A bottlenose dolphin, with an S-shaped spinal deformity, is seen here rubbing against a sperm whale. Photograph courtesy Alexander Wilson and Aquatic Mammals

Recently an article written by Linda Poon, of the National Geographic news, covered what has been a rare interspecies event between a deformed bottle-nosed dolphin and sperm whales off the coast of the Azores.

Reading through the article, it was interesting the theories, ideas and thoughts expressed by biologists and behavioral “greats” about whales. I say this because there was too much significance placed into the idea that interspecies events such as these are rare in a marine setting, that there was more emphasis on “why” rather than noting the event and recognizing that cetaceans are social, caring and self-aware.

Mind you, none of these “specialists” have the ability to communicate directly with these creatures, yet they have lots of opinions about it! In a completely different area yet similar, as an artist, I have experienced business executives working with me on a creative project. They may know nothing about art, but they certainly have many opinions about it!

What Do We Really Know About Whales?

In the hundred years or so that we have begun studying cetaceans, one thing has been determined. Cetaceans are self-aware. They also have pods and social hierarchies. Their brains are much larger than ours and they can perform feats we can only dream of or resolve same by creating machines to do what they do naturally.

So when researchers start guessing about what is happening when viewing such an event, most ignore that maybe, just maybe, these creatures have feelings and emotions. That does not mean anthropomorphic emotions (human emotions) but emotions just the same. And since they have emotions, these emotions are the result of a reasoning and cognitive mind.

That area has gone by the wayside, and the assumptions are things like “no threat”. Or its deformed shape forced it to align with the whale pod. Did anyone see this occur? Well no… but there are a lot of people who accept these opinions because the person making the statement “has spent years watching and tracking these animals.”

Hmmmmmm….I guess it makes for news, possibly a good story. But does the story consider the idea that creatures do come together in times of need. Why is that so hard to consider? Maybe because it then places responsibility on those in high places to question the right to hunt, kill or display cetaceans – in other words profit from them. And what was more interesting was a video that went viral about two years ago. In seaquarium, suddenly a dolphin blew a bubble in the shape of a perfect smoke ring! And it was done repeatedly! The news picked it up, everyone said “wow!”.

Now, I ask you, could you do that? Takes some intelligence. Then a behavioralist was consulted and the comment was “a learned behavior”.

Duh, ya think?

I was down in Baja, California with gray whales. In a small boat, I witnessed a forty-ton female lift its newborn toward the boat to be touched by humans. Now what does a behavioralist have to say about that?

What do you think?

This time, however, the annual hunt masked as scientific discovery, is controversial for another reason. It is even drawing criticism inside Japan. The reason for this is around $30 million USD worth of funding that has come not just from the government, but directly from a fund set aside to help rebuild the economy in the area of eastern Tohoku wrecked by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Whaling has always been a controversial outside of Japan, but has barely made an impact inside the country. This year, the task of the Japanese whaling fleet is to kill 900 minke whales and 50 fin whales. The iron and mercury rich meat will find its way into some supermarkets, where it will be bought by few people or in some restaurants, where again, it will be an occasional dish. Most of it is destined to be frozen and stored, like with the whale meat from previous kills. For the Japanese government, this is a twisted piece of principle. The principle of not being told what to do by outsiders and of continuing an old tradition, forced on the country by food shortages, and disregarding increases in technology that turn the killing of a few whales close to the shore, to a mass, industrial killing spree anywhere in the Pacific.

This year, even the Japanese are complaining.

An Abuse of Funds

The Japanese government have always poured funds into the whaling project. If it was not for government largesse, the project would fail. Now Greenpeace have reported that the whaling project is receiving funding from money set aside to help Tohoku overcome the devastation of the March, 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The amount is thought to be 12.1 trillion yen, which works out at about $30 million US dollars or £19 million. This money comes technically from the Japanese Fisheries Agency, which regularly funds operations of this kind, but the agency lobbied central government for a slice of the Tohoku relief fund.

Junichi Sato

Japan’s fisheries agency argued that the funding would actually help the local communities, who rely on whaling for their income. Junichi Sato, however, has argued that the whaling programme and the tsunami recovery effort are totally unrelated. He told Australia’s ABC that the money would be used “to cover the debts of the whaling programme.” Sato says this is because “the whaling programme itself has been suffering from big financial problems.”

