British broadcaster Jonny Meah assumes an attitude of natural
curiosity as he takes a close look at the question of whether
killer whales should be kept in tanks for public display.
In a video he produced and edited, Meah visits Marineland of
Antibes in the French Riviera, where he lays out the best case
possible for each side of the argument. “Inside the Tanks” is
Meah’s first-ever documentary production, and he is not afraid to
put himself in the middle of the debate, expressing his own
feelings as he weighs each side.
“I was inspired to make this documentary and tackle this debate,
despite it’s enormity, because I believe one way or another
something needs to be done,” Meah told the Bellingham-based
Lemonade magazine. “I truly believe that, in many cases, the
issue has become less about animals and more about personal hatred,
whether that’s towards an organization or a particular person; that
goes for both sides, too…
“I think previous pieces on the topic have been really, really
interesting, but I personally felt that there was a gap, and a need
in one of these pieces for a view from someone in support of
captivity as well. So that is where ‘Inside The Tanks’ comes
in.”
In an opinion piece written for
HuffPost, Matthew Spiegl, an advocate for whales and dolphins,
admires Meah’s approach at revealing his personal transformation as
he goes about discovering some common ground between “activist” and
“keeper.”
Spiegl also credits Jon Kershaw, zoological director at
Marineland Antibes. for his openness when commenting about the
realities of running a marine park.
“When Meah asks Mr. Kershaw a question about an unusual crease
in the dolphins’ necks (as pointed out by biologist Ingred Visser),
he acknowledges he had never thought about it being due to the
dolphins always looking up at the trainers and agrees that it is
the dolphin’s posture which likely causes the crease and that such
a posture is not something that would be seen in the wild.”
In March 2016, SeaWorld announced that it would no longer
perform captive breeding of killer whales, following an agreement
with the Humane Society of the U.S. (See
Water Ways, March 17, 2016). Six months later, California
outlawed the captive breeding of orcas. Last month, shortly after
“Inside the Tanks” was completed, the French government followed
suit by banning captive breeding. (The documentary makes a footnote
at the end, including a further comment from Kershaw.)
Meah says he looks forward to his first encounter with killer
whales in the wild, though he is not sure when that will happen,
and he hopes to continue his journalistic endeavors on the
subject.
Capt. Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society,
has condemned the Humane Society of the U.S. for forming an
alliance with SeaWorld, saying SeaWorld CEO Joel Manby “has found
his Judas,” and HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle “single-handedly put the
brakes on the movement inspired by Blackfish.” Read the full
commentary on
Sea Shepherd’s website.
—–
SeaWorld and the Humane Society of the U.S. are urging President
Obama to take a stronger stand against whaling by the Japanese
harpoon fleet, which recently returned to Japan with 333 dead minke
whales, all killed in the Antarctic.
Three dead minke whales were
hauled up on the deck of the Japanese whale-processing ship MV
Nisshin Maru in 2014 in the Antarctic.
Photo: Tim Watters, Sea Shepherd
Australia
“The United States is well-positioned to lead a comprehensive
effort to persuade Japan to abandon commercial whaling as an
anachronism that is imprudent, unnecessary for food security, cruel
and economically unsound,” states the
letter to Obama (PDF 464 kb), signed by Joel Manby, president
and CEO of SeaWorld, and Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of
HSUS.
Combining forces to oppose commercial hunting of marine mammals
throughout the world is one element of a negotiated agreement
between SeaWorld and HSUS. Of course, the most notable parts of
that agreement specified that SeaWorld would discontinue its
breeding program for killer whales and halt all theatrical
performances. See
Water Ways, March 17.
This year’s whale hunt in the Antarctic was endorsed by the
Japanese government, which considers dead whales to be lethal
samples of tissue collected during an annual “research” trip, which
ultimately puts whale meat on the commercial market.
The International Court of Justice ruled in 2014 that the whale
hunt, as carried out at that time, failed to meet scientific
standards. As a result, the Japanese government took a year off
from whaling, altered its plan and continued the whale hunt at the
end of last year going into this year. This time, Japanese
officials declared that they would no longer be subject to
international law on this issue, so a new lawsuit would be
meaningless.
