Comments on: Are local whales recovering? The Whale Trail’s next Orca Talk http://westseattleblog.com/2013/02/are-local-whales-recovering-the-whale-trails-next-orca-talk West Seattle news, information, and discussion, updated multiple times daily, 24/7/365 Wed, 22 May 2013 08:48:15 +0200 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Mark Lewis http://westseattleblog.com/2013/02/are-local-whales-recovering-the-whale-trails-next-orca-talk#comment-973607 Mark Lewis Sat, 23 Feb 2013 23:57:53 +0000 http://westseattleblog.com/?p=141633#comment-973607 NOAA and its fisheries branch known by the acronym of NFMS had to be sued by Washington state to prevent aquariums and other opportunists from capturing orcas in our local waters. These same two agencies had to be sued by environmental groups and biologists to get these same whales protected under the Endangered Species Act. They fought hard against it in federal court and wasted millions of taxpayer dollars and many years that could have been spent on initiating a recovery plan. They also fought against protecting salmon under the ESA, again wasting taxpayer money on legal fees that could have been spent on salmon recovery. Efforts to protect beluga whales in Alaska and leatherback turtles on the west coast have all been stymied by NOAA and NMFS. Lately, NOAA gave carte blanche to the military to drop bombs and use high-energy sonar known to deafen and kill whales inside the Olympic Marine Sanctuary and all other US waters. Can anyone tell me why we should allow these agencies that fought tooth and nail against protections to now be in charge of recovery plans for these endangered species? Isn’t this the “fox guarding the henhouse”? NOAA and its fisheries branch known by the acronym of NFMS had to be sued by Washington state to prevent aquariums and other opportunists from capturing orcas in our local waters. These same two agencies had to be sued by environmental groups and biologists to get these same whales protected under the Endangered Species Act. They fought hard against it in federal court and wasted millions of taxpayer dollars and many years that could have been spent on initiating a recovery plan. They also fought against protecting salmon under the ESA, again wasting taxpayer money on legal fees that could have been spent on salmon recovery. Efforts to protect beluga whales in Alaska and leatherback turtles on the west coast have all been stymied by NOAA and NMFS. Lately, NOAA gave carte blanche to the military to drop bombs and use high-energy sonar known to deafen and kill whales inside the Olympic Marine Sanctuary and all other US waters. Can anyone tell me why we should allow these agencies that fought tooth and nail against protections to now be in charge of recovery plans for these endangered species? Isn’t this the “fox guarding the henhouse”?

]]> By: WSWhaletales http://westseattleblog.com/2013/02/are-local-whales-recovering-the-whale-trails-next-orca-talk#comment-970081 WSWhaletales Tue, 19 Feb 2013 04:09:29 +0000 http://westseattleblog.com/?p=141633#comment-970081 These screams and pleas should haunt humanity: The long film was copywrited and hidden. Can you stand to listen to this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=zpphfb6Yq4I&feature=endscreen These screams and pleas should haunt humanity: The long film was copywrited and hidden.

Can you stand to listen to this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=zpphfb6Yq4I&feature=endscreen

]]> By: WSWhaletales http://westseattleblog.com/2013/02/are-local-whales-recovering-the-whale-trails-next-orca-talk#comment-970066 WSWhaletales Tue, 19 Feb 2013 03:52:19 +0000 http://westseattleblog.com/?p=141633#comment-970066 OMG the horror...Here is some of the footage: WSB can you bump this so more people will see this horror. The brave Don McGaffin has died but there is much more footage. Weeping: http://www.king5.com/news/local/60800572.html OMG the horror…Here is some of the footage:
WSB can you bump this so more people will see this horror. The brave Don McGaffin has died but there is much more footage.

Weeping:
http://www.king5.com/news/local/60800572.html

]]> By: Donna, The Whale Trail http://westseattleblog.com/2013/02/are-local-whales-recovering-the-whale-trails-next-orca-talk#comment-969488 Donna, The Whale Trail Mon, 18 Feb 2013 18:48:07 +0000 http://westseattleblog.com/?p=141633#comment-969488 WSWhaleTales, I share your vision! I've also heard that the orcas were here year-round, not just during the winter. Which means there must have been lots of salmon year-round, too. We have our work cut out for us. Hope to see you on Thursday! WSWhaleTales, I share your vision! I’ve also heard that the orcas were here year-round, not just during the winter. Which means there must have been lots of salmon year-round, too. We have our work cut out for us. Hope to see you on Thursday!

]]> By: westseattledood http://westseattleblog.com/2013/02/are-local-whales-recovering-the-whale-trails-next-orca-talk#comment-968792 westseattledood Mon, 18 Feb 2013 03:12:47 +0000 http://westseattleblog.com/?p=141633#comment-968792 Amen to that, WSWhaleTales! Amen to that, WSWhaleTales!

