A.A. Berzin Memoir on Soviet Whaling Published

IFAW was pleased to contribute to a unique project just published by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) about a memoir written by a now deceased Russian scientist documenting the Soviet Union's whaling activities from roughly the period of 1950-1980 is available from the NMFS site.

The memoir, written by A.A. Berzin is described by the author in the following preface:

I have always condemned (and to do anything more was not within our power or abilities) the illegal and sometimes destructive whaling by the Soviet Union. This opinion was expressed in numerous documents, including reports and records of presentations at scientific and other meetings; these documents are the witnesses to this condemnation. However, none of these documents ever saw the light of day: all of them were marked with the sinister stamp “secret.” When necessary in this memoir, my opinion of the whaling will be supported by data drawn from these documents.

From todays Toronto Sun newspaper

BY ARIEL DAVID, AP

The songs that whales and dolphins use to communicate, orient themselves and find mates are being drowned out by human-made noises in the world's oceans, UN officials and environmental groups said yesterday.

That sound pollution -- everything from increasing commercial shipping and seismic surveys to a new generation of military sonar -- is not only confounding the mammals, it also is further threatening the survival of these endangered animals.

Studies show that these cetaceans, which once communicated over thousands of kilometers to forage and mate, are losing touch with each other, the experts said on the sidelines of a UN wildlife conference in Rome.

From Noel Ashton's Studio in Capetown, South Africa

Over the past few days I have been completing the final of the eight relief panels for around the base of the Sacred Ocean sculpture, of two Yangtze River dolphins swimming slowly together, and this has really brought home to me the importance of bringing into focus the plight of the world’s whales and dolphins. Last year the Yangtze River dolphin was officially declared extinct, a blight on the record for marine conservation as this species could have been saved if co-ordinated planning and practical conservation measures had been put in place in time.

Excellent editorial by the Sydney Morning Herald's political editor - Peter Hartcher - including some interesting facts about Japan's whaling industry.

Read it here.

An encouraging article on Australia's Sydney Morning Herald today quotes Tomohiko Taniguchi, previously spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo.

"Of the hundreds of matters he dealt with, the one he dreaded most was defending Japan's whaling program...'I hated this issue because there's no point in Japan sticking to its position,' he tells the Herald."

The Japanese whaling industry is neglibible in contributing to their economy, the number of people who derive their living from whaling is a tiny fraction in a country of 130 million. With a worsening economy the subsidies and concessions provided to the whaling industry will become harder to justify especially when compared to the damage done to international relationships.

Do we dare hope that we are looking at the last days of whaling by Japan?

The U.S. departments of Interior and Commerce today jointly announced the availability of the final Framework for the National System of Marine Protected Areas of the United States, completing a cooperative, multi-year effort to provide a comprehensive approach to the protection of the nation’s natural and cultural marine treasures.

The National System of Marine Protected Areas is the first formal mechanism for coordinating MPAs across all levels of government. The agencies also announced the nomination process for federal, state, territorial, tribal and local sites to join the National System of Marine Protected Areas.

MPAs are defined areas where natural or cultural resources are given greater protection than the surrounding waters. In the U.S., these areas may span a range of habitats including the open ocean, coastal areas, inter-tidal zones, estuaries, and the Great Lakes.

“Today’s announcement highlights a new focus on working together across jurisdictions to conserve our common ocean heritage,” said Timothy Keeney, deputy assistant secretary for oceans and atmosphere. “Through the national system of MPAs, we will have a more efficient, effective approach to conservation of the nation’s important natural and cultural marine resources.”