Meanwhile, an expert panel of the International Whaling
Commission took a look at the new “research” plan and concluded
that Japan still had not shown how killing whales conforms to the
requirements of research, given options for nonlethal research. See
“Report
of the Expert Panel …”
Last week’s report by the Japanese Institute of Cetacean
Research said the whalers were able to obtain all 333 minke whales
proposed in the plan. It was the first time in seven years that the
full sampling was completed, because Sea Shepherd Conservation
Society was not there to interfere, according to the report on the New
Scientific Whale Research Program in the Antarctic Ocean.
Of the 333 whales, males numbered 103 and females 230. Of the
females, 76 percent were sexually mature, and 90 percent of the
mature females were pregnant, suggesting a healthy population of
minke whales, according to the report.
The letter from Manby and Pacelle acknowledged that the U.S.
government had joined with 30 nations in December to write a letter
voicing concerns about Japan’s decision to resume whaling. But the
Manby-Pacelle letter also complains that the U.S. has given up its
leadership role on the issue, ceding to New Zealand and Australia
for the legal battles.
“In the United Kingdom, in Latin America, and elsewhere, whale
welfare is high on the diplomatic agenda with Japan and other
whaling nations,” the letter states. “We believe that it is time
for the United States to re-assert itself as a champion for whales,
and to take a stronger hand in pressing Japan to relinquish
commercial whaling.”
Among the steps that should be considered, according to the
letter:
The U.S. delegation to the International Whaling Commission
should be empowered to threaten Japan with sanctions, though
details were not specified in the letter.
The U.S. government should include provisions against whaling
in international trade agreements.
Japan’s potential assets should be surveyed as a prelude to
invoking the Pelly Amendment to the Fisherman’s Protective Act of
1967. The amendment allows a ban on imports of fishing products
from a country that violates international fishery conservation
rules — including those of the IWC.
For readers interested in the SeaWorld issue, I should note that
Pacelle still vigorously defends his alliance with SeaWorld. In a
blog post announcing the anti-whaling letter, he adds further
explanations for his position.
Meanwhile, the successful Japanese whale hunt has motivated
environmental groups throughout the world to call on their national
governments to confront Japan directly, at least in diplomatic
circles.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which has confronted the
Japanese whaling ships on the high seas in years past, is
rethinking its plans for the future, according to Capt. Peter
Hammarstedt, chairman of Sea Shepherd Australia’s Board of
Directors.
“Sea Shepherd was handicapped by the new ICR strategy of
expanding their area of operations and reducing their quota,
meaning that the time to locate them within the expanded zone made
intervention extremely difficult with the ships that Sea Shepherd
is able to deploy,” Hammarstedt said in a
news release.
This past season was an opportunity for world governments to
find the resolve to uphold international conservation law, he said.
The Australian and New Zealand governments could have sent patrols
to protect declared sanctuaries, but they failed to do so, “and
this has served to illustrate that the only thing that has proven
effective against the illegal Japanese whaling fleet has been the
interventions by Sea Shepherd,” he added.
Jeff Hansen, Sea Shepherd Australia’s managing director, said
the Australian and New Zealand governments have offered false
promises.
“The majority of Australians wanted the Australian government to
send a vessel to oppose the slaughter,” Hansen said. “They did not.
Sea Shepherd requested that the Australian government release the
location of the whalers. They refused. Instead, the governments
responsible for protecting these magnificent creatures stood by, in
the complete knowledge that both federal and international crimes
were taking place. This empty response from authorities in the wake
of the ICJ ruling is a disgrace.”
Hammarstedt hinted that Sea Shepherd might be back later this
year when the Japanese ships take off for another season of
whaling.
“Sea Shepherd will soon have a fast long-range ship,” he said.
“More importantly, Sea Shepherd has something that the Australian
and New Zealand governments lack — and that is the courage, the
passion and the resolve to uphold the law.”
Naomi Rose, a marine mammal biologist who worked for the Humane
Society of the U.S. for more than 20 years, posted a blog saying
that it is alright for animals rights activists to celebrate a
victory, even though SeaWorld remains in operation. Naomi now
serves as an advocate for the Animal Welfare Institute. Her blog
and Facebook page is called From a Dolphin’s
Point of View:
“To anyone in an activist community with a clear adversary — a
corporation, a commercial industry, a societal norm… — sometimes
the battles become more important than the reason for them. It
becomes less about changing how things are and more about winning.
