Whales Losing the Will to Live?

I came across this British article from 2008. Very disturbing and sad hypotheses, especially in light of the unconscionable actions (or lack of) by CITES recently.

From the Daily Mail...

The steeply declining number of whales in the world's oceans is causing the remaining creatures to suffer loneliness and 'lose the will the live', a leading expert has claimed.

The psychological impact of over-hunting on the highly intelligent and sociable animals has been identified as the latest threat to the survival of the species...

But now a French scientist has said the majestic mammals - which can reach 80ft in length and weigh the same as a passenger jet - could also suffer from heartbreak.
Paris naturalist Yves Paccalet said: 'It may be that these intelligent animals are so exhausted from their combat with humankind that they have simply have given up the fight.

'And the psychological consequences of our aggression have compromised their will to live.'

Seal Products Banned in Europe

Hooray! Thanks to Animal Rights Person for the heads up on this.

As of last Friday...

* EU nations agree to ban on seal products
* Ban would lead to trade clash with Norway and Canada
* Final approvals seen as a formality

Whaling Compromises Of Little Use

This sucks.

The packages, announced by IWC Chairman William Hogarth, would either phase out Japan's scientific whaling programme in the Southern Ocean in exchange for Japan being allowed to take a unspecified number of Minke whales off its own coast in the North Pacific or would allow Japan's scientific whaling programme to continue in the Southern Ocean if it adheres to annual limits set by the IWC's Scientific Committee.

What about Norway and Iceland? Nada. And they flagrantly continue killing.

Iceland recently announced a quota of 100 fin whales - an endangered species - which is a dramatic increase its original self-assigned quota of nine.

They also almost doubled their quota of Minke whales. "

Battle for Control of the Arctic Looms

WONK ALERT! The Arctic, and foreign claims to it, are discussed in this dense piece by globalsecurity.org. It will probably make your head spin. Suffice to say that untapped oil reserves are at stake. AND the Arctic is getting even more accessible due to global warming (knew it would be good for something!) Canada, Russia, the US, Denmark [via Greenland] and Norway want a piece of it.

Will control of the Arctic become another national security issue? And how will this new "cold war" affect the wildlife there? Will they become just another resource to exploit (even more so than now?)

Stay tuned and stay aware.

By the Way, Norway is Killing Whales Too

With all the attention on the Japanese whale hunt, we forget about Norway, their partner in crime. This Nordic country is also doing its part to keep the oceans safe and sound from an exploding whale population.

Norway on Thursday authorised its whalers to harpoon 1,052 whales in the 2008 season, the same number as last year when whalers only caught half their quota.

"The quota is within an interval that researchers believe provides satisfactory security in regards to protecting the minke whale stocks," the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs said in a statement.

Apart from Iceland, Norway is the only country to authorise commercial whaling despite an international ban in place since 1986.

Japan also allows whaling, but in accordance with a loophole in the global whaling moratorium claims the culls are for research purposes only.

Norway has significantly increased its quotas in recent years, arguing that stocks of minke whales are abundant in the North Atlantic. However, whalers have consistently failed to meet their quotas since 2001.

Photo by Tor Lundgren.