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Dolphins captured for captivity in Taiji. Image: Hans Peter Roth

Loved and killed – whales and dolphins in Japan

Protests and criticism from outside Japan in response to the slaughter of whales and dolphins...
Narwhal with beluga whales

Unusual Whale Adoptions

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
Irrawaddy dolphin

Helping fishers protect dolphins in Sarawak, Borneo

Fishing nets are bad news for dolphins and porpoises, so we're working with local fishers...
Dolphin watching from Chanonry Point, Scotland. Image: WDC/Charlie Phillips

Discovering inner peace – whale and dolphin watching and mental wellbeing

Guest blog If you've ever seen whales or dolphins in the wild, you'll know that...
Whale tail

An ocean of hope

In a monumental, jaw-dropping demonstration of global community, the nations of the world made history...
North Atlantic right whale Porcia and her calf.

Critically Endangered Right Whale Babies Spotted

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
The infamous killing cove at Taiji, Japan

Why the Taiji dolphin hunt can never be justified

Supporters of the dolphin slaughter in Japan argue that killing a few hundred dolphins every...
Image: Peter Linforth

Tracking whales from space will help us save them

Satellite technology holds one of the keys to 21st century whale conservation, so we're exploring...

Making Noise About Making Less Noise

Yesterday (6/20/13) the Natural Resources Defense Council (“NRDC”), Earthjustice, the Center for Biological Diversity (“CBD”), and the Gulf Restoration Network (“GRN”) reached a landmark legal settlement that will pave the way for a quieter Gulf of Mexico. Acoustic harassment from deafening air-guns is a serious problem for vulnerable marine mammal populations in the Gulf. Producing a sound blast louder than almost any other man-made activity, save explosive devices, air-guns are used by industry to search for oil deposits beneath the sea floor. After this settlement, protections will be in place to lessen the potential impact caused by these devices. 

Whales usually are protected from this kind of acoustic harassment, because normally it would require approval under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to proceed. However, the federal government had been letting these surveys go unchecked until now. Initiated back in 2010 after the Deepwater Horizon tragedy, this litigation was aimed at protecting whales and dolphins that are already trying to recover from one environmental catastrophe. The settlement protects whales and dolphins in several ways. It requires that:

Additional protections be put in place while the government undertakes a programmatic review of the seismic exploration being done in the Gulf;
A prohibition to be put in place around biologically sensitive areas including DeSoto Canyon, a crucial piece of habitat for both sperm whales and Bryde’s whales;
A prohibition to be put in place in coastal waters during the primary calving season for bottlenose dolphins;
Mandatory minimum separation distances between surveys;
Extension of the government’s existing mitigation measures to the entire Gulf, and also include manatees as well;
Mandatory use of passive acoustic listening devices to help detect marine mammals present in the area;
A multi-year research and development project, which is to be undertaken by industry, and which requires them to develop an alternative to air-guns, known as marine vibroseis, that could substantially reduce the giant environmental impact created by these seismic surveys; AND
A Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) evaluation of the new standards to ensure that air-gun surveys are not necessarily duplicative and that they will generate the least possible sound for any given project.

As an environmental law student, who hopes to one day make a career out of advocating for the whales and dolphins that grace our oceans, I know how much of an uphill climb environmental law can feel like. However, it is landmark decisions and settlements like this one that give me a renewed sense of drive and determination about a future in environmental advocacy. It is an all-important reminder that the legal system can work for all of us, including whales, and can one day help lead to a world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free.

Here is a graphic that I find rings true …

About George Berry

George is a member of WDC's Communications team and website coordinator.