But I have to wonder sometimes: What does winning look like to
these activists? Is it only a victory when the adversary is utterly
crushed, with no survivors left on the battlefield? Do they win
only when the war is utterly over, with no more battles, even a
small skirmish, left to fight?
“For myself, as a marine mammal protection advocate who has been
actively working to end the captive display of cetaceans for over
20 years, I have never been interested in vanquishing my opponent
(the captive cetacean industry, of which SeaWorld is one of the
major corporations)….”
Read more…
—–
I was still half asleep this morning when a news report about
SeaWorld broke through my slumber. The voice on the radio beside my
bed was saying that SeaWorld would no longer breed killer whales
and that the company would follow through on its commitment to end
the arena shows that have attracted audiences for decades.
It was hard to believe this news after covering many years of
battle between SeaWorld and marine mammal advocates.
As I soon learned, SeaWorld and the Humane Society of the U.S.
had suddenly become unlikely partners in a planned campaign to:
End commercial whaling and the killing of seals, sharks and
other marine animals;
Protect coral reefs and end commercial collection of ornamental
fish; and
Promote sustainable seafood and naturally grown foods.
SeaWorld also plans to redouble its efforts to rescue and
rehabilitate marine creatures in distress, spending $50 million
over the next five years.
“Times have changed,” says a statement on
SeaWorld’s website, “and we are changing with them. The killer
whales currently in our care will be the last generation of killer
whales at SeaWorld. The company will end all orca breeding as of
today.”
It was such a major move by SeaWorld that nobody could ignore
it, although many animal-rights advocates could not forget that
SeaWorld is still holding captive animals and has made no promises
about dolphins and other marine mammals.
The SeaWorld statement includes this quote from Joel Manby,
SeaWorld’s new chief executive officer:
“SeaWorld has introduced more than 400 million guests to orcas,
and we are proud of our part in contributing to the human
understanding of these animals. We’ve helped make orcas among the
most beloved marine mammals on the planet. As society’s
understanding of orcas continues to change, SeaWorld is changing
with it. By making this the last generation of orcas in our care
and reimagining how guests will experience these beautiful animals,
we are fulfilling our mission of providing visitors to our parks
with experiences that matter.”
“The world is waking up to the needs of all animals, and the
smartest CEOs don’t resist the change. They hitch a ride on it and
harness the momentum.
“Joel Manby, SeaWorld’s CEO, is banking on the premise that the
American public will come to SeaWorld’s parks in larger numbers if
he joins our cause instead of resisting it, and if SeaWorld is a
change agent for the good of animals. He’s exactly right, and I
give him tremendous credit for his foresight….
“SeaWorld and The HSUS still have some disagreements. But we’ve
found an important set of issues to agree upon. The sunsetting of
orcas in captivity is a game changer for our movement, one that’s
been a long time coming, and one that is only possible because of
your advocacy and participation. I am immensely excited about this
announcement and I hope you are too.”
It may be a good step, but many advocacy groups say it is not
enough.
“This win is big … really big. SeaWorld has announced that it
will no longer breed orcas. This means that this generation of
orcas will be the last to suffer in SeaWorld’s tanks.
“PETA and caring people around the world have campaigned hard to
see this day. PETA’s celebrity supporters—including Kate del
Castillo, Jason Biggs, Jessica Biel, Bob Barker, Marisa Miller, and
Joanna Krupa—have all worked to expose the unnatural conditions and
untimely deaths of animals at SeaWorld. And actor Edie Falco voiced
our cutting-edge “I, Orca” project. People everywhere were outraged
after watching Blackfish, which exposed the miserable living
conditions for orcas at the theme park.
“Today comes the payoff. For decades, orcas, beluga whales,
seals, and many other animals have suffered in confinement at
SeaWorld. And while this decision is a step in the right direction,
to do right by the orcas now, SeaWorld must move these
long-suffering animals to ocean sanctuaries so that they may have
some semblance of a natural life outside their prison tanks. And we
must remember the other animals who will remain in captivity until
SeaWorld does right by all of them.”
“There has been a dramatic change in public attitudes about
capturing and holding whales and dolphins for captive
entertainment. Movies like Free Willy, The Cove, and Blackfish have
all had a tremendous impact. They have helped educate a generation
of people about how scientifically and ethically wrong it is for
whales and dolphin to be confined in captivity doing circus tricks.