A New Tactic

Last season the Sea Shephard team were able disrupt whaling efforts to such an extent that Japan abandoned its effort before completing it. This year both the New Zealand and the Australia governments have lodged formal complaints against Japan for their determination to kill whales again. Naturally, these protests will fall on deaf ears. Australia have decided to take  things further by taking legal action through the International Court of Justice, though whether this would have anything other than a moral victory is moot. Turning the southern Pacific into a protected nature  reserve would have more of an impact, as would serious attempts to limit Japan’s ability to plunder fish such as tuna from across the world through international fish markets.

As for Greenpeace and the Sea Sheppard team, this is a new year with a new tactic. The plan is simple, stop Japan killing any whales. As Ecorazzi have reported, the Sea Sheppard Conservation Society (SSCS) have added a fourth, mysterious ship to their fleet. Known as Sam Simon, the ship is being kept under wraps until Operation Zero Tolerance gets underway in the Southern Ocean this year. The fleet will contain four ships, a helicopter, three drones and eight small RIBs. These will be staffed and aided by over a hundred volunteers from around the world. This includes Paul Watson, who is being sought by Interpol for skipping bail in Germany after a dubious legal action by Costa Rica, which came a matter of months or even weeks after a round of funding from Japan.

For the SSCS, maintaining a high quality fleet and effectively side stepping Japanese attempts to track and control them is vitally important. As the sinking of the Ady Gil demonstrated in the past, maintaining a fleet and complying with ship insurance regulations is difficult for organizations like the SSCS and it is important to do things in the right way. Luckily the society have friends in high places, as shown by the names on the boats such as The Simpsons’ Sam Simon and also Bob Barker. This risk, however, will be increased due to the society’s attempt to cut the whaling fleet off closer to the Japanese mainland. This risks incidents involving the Japanese navy and maybe even legal action in Japan if they stray into Japanese waters and are arrested. The one hope is that it will cut down the number of whales killed or maybe even stop it altogether.

The Kimberley is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is in the northern part of Western Australia, bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami Deserts, and on the east by the Northern Territory.

We are trying to stop the mass industrialization of one of the rarest environments on Earth – the magnificent Kimberley, Australia – nursery and breeding grounds for Humpback Whales

Its pristine coast is home to the largest population of Humpback whales in the world – over 33,000 return each year to mate or give birth to the next generation of whales.

The largest protected areas are the Prince Regent Nature Reserve and the Drysdale River National Park along with Gregory National Park and Keep River National Park across in the Northern Territory which preserve similar habitats, (and indeed Keep River’s nearest town is Kununurra in the Kimberley).

The problem is, though, that while the land is being protected, the oceans surrounding Kimberly are not and neither are the whales.

Mother and child - they are safe now, but their habitat is soon to be taken over by big business. It's an old story and all about profit.

Unfortunately this is where big business and big profits are concerned. The Australian government is planning a mega gas hub which will send 50 supertankers each week right through the middle of the nursery. Mothers and their children will not survive, simply because there have been no measures taken to care for these magnificent, sentient and gentle beings.

For those who care, we have set up an online petition trying to let people know about this catastrophic situation and to ask for support to get the information out around that world with the goal to make the Aust government accountable. That is Step One. Step Two is to not allow the industrialisation of this magic marine wonderland. Also home to turtles, whalesharks, dugongs and dolphins as well as some of the best and last great coral reefs in the world.

The Kimberly is a magical place and now earmarked for destruction.

Hear our  SOS: Sign the petition link and pass this knowledge on to your wonderful friends.

We cannot allow the death of any whales let alone the destuction of the pod globally. Ignoring this is ignoring our own demise on the frail and tiny blue planet. We are the conservators of this planet. When we stop caring, what happens next, happens to us all.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/47/please-save-the-kimberley-and-the-whales/

A 1200 year tradition of killing. How long will we continue to look on and then look the other way?

You might think a comment like that came from the days when Rome sent Christians to their deaths in the arena.

A tradition that has occurred for over 1200 years?

It appears that the tradition is also tied into the rite of a young boy becoming a man.

The seas run red with blood as they calmly count the dead.

Isn’t it time that we care about our actions and actually become stewards of this tiny, frail, blue planet?

In a recent press release posted by JiJi Press, the Japanese Whaling fleet returned back from the Southern Atlantic Ocean with a total of 267 dead whales. Of those caught and killed, 172 whales were pregnant.

When you think of it, it is at best an outrage. Japan’s press release was that it was a “successful catch,” when in truth, whale meat is being stockpiled for people who eat it only as a luxury. The fact is, less than 2% of the Japan’s population eat whale meat.

