, and 10,000-12,000 common dolphins."

Under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act "harassment" is defined as any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance which (a) has the potential to injure a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild; or (b) has the potential to disturb a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by causing disruption of behavioral patterns, including, but not limited to, migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering.

"While these agencies predict that their seismic tests will kill or injure any blue whales, the fact remains that they are willing to take the risk that their actions to protect their people’s water supply may well harm and harass a great number of a species acknowledged throughout the world as endangered," said Eugene Lapointe, president of IWMC – World Conservation Trust. "Such behavior coupled with the U.S.’s arrogant refusal to allow whaling cultures to take very limited numbers of whales whose populations range in the millions is not only insulting and arrogant, but it would not be tolerated by the U.S. if that country was to be told it could not protect the welfare of its own people."

"We urge the United States and IWC to be consistent in its decision-making and either grant the whaling cultures the minimal quotas they seek to feed their people or deny the U.S. and other countries their right to harass cetaceans in the name of protection their citizens," said Lapointe.