Whales and porpoises need our help. Congress, federal judges and/or Bush Administration must act NOW!!

US Navy testing sonar in Pacific with nearby whales

While Congress has been twiddling its thumbs worrying about flag burning, estate tax elimination (as if the country and those of us who don't even know what an "estate" might be weren't going broke fast enough) and gay marriage bans, etc. (all for political points come November), the whales, porpoises and dolphins ... and other species of mammals and ocean-living creatures are being KILLED by foolish and unnecessary sonar testing.

I've already mentioned the NRDC in a previous posting and try to stay away from hawking any organization on this blog, but please write anyone and everyone about this serious situation. It happens that the NRDC is (in my opinion) the best organization involved in this fight ... to the death!

And we win a few. Just this month, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco did a little bit towards alleviating the problem by adding new safeguards to the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) military exercises already underway (this week and next) that utilizes whale-killing sonar. Basically, all this "settlement" will do though is set boundaries on the use of the sonar and require more thorough monitoring of mammals in the areas wherein the testing takes place.

Still, it's a step in the right direction.

But the US Navy needs top-down directions that will curtail its mid-frequency sonar during such huge multi-ship exercises. The whales and other mammals are "attacked" without warning and literally KILLED!!! Killed silently and cruelly ...

The Navy is now required (at least during the RIMPAC exercise) to watch for the mammals (three observers on each ship) monitoring and reporting detection of any marine animal to the appropriate watch station for what we can only hope is appropriate action -- like "keep sonar out of this area!"

The sad end of the sea mammals seems imminent nonetheless and the sight of a beached whale or a dead porpoise -- killed by sonar -- is not pretty.

We share this planet with the animals -- sea mammals included -- and must be very careful as new technologies that allow us to kill each other (other humans, that is) doesn't spill over into the killing of innocent "civilian" sea mammals.


Bowhead Whale with two Beluga Whales enjoying life in their God-given "home"