Although the Sea Shepherd and its dedicated crew held the Japanese back from the 900 whale quota, in actuality what was taken from the sea was a future for the whales. It may have seemed like a great victory to that brave crew (and it was!), but the taste of victory is soured when one realizes one hundred and seventy-two additional lives were taken.

Whale hotdogs being sold in Japan

Projecting the creation of whales over time, in the next seventy-five years more than one hundred thousand future whales have just been eliminated! Japan continues to laugh in the face of the world, quoting historical and traditional right, when honestly that robotic paradigm has changed. Ask their children who don’t eat whale meat, unless of course it is colored, flavored and made to look like a hotdog, only to find it pushed off into unwitting school lunches! I don’t consider myself an activist.

But doesn’t it seem horrid that the Japanese report that their counts of whale populations show them on the increase, while at the same time, two thirds of their catch has just eliminated future populations? It just reeks of a grisly crime especially when another country in the world, Switzerland, has banned the captivity of their smaller relatives – dolphins – based on the realization that these creatures are self aware and sentient. Do you know of any other race that kills pregnant and sentient creatures?

Although a great family movie, the Big Miracle misses the big picture.

Although for some it is very old news, I saw the film “Big Miracle”, based on a true life story about three endangered Pacific Grey Whales trapped in Alaska and the rescue efforts to save them. The unfortunate thing is that the real message was watered down and overlooked!

As is usual with scriptwriters, the story was “much to do with Hollywood” and altered from the real story. The movie, although moving and portraying the mindsets of the people and cultures affected by the “whales plight”, did touch but touch upon the realities of current Inupiat life and the lust for power by oil barons.

The only ones not really represented or understood were the ones the story was really all about – whales!

A couple of points: Greenpeace, although a voice for animals and the environment, does not always look for a balance or should I say, presents a workable ideal that we are stewards of this tiny blue planet. Make no doubt about it that Greenpeace as a group does care about the fate of this planet and all that live here. However there is too much time spent in verbal rhetoric making others wrong for their actions. A better example is the “Born Free Foundation”, where in India, farmers are taught to grow plants that elephants don’t eat. It is an educational point of view and also allows Man and elephant to coexist.

As far as oil goes, the first thing to acknowledge is that there is no real oil shortage and has never been. Alternative fuel has probably already been discovered but never allowed into the world market, simply because the individuals at the top are now into the game of controlling masses of people. Recent oil prices rise purely on speculation and the consumer is completely at the mercy of these corporations, simply because our governments sit idly by while their own pockets are fattened.

Where the Inupiats are concerned, however, there were interesting comments made about whales which I wish to elaborate on:

The Paradigm of Inupiats Being an Indigienous Race has Changed

This picture was taken of an Inuit family over fifty years ago

Completely understood is the fact that these indigenous people have in the past relied on the ocean for food, which includes whaling. However that paradigm has changed with the introduction of oil companies who pay all the Inupiats money to drill on their lands.

A comment made in the movie by an Inupiat, was that not always would the Inuits have the money that came in monthly for the oil on their land. What would they do after there was no more money?

O.K., let me think with this. You get a lot of money and spend it on televisions, cell phones, CD’s and modern conveniences. What about figuring out how to sustain yourself in a harsh environment? Certainly some research and work to be done there. But no research or organizations exits to solve this problem or even work out a solution. Instead, the Inupiats sit back and take their money, just like unemployment. The cries to save the culture, although great for PR, misses the real change and the honest truth.

Although the original story takes place in Point Barrow, Alaska, this is what you see in ALaska now and how Inupiat and Inuits live. Do you see any igloos?

As I said, money received from the oil corporations buys food, televisions, cell phones, clothing and heaters. But also bought are luxuries and lifestyles that no longer look like igloos. Diets have changed and the ritual of killing whales have slowly diminished to the point that the older generation fights to keep the ritual alive, while the culture is adapting to watching “American Idol” or listening to the latest rock group. And the youth eagerly accept this change! The realities of a harsh environment exist still, but no longer is the horizon dotted with igloos, but homes with satellite dishes and modern heating, only to name a few modern conveniences.

So as Aretha Franklin sang her song, I say it here: “Who’s zooming who?”

How Do You Take Care of a Garden Called the Sea?

