West Coast Whale Entanglements Hit Record
High
New data reveals that a record number of whales
were entangled in fishing gear off the West Coast last year -- and the rate of
entanglements this year is increasing. That's why on Tuesday the Center
for Biological Diversity and Earthjustice urged California fishery managers to
institute broad, lifesaving reforms for whales and other marine
mammals.The new numbers from the National Marine Fisheries Service show 30 reports of whale entanglements in 2014, most of them gray or humpback whales caught in lines connected to crab pots. That's twice as many as in 2013. In 2015 there have been 25 reports of whale entanglements in California alone, including one involving a killer whale that washed up dead near Fort Bragg.
"It's heartbreaking to know that so many whales are getting tangled up in fishing gear," said the Center's Catherine Kilduff. "They often drown or drag gear around until they're too exhausted to feed. Even more disturbing is that this problem is only getting worse. We're calling on the state to manage this fishery to protect whales."
Read more in the Los Angeles Times.
SeaWorld San Diego has been cited for allegedly failing to train workers to safely interact with its killer whales.
U-T San Diego (http://lat.ms/1bk1DC6 ) reports that the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health issued four citations this week that carry nearly $26,000 in fines.
The citations say the park hasn't kept employees aware of hazards involving the orcas. They say employees ride and swim with killer whales in the park's medical pool — although keepers aren't allowed in the Shamu Stadium pool during orca shows.
SeaWorld plans to appeal. It says the citations show a "fundamental misunderstanding" of what's needed to safely care for orcas.
SeaWorld has battled negative publicity since the 2013 documentary "Blackfish" suggested the treatment of captive orcas provokes violent behavior.
My New Rules from this weeks writings at the morning Joe recap and I added it to the Real Time recap last night:
New Rules first and foremost is that I am so sick of seeing this Seaworld is great for whales commercial ad. Holy cow. Enough with that one and that one about how great 'Fracking' is for the world. They are both so misleading leaving out the fact that the whales and dolphins must live and swim around in a pool the size of the one in my backyard and the fact that fracking is plundering the Earth in every way. plus, it creates man made earth quakes everywhere. Let alone again, it pollutes the water and screws up the ground we walk on. Please. Or, if fracking is great for everyone, then let us see the ingredients used which are listed as proprietary because of those private companies that act like 'people too my friends'. Except of course when it has to do with morals because if corporations are people too my friends, people have morals. They just don't care about making as much money as possible with the greatest of margins as possible. That by law in the 14th Amendment that was enacted to help make black people actual whole people and not a fifth of one, is very selective in its actions and processes.