People around the world are rightfully demanding change.
“SeaWorld’s attendance has dropped precipitously and
shareholders have pounded the stock price. Legislation and lawsuits
call for SeaWorld to reform. CEO Manby failed to mention two
lawsuits Earth Island has been supporting against SeaWorld’s
captive program. These lawsuits include our intervention to support
the California Coastal Commission ban on trade and breeding of
captive orcas, and a lawsuit contending that SeaWorld uses false
and deceptive advertising and unfair business practices by making
untrue claims about orcas in captivity.
“The company’s decision to stop orca breeding isn’t enough. More
change is needed. Their announcement does not end the threat that
SeaWorld and other captive facilities pose to dolphins and whales.
Dolphins, belugas, and orcas continue to be captured around the
world and are suffering in captivity.”
“It’s a long time coming but a fabulous announcement. It’s a
huge step in the right direction. It’s a responsible step into the
21st century; hopefully, it’s just the beginning of the pendulum
swinging that way.
“Survive and adapt to what the public wants and demands in the
21st century, or this business model no longer works and you are
out of business. They did not do this because it was the altruistic
thing to do. This was forced upon them by dedicated activists
raising the issue to where it became a global concern [that]
affected their bottom line, and they have to react.”
Howard Garrett,
Orca Network, in a story by Evan Bush, the Seattle Times:
“It’s very gratifying. It’s been 20 years we’ve been asking them
to do this, to phase out their captive killer-whale
circus-entertainment-business model. Finally they are. It makes me
feel like we’re on the right track, even when it looked
hopeless.
“We would like to see them actively investigate how to return
their captives on a case-by-case basis to a sea-pen rehabilitation
center where they can feel the ocean and regenerate their
strength.”
“Though it is long overdue in the face of overwhelming evidence
of harm to orcas in captivity and evolving public opinion, the
Animal Legal Defense Fund applauds SeaWorld for its historic
decision to phase out its inhumane captive orca program.
“Thanks to our hundreds of thousands of supporters, the Animal
Legal Defense Fund has been able to maintain immense legal pressure
on SeaWorld and other ‘entertainment’ providers, including circuses
and roadside zoos, who inhumanely confine animals and deprive them
of everything that is natural and important to them.
“SeaWorld’s historic announcement comes mere weeks before
Ringling’s final use of elephants in its traveling circus, and mere
weeks after Animal Legal Defense Fund intervened to ensure the
California Coastal Commission’s permit conditions are upheld, that
allow SeaWorld San Diego to expand only if it ends its captive
breeding program.”
“In my opinion, SeaWorld is not ending their breeding program;
the impending death of Tilikum is forcing them ending it. Tilikum
was their main supplier of sperm stock. We’re not taking SeaWorld
at face value, as historically they have proven they cannot be
trusted. Dolphin Project will continue to monitor and report on the
captive dolphins at their parks as we have been doing ever since
the day they opened.”
“This is a step forward but the present captive orcas will
continue to suffer for decades and they will continue to exploit
belugas and other dolphin species. They may well obtain other
cetaceans from the wild under the guise of ‘rescue’ and then claim
that they are unreleasable. That is how the aquarium and zoo
industry have gotten captives over the decades.
Further, there is a lot more to this cruel breeding issue. Sea
World must stop breeding belugas and other dolphin species.”
Killer whales are not people, so they cannot benefit from full
protections provided to humans under the U.S. Constitution.
That was essence of a ruling handed down yesterday by U.S.
District Judge Jeffrey Miller. The case was brought in the name of
five captive orcas by a group that includes People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals.
I had not planned to write about this case, because the outcome
seemed rather obvious. But I must take note of how seriously Miller
handled this constitutional claim. In a seven-page ruling, he
reviewed the history of the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery,
and found that it applies only to humans. The following is the
conclusion of the decision, the full text of which can be downloaded
by clicking here:
“Even though Plaintiffs lack standing to bring a Thirteenth
Amendment claim, that is not to say that animals have no legal
rights; as there are many state and federal statutes affording
redress to Plaintiffs, including, in some instances, criminal
statutes that ‘punish those who violate statutory duties that
protect animals.’ … While the goal of Next Friends in seeking to
protect the welfare of orcas is laudable, the Thirteenth Amendment
affords no relief to Plaintiffs.”