There was a comment made about the sea being the Inupiat’s “garden”. But what was more interesting was the fact that in my concept of “gardening”, one not only removes the fruits and vegetables that are a result of his labors, but plants new seeds and cares for the earth. At no time did I hear or see anything being done to protect the ocean or nurture life within the ocean. Truth be told, Inupiats are just as bad as the oil companies, simply because this planet is viewed as a resource where things are taken and never replaced. Neither cry at the present is for survival, simply because the paradigm of surviving Life has changed.

What also amazed me was that in the entire story, though focused around saving endangered grey whales, no one really noticed the sentience of the whales – minds like ours that had reasoning capabilities and intelligence to match. Since no one up there in Alaska knew how to talk to whales, how did the whales know to follow the trail of open holes to the open sea? I did not see any Sea World trainer jumping in the water and blowing their whistle, or clicking their behavioral clicker to get the whales to follow orders!

This is where Hollywood, oil corporations and the government closed their eyes and looked the other way. Yes, we did help save some whales and it was great PR for the Reagan Administration, the oil companies, Greenpeace, the Inupiats and the Russians, but the real message was missed – that we are dealing with a sentient species!

Endangered Whales: A Sentient Species?

A Pacific Gray Whale looking at you. Yes, he is looking at you!

It is that idea which I wish to focus upon. These creatures are sentient. Whales are aware. And because whales do not have two legs and two arms, whales and their cetacean species (dolphins, beluga and Killer Whales) have been deemed as food or a nuisance to Man, or worse – captured and held prisoner to groups that profit from them. The truth is, to consider whales as beings would mean a loss of income to circuses and oil companies, to fisherman and government, simply because the viewpoint of all of the above is that this planet has always been ours for the taking and for the consuming. We would call that an inconvenient truth.

Remember also that there is nothing in the definition of “resources” that says anything about replacing.

The truth is that as Man grows, his responsibility to this planet grows, whether he likes it or not. And it is also recognizing that while our knowledge and technology increases, we have to become more and more aware of other species of creatures on this planet who have existed far longer than ourselves. Surely those creatures have a right, just as we do, to live without fear and without loss of life.

It will be a great day for us all, when we embrace this planet as stewards, but also in accepting that responsibility, grant the right to live not only to ourselves but to all living things.

I don’t usually post other people’s blogs, but if you are living in the L.A. area, take a ride to the Santa Monica pier and join in the festivities:

On February 18th and 19th our aquarium under the Santa Monica Pier will be hosting “A Whale of a Weekend,” celebrating the annual gray whale migration along our coast. The Aquarium will provide a wildlife observation station stocked with binoculars and field guides, giving visitors the opportunity to search for whales and other local wildlife. American Cetacean Society/Whale Watch representatives will staff the observation station and can address questions about these gentle giants. Inside the Aquarium, guests can make a variety of whale related arts and crafts. They will have the opportunity to earn more interesting facts about these migratory mammals through story time, film screenings and fun, interactive presentations for all ages. Learn more at http://www.healthebay.org/event/whale-weekend-day-1

Justice is really blind, now that a U.S. Federal Court Judge, Richard A. Jones, is willing to listen to a frivilous lawsuit filed by the Japanese to stop the Sea Shepherd from its activities to hinder the Japanese from their so called "scientific research".

In a recent Associated Press release, The Tokyo-based Institute of Cetacean (Whale) Research along with a few other countries are seeking to get a U.S. federal court to order the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to cease disrupting its whaling activities in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica.

What is amazing to me that a U.S. federal judge is willing to hear Japan’s whaling argument or even allow it into the federal court system. Why? Consider the fact that our own President was supposed to take the side of anti-whaling, based on his initial campaign promises.

But, as we have seen, no sanctions – other than a letter – have been written and authorized by the President – and sent to the Faroe Islands, which somehow is supposed to tell them to “stop whaling”.

It is kind of like the recent spy plane recovery. A several trillion dollar spy plane is downed in Iran. Instead of destroying or recovering it, Obama felt that we could just get it back by asking for it. Well, it will be returned – in pieces!

This is the kind of back bone we have in Washington, unfortunately. Even the recent “balancing the budget”, Obama chose to point the finger at the Republicans. Isn’t he the President of us all? What happened to the phrase “the buck stops here!”?

It looks like the same game is being played at a lower level. No one has the chutzpah to make a decision. Rather a U.S. federal court is willing to spend taxpayer dollars on an issue which is actually frivolous.

If the judge had any sense or kept up with the news, rather than sitting in an ivory tower, and made himself aware of the smokescreen and glass marketing, he might just throw it out.

"Gee, I wonder if the judge will miss the facts..."

