The gray whale or Eschrichtius robustus is one of the balleen whales that feeds on plankton it sieves through the balleen plates embedded in its jaw. There were three large populations of gray whales, but the North Atlantic gray whales were assumed to have been hunted to extinction in the 18th century, while the American population is fairly healthy, the Asian gray whales of the North Pacific are endangered. The gray is famous in particular for its extensive annual migration, the longest migration of any whale, and one of the world's longest migrations of any species in yearly round trip of 15,000-20,000 kilometers.

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Remains of a Humpback

Oh, Barack.

You know I love you. You know I cried both when you were elected and when you were sworn in. You know I defend you to my entire conservative family and my conservative friends, and that I appreciate the things you’ve done—over 100—that you did promise to do when office.

And as your supporter, I also forgive you when you forget promises that you made. But when your forget, I’d like you to please listen to us when we try to help you remember. For example, you promised to save whales and to not allow commercial whaling to happen when you were campaigning. Animal activists were so thrilled—I remember you even trying vegan food during your campaign, actually.

But now something has gone wrong. Your new position seems to be in support of commercial whaling, and of the Japanese methods of cruel whale killing as well. Please say it isn’t so!

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I recently ran across a constellation of articles online about something I've been thinking about for a while now.  Seafood is the only commercial food which is primarily wild caught.  Can you imagine if the beef industry's attention were turned to wild buffalo, or to herds of elk or white tailed deer?  They wouldn't last long out there, would they?  And it would be completely unreasonable to expect the wilderness to sustain our appetite.

And yet, that's pretty much what we're doing with seafood.  Commercial fisheries are collapsing left and right, and each time a domino falls, the effect is felt throughout the entire food chain.  How long before the food chain in the oceans collapses completely?


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Stranded Whale
One of the greatest things about living in the Pacific Northwest are the whales. Unfortunately, 5 gray whales have been found stranded on beaches this month alone. While the number sounds high, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has stated that 5-7 stranded whales are about average during the period of northern migration.


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Returning from a weekend sailing trip, Diana Lind spotted two grey whales near the Ballard Locks Sunday afternoon. If you watch the video, you'll see both whales spouting. Notice the absence of a dorsal fin, suggesting that these are gray whales, and not orcas.

Orcas are Eating Chinook Salmon

Killer whales and Chinook Salmon are both protected species because of their dwindling numbers, but Pacific Northwest killer Orca whales are focusing their palates on the Chinook Salmon, making the recovery process for both animals more than a little interesting.

There are approximately 90 Killer Whales in the region who travel along the coast of the Pacific Northwest of the United States and southern Canada. If you have had the chance to travel in the San Juans of the United States and see them from the ferry, you know that the Orcas are not small- the killer whales weigh in at 6,000-12,000 pounds. The whales are not what I would call light eaters either- they eat “up to 300 pounds of fish a day”.  


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A new bill was introduced in the Senate on Monday aimed at protecting whales, many of which are severely endangered, from further exploitation and hunting. The bill would reinforce the United State's commitment to the whaling ban of 1986 by the IWC (International Whaling Commission) as well as provide for research into whale habitats in order to find ways to better protect whales and end the harassment and slaughter of these magnificent animals that occur every year.

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The CoveThe Hump, a high-end Los Angeles sushi restaurant, is now being investigated for illegally serving whale meat to their upscale clientele as a result of a stealthy “investigation” by Mr. Hambleton, who just won an Academy Award for the documentary, “The Cove”.

According to the NYT, Mr. Hambleton fashioned a small-camera and was able to obtain footage of two vegans in the sushi restaurant ordering and being served “thick pink slices” of what the waitress called “whale”. The two vegans then acted squeamish, which they probably were, and shoved the mystery meat into a zip-lock bag in a purse.


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Courtesy of Averette at en.wikipediaWith the recent death of a Sea World trainer in Orlando, Florida the plight of marine mammals in captivity has been brought to light once again and it is important to remember that, while the death of the 40 year old trainer, was rather unfortunate, we must remember that it is the Orcas that are the true victims along with other marine mammals held in captivity.

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When we experience progress firsthand, don’t you get so excited? I remember when Taco Bell started paying its tomato pickers fair wages and I was so excited to get a quesadilla from The Bell again! From the Global Gag Rule to passing endangered species laws to getting harmful chemicals banned, we will certainly take what we can get and celebrate every step forward.

It’s the steps backward that make us outraged.

In a move that Greenpeace simply describes as “baffling,” the International Whaling Commission—scratch that, not the entire Commission itself, but a teeny tiny group within the group—is trying to save the whales by reinstating commercial whaling.

That’s like getting people to lose weight by offering them all-you-can-eat buffets every day.

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