SeaWorld, which holds the five orcas, issued a statement noting
that the judge took little time to issue his ruling, which
“provides reassurance of the sanctity of the 13th Amendment and the
absurdity of PETA’s baseless lawsuit,” according to the statement
quoted by
Huffington Post reporter Joanna Zelman.
“There is no question that SeaWorld enslaves animals, even
though the judge in this case didn’t see the 13th Amendment as the
remedy to that. Women, children, and racial and ethnic minorities
were once denied fundamental constitutional rights that are now
self-evident, and that day will certainly come for the orcas and
all the other animals enslaved for human amusement.
“This historic first case for the orcas’ right to be free under
the 13th Amendment is one more step toward the inevitable day when
all animals will be free from enslavement for human entertainment.
Judge Miller’s opinion does not change the fact that the orcas who
once lived naturally, wild and free, are today kept as slaves by
SeaWorld. PETA will continue to pursue every available avenue to
fight for these animals.”
Morgan, the young orca rescued at sea and nursed back to health
in a Dutch marine park, will stay put in the Netherlands while an
Amsterdam judge considers her ultimate fate.
Killer whale activists around the world are thrilled that Morgan
will not be shipped this week to a marine park in the Canary
Islands of Spain, where she reportedly would become part of
SeaWorld’s corporate collection of captive orcas.
A judge in Amsterdam District Court ruled today that more
research should be done to determine whether Morgan should be set
free or stay in captivity. For now, the judge said, Morgan should
remain in Harderwijk Dolphinarium but be moved into a larger tank
with other marine mammals.
“This is a massive victory,” Wietse van der Werf of Orca
Coalition told a reporter outside the courtroom. (Read the story in
Stuff from New Zealand.) “This is the first time in history
that the export of an orca has been blocked by a judge. It exposes
the international trade among dolphinariums as a very lucrative
industry.”
The judge ruled that advocates in the case — including Orca
Coalition, Free Morgan and the dolphinarium — should work together
to find a common solution. Also the Agriculture Minister in
Holland, which last week issued a permit to move Morgan, must take
more responsibility in deciding the future of the whale and not
abdicate his decisions to the dolphinarium, according to the
judge.
A statement from Orca Coalition includes
this comment from van der Werf:
“Of course the fact that she now remains in the Dolphinarium for
the short term is not ideal and it is definitely not a solution.
But as she is temporarily moved to a larger tank and we continue to
fight for her freedom, this really is an important first step in
the right direction.
“It is clear that the judge saw a lot of dubious things in the
Dolphinarium’s plans, and his ruling now opens the door to the
possibilities of release. The decision today is definitely an
unprecendented one and puts a spanner in the works for the ongoing
lucrative and illegal trade in these magnificent animals.”
Moving Morgan to the larger tank will allow her to socialize
with dolphins that she has heard from a distance.
According to a report by Jason Garcia of the
Orlando Sentinel, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment was behind the
proposed move to Loro Parque on the Canary Island of Tenerife,
where five other SeaWorld-owned killer whales are on display. Many
killer whale advocates assert that SeaWorld is eager to obtain
Morgan for breeding purposes.
A plan
to release the whale (PDF 552 kb) was developed by a group of
killer whale supporters, including Ken Balcomb of the Center for
Whale Research and Robin Baird of Cascadia Research, both in Puget
Sound. The idea would be to place her in a good-sized sea pen,
where she would be trained to follow a boat and respond to acoustic
signals. Morgan could then be released with observers nearby to see
how she responds to other killer whales.
On the other side of the argument is a report
(PDF 1.6 mb) from seven killer whale experts who said Morgan
was not a good candidate for release, because:
She had already imprinted on humans and probably would approach
boats, which would create a hazard,
She may lack the appropriate hunting skills,
There may be a reason, psychologically or socially, that she
became separated from her pod, and
Returning her to her home region would be difficult challenge
because of rough winds and waters.
For background on this story, see my previous entries in
Water Ways:
I’m happy to share this space today with Kitsap Sun reporter
Steven Gardner, who offers his personal perspective on
orcas.
BY STEVEN GARDNER
Journalists received what might be deserved suspicion of being
haters of George W. Bush. If it’s true, I don’t think it’s for the
reason most people surmise, that we’re all socialists at heart
intent on killing every American Amendment that isn’t the first
one.