]]> By: WSWhaletales http://westseattleblog.com/2013/02/are-local-whales-recovering-the-whale-trails-next-orca-talk#comment-968766 WSWhaletales Mon, 18 Feb 2013 02:51:03 +0000 http://westseattleblog.com/?p=141633#comment-968766 Thank you WSB and Donna for the links and the information as to the orca captures. The link on the captures refreshed my recollection of the capture of that pod and the horror I felt upon learning of the death of the mother whale trying to save her calf. I wonder if King 5 still has the film of that capture. At the time this happened, I don't think the public could fully grasp that something so horrid would be sanctioned. I'll check for the footage. The note from the daughter of the man who placed Namu at the pier was touching as to his deep regret. After the pod capture, I thought the practice was outlawed so Donna's information that the practice went on to remove more than 1/3 of the orca population sickens me. Apparently it just took ONE DECADE to go from "small craft warnings" due to huge pods of orcas in the Sound to sighting of orcas being rare. Donna, thank you for your work toward the day my children or grandchildren might hear again of small craft warnings issued due to the orcas swinnimg in great numbers after the salmon. Thank you WSB and Donna for the links and the information as to the orca captures. The link on the captures refreshed my recollection of the capture of that pod and the horror I felt upon learning of the death of the mother whale trying to save her calf. I wonder if King 5 still has the film of that capture. At the time this happened, I don’t think the public could fully grasp that something so horrid would be sanctioned. I’ll check for the footage. The note from the daughter of the man who placed Namu at the pier was touching as to his deep regret. After the pod capture, I thought the practice was outlawed so Donna’s information that the practice went on to remove more than 1/3 of the orca population sickens me. Apparently it just took ONE DECADE to go from “small craft warnings” due to huge pods of orcas in the Sound to sighting of orcas being rare. Donna, thank you for your work toward the day my children or grandchildren might hear again of small craft warnings issued due to the orcas swinnimg in great numbers after the salmon.

]]> By: Donna, The Whale Trail http://westseattleblog.com/2013/02/are-local-whales-recovering-the-whale-trails-next-orca-talk#comment-968547 Donna, The Whale Trail Sun, 17 Feb 2013 20:44:12 +0000 http://westseattleblog.com/?p=141633#comment-968547 Thanks, WSB, for helping us get the word out! WSWT - would love to hear your stories of orcas here before the captures. The capture era started in 1965 when a male orca called Namu was held and displayed at the end of Pier 55. The captures lasted until 1976, when Washington State sued NOAA to stop them. By the time they were through more than 1/3 of the total population had been removed including most of the calves and breeding mothers. The captures had a devastating impact on J, K and L pods and is one of the reasons they are endangered today. The good news is, we've learned a whole lot about orcas since then. We can't undo the damage that was done then, but we can work together now to ensure they recover, and the Sound is filled with orcas again. Thanks, WSB, for helping us get the word out!

WSWT – would love to hear your stories of orcas here before the captures.

The capture era started in 1965 when a male orca called Namu was held and displayed at the end of Pier 55. The captures lasted until 1976, when Washington State sued NOAA to stop them. By the time they were through more than 1/3 of the total population had been removed including most of the calves and breeding mothers. The captures had a devastating impact on J, K and L pods and is one of the reasons they are endangered today.

The good news is, we’ve learned a whole lot about orcas since then. We can’t undo the damage that was done then, but we can work together now to ensure they recover, and the Sound is filled with orcas again.

]]> By: WSB http://westseattleblog.com/2013/02/are-local-whales-recovering-the-whale-trails-next-orca-talk#comment-968081 WSB Sun, 17 Feb 2013 06:01:04 +0000 http://westseattleblog.com/?p=141633#comment-968081 WSWT - before my time but there is some background online. Namu: . http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=2718 . Orca captures in general: . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captive_killer_whales WSWT – before my time but there is some background online. Namu:
.
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=2718
.
Orca captures in general:
.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captive_killer_whales

]]> By: WSWhaletales http://westseattleblog.com/2013/02/are-local-whales-recovering-the-whale-trails-next-orca-talk#comment-968057 WSWhaletales Sun, 17 Feb 2013 05:23:54 +0000 http://westseattleblog.com/?p=141633#comment-968057 Do any other West Seattle old timers remember when there were so many pods of whales going down the Sound in front of Vashon Island that "Small Craft Warnings" were issued?! We would take a dingy out hoping we wouldn't get tossed in the water. I'm 63 and remember hours spent watching the Sound filled with Orcas. This was before "Namu" was caught and displayed between piers on the downtown waterfront. How long did Namu suffer before he died? Also this was the time before that evil guy started catching Orcas to sell to the upcoming Sea World type of venues. Remember the controversy? Remember the news films catching the cries of the whales as one of the pod was cut out? Do any other West Seattle old timers remember when there were so many pods of whales going down the Sound in front of Vashon Island that “Small Craft Warnings” were issued?! We would take a dingy out hoping we wouldn’t get tossed in the water. I’m 63 and remember hours spent watching the Sound filled with Orcas. This was before “Namu” was caught and displayed between piers on the downtown waterfront. How long did Namu suffer before he died? Also this was the time before that evil guy started catching Orcas to sell to the upcoming Sea World type of venues. Remember the controversy? Remember the news films catching the cries of the whales as one of the pod was cut out?

]]> By: WSB http://westseattleblog.com/2013/02/are-local-whales-recovering-the-whale-trails-next-orca-talk#comment-968056 WSB Sun, 17 Feb 2013 05:20:35 +0000 http://westseattleblog.com/?p=141633#comment-968056 Sorry, "five days away" was a little obscure indeed, and we don't mean to require people to follow the in-story links for something that basic - so I've added the specifics: Thursday (February 21). Thanks - TR Sorry, “five days away” was a little obscure indeed, and we don’t mean to require people to follow the in-story links for something that basic – so I’ve added the specifics: Thursday (February 21). Thanks – TR

]]> By: Jan Van Pelt http://westseattleblog.com/2013/02/are-local-whales-recovering-the-whale-trails-next-orca-talk#comment-968053 Jan Van Pelt Sun, 17 Feb 2013 05:12:16 +0000 http://westseattleblog.com/?p=141633#comment-968053 I couldn't find the date of the event. I couldn’t find the date of the event.

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