Politics make strange bedfellows, I think. Bedfellows prompted by the almighty dollar and the debts owed to Japan. Common sense and the rightness of things get put by the wayside as a result.

What are the lies that are being masked regarding Japan, whaling and whales?

Well, one is that “Japan says the hunt is a scientific exemption from an international moratorium on commercial whaling. The government says the research is needed to provide data on whale populations so that the international ban can be re-examined and lifted based on scientific studies.”

So, you need to tell that you need 900 dead whales to figure that out?

Why does anyone need such a large sampling of dead whales (900 to be exact or roughly 3,000 tons of whale meat), given today’s technology?

Here’s another point: anyone who is a student of the Internet, can read Japan’s English translations of their own newspapers. They admit that the research is just a ruse – in their own newspapers! They even say that the meat is sold by the Institute to help cover its “research costs” And to top it all off, staff writers for JAPAN TODAY even comment at the stupidity of the U.S.!

The other fact is that less than 3% of the Japanese population eat whale meat. It is not a staple of any Japanese diet, save a few people who have survived the last World War. The truth is that thousands of tons of frozen whale meat is stockpiled and unused in Japan.

The other fact is that Japan is hunting in a sanctuary. They have also depleted and emptied their own seas of fish and whales.

They have been caught bribing Russian officials, and they have been caught bribing their own officials. And when publicly caught by Japanese whistleblowers, the whistleblowers were put in jail and charged with treason! They provide their own official counts and records, but without independent verification.

On a side note, remember the millions of dollars of foreign aid that went to Japan for the homeless? That money never got to the homeless, but went into the pockets of Japanese officals.

Japan has even tried turning whale meat into hotdogs and flavored hamburgers to feed to unsuspecting school children.

A harpooned Minsk Whale being collected "for research" by the Japanese

On February 6^th, U.S. District Court Judge Richard A. Jones is scheduled to hear the arguments, when in fact the case should not even be allowed into our court system and paid for by you and me.

What I would suggest is that you write the judge and tell him that he needs to wake up and not waste everyone’s time and money. That he should throw out the case simply based on the fact that it is already known that Japan laughs at us for our own blind sense of justice, while being completely willing to cut our legs off where we stand, thinking that they are a fair and honest people.

Think of the recent meltdown and the lies to its own people.

Think of the movie, “The Cove”

Think of the worst pollution – air and sea – disaster in Japan.

So what do you think…and what are you going to do about it?

Although I usually write about the less aggressive whales, I by no means wish to forget Killer Whales and the ongoing saga with Sea World.

You see, Killer Whales are big business. People are drawn to intrigue and horror stories. And “Killer Whales” always draw a crowd, especially when “killers” can be shown to be playful, docile and controlled.

At least that is what you are led to believe.

But to understand it a bit more clearly, you need to separate out a couple of ideas. Ideas that confuse the issue, simply because words can border on sensational, and thus draw crowds. Crowds that pay money to see “killers”.

Killer whale jumping out of the blue water (Orcinus orca)

You see, the word “killer” usually brings into one’s mind a sinister thing, an evil thing. And from years ago, “killer” whales, were actually just that – whales that eat other whales. Recent events now show that these whales even eat sting rays and great white sharks.

The truth is, these whales are at the top of their food chain, just like we are. They eat other animals.

However, when any animal, including man, is caged and corralled, behaviors change. Men become violent. Well, so do whales, especially whales that are predators. Just like men, given the chance, they will turn against their keepers.

Tilikum is one such “killer” whale.

How would you express your rage at captivity, left to be in a room the size of a living room for the rest of your natural life?

As it turns out, Tilikum has killed two other people. But remember one thing – there are no records of wild orcas hunting and killing man in open waters. The behavior changed when forced these mammals were forced into a small enclosure.

Sea World has 25 of the 42 whales that exist in large-scale aquariums. And right now there is a move to remove trainers from being in the water with any orca. The interesting thing is that Sea World is attempting to stop this lawsuit by OSHA.

They are trying to prove that these animals can be “controlled” when the point is that having human trainers riding them are what visitors come to see every year, paying millions of dollars in entry fees and paraphernalia.

Does Sea World really care about the safety of their trainers…really?

The spark of sanity that may occur is that OSHA could win this case, denying trainers to be in the water with orcas.

People will no longer be drawn to the shows where trainers are thrown into the air, hug and ride whales.

The excitement will go.

And so will visitor attendance.

If OSHA wins their case, it means one step closer to freedom for these magnificent beings.