If we disliked Bush the younger, it had more to do with his
reported statement to Joe Biden that he doesn’t “do nuance.”
Reporters dance in nuance. We eat it. For the purposes of this
blog, let’s say we swim in it. When we retire, the hardest thing to
unload is all the “other hands” we’ve considered. Dunagan has a
file cabinet full of them. When Bush said he didn’t do nuance, it
was like he was insulting all our mothers.
Dabbling in nuance gives us room to partake in things we might
not otherwise do were we among those who take stands. In late 2007
I took my family to SeaWorld in San Diego. In my heart I’m really
troubled by the idea of watching animals that can travel entire
oceans confined to pools a little bigger than the one I had in my
backyard as a kid. But it was when I was a kid that my affection
for orcas began, because of a splashing I got from Shamu.
Growing up in Southern California, it was the only way I was
going to see orcas in person. As the years went on, I managed to
see probably a dozen dolphin shows. I don’t think I grew to have
any angst about it until I was working construction during a summer
off from college and was sent to a house in an exclusive
neighborhood in Laguna Beach. There, on a cliff overlooking the
Pacific Ocean, I could see a school of dolphins (Maybe they were
porpoises. I couldn’t swear under oath that they weren’t two-liter
soda bottles with fins.) swimming by beyond the waves.
It sounds cliche, but something can happen to a guy like me who
suddenly sees something in a different context, particularly a
natural context. Not only did it make me feel good about them, it
made me feel good about myself, that I live in a world where
animals can be in a place they’ve been for thousands or millions of
years, that we haven’t institutionalized all of them. It’s not a
thought that comes naturally when you spend most of your days
winding your way through asphalt and concrete.
That elation came again when I moved here and the Orcas visited
Silverdale. Then on Christmas Day in 2004 I was on a ferry to
Seattle and saw an orca off in the distance. That chance sighting
was better than the sure thing you get in San Diego.
Still, I thought maybe my kids would appreciate the SeaWorld
show. They did.
I, on the other hand, had much the same reaction Steve Lopez
from the Los Angeles Times did when he went.. I wouldn’t say
I was creeped out, but I was uneasy.
I expected a fun, maybe funny presentation. What you get is a
full-on, well-orchestrated production that clearly had been crafted
following the pressure that must have come once Free Willy was
released in theaters.
And yet months later, when another friend shared pictures of her
daughter being one of those who got to go out and touch the whale,
I was genuinely happy for her.
Of course the idea that she could have been yanked by her pony
tail into the water — something that has apparently never happened
in the wild — changes all that.
I’d rather see all those Shamus out in the wild. I would have
felt so relieved if SeaWorld officials would have said, “We get it
now.” On the other hand, maybe the Tacoma Pocket Gopher wouldn’t
have vanished in 1970 if someone had made money by teaching a few
of them to jump through hoops. On the other other hand, maybe these
animals should matter to me even if I never get to see them.
With our widespread affection for killer whales in the
Northwest, it is not easy to hear the news about the death of a
human who worked closely with these powerful and intelligent
animals.
If you haven’t heard, a veteran orca trainer at Seaworld
Orlando, 40-year-old Dawn Brancheau, was apparently petting the
whale, named Tillikum, when the incident occurred.
Witnesses told the
Orlando Sentinel that the whale grabbed Brancheau by the arm,
tossed her around in his mouth and pulled her under water during a
scheduled program about 2 p.m. today at Shamu Stadium.
Reporter Jason Garcia of the Orlando Sentinel described how
Tillikum, a 12,000- pound male known as “Tilly,” was considered a
dangerous whale. Only select trainers were allowed to handle him,
and nobody was allowed to swim with him.
Chuck Tompkins, in charge of animal behavior for SeaWorld Parks
& Entertainment, told Garcia that Tilikum worked well with
Brancheau. “He knew her, and he liked working with her,” Tompkins
was quoted as saying.
But many killer whale advocates were quick to argue that orcas
don’t belong in captivity and that their confinement in close
quarters can lead to psychological problems for the orcas.
The following are statements from OrcaNetwork of Washington
state and Lifeforce of British Columbia, followed by a couple of
opinion polls on this issue and links to the most informative news
reports. Continue reading →
