At our International Headquarters on Cape Cod and around the planet, IFAW staff are saddened by news of the passing of Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA). Ted Kennedy was a longtime supporter and friend of IFAW and a consistent leader of U.S. and international efforts to protect our planet's great whales and their ocean habitat.

Senator Kennedy was a proud recipient of the IFAW Song of the Whale Award for Marine Conservation Leadership. A decade ago, with IFAW President Fred O'Regan and other Federal and State officials, he joined IFAW to launch the Mandatory Ship Reporting System, providing mariners real time information on the location of endangered right whales in shipping lanes.

More recently he was a vigorous supporter of IFAW's successful collaborations with Massachusetts commercial fishermen in replacing 2,000 miles of floating lobster line with safer sinking lines, better protecting whales at their feeding grounds off the Massachusetts shore.

A native of Cape Cod, Senator Kennedy was also an enthusiastic whale watcher, introducing generations of Kennedy children and their children to the wonders of the sea he loved and the majestic great whales that summer off Cape Cod.

In addition to coverage honoring Senator Kennedy, an op/ed column featuring IFAW's whale watching work also appears in the pages today's Cape Cod Times. The ripple effect of Ted Kennedy's leadership in the US Senate extended to whales and the success of the whale watching industry in his home state and well beyond. IFAW, the whales and all those who care about them have lost a good friend.

--Patrick Ramage

Director, IFAW Global Whale Program

I just arrived back from Hvalfjörður filming the whaling boat bringing two fin whales to the whaling station. I went with a cameraman and a photographer from Morgunblaðið and a journalist.

The helicopter came and met us near the mouth of the fjord at 3am. The helecopter we were supposed to get was not available but that was Ok. The whaling boat was already in the fjord so we quickly got the photographer on board. We spent more time having the cameraman on board.
 

The weather was quite rough with strong wind so we could not follow the boat in the helecopter all the way to the station. There was no time or chance to do a proper stand up either but we drove to the whaling station and I drove through the open gate after another car. 

Sigursteinn

Fin whaling has just started again in Iceland after a pause since 2006. The first of the endangered fins to be killed this summer are expected to be brought to Hvalfjordur whaling station tomorrow (Friday June 19). As a human being I feel very sorry that this brutal killing is happening. As an Icelander I feel ashamed for my governement. A few days ago I did a whale watching tour with the Elding company just outside Reykjavík. For half an hour we watched a calm minke whale swimming peacefully near us. On board were guests from different countries, many from Finland, the UK and the US. As we were all enjoying the company of the minke whale the captain came to me and pointed north at a small dot in the distance. "There´s a minke whaling boat," he said angrily. A few moments later we all watched the minke disappear gracefully, swimming north in the direction of the whalers some four miles away. This is our grim reality in Iceland.

 Please help put an end to the bloody business of whaling by supporting whale watching!

Sigursteinn

This note about a recent victory for whales was sent by Beth Algood, the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Program Manager in our Washington D.C. office.

The Natural Resources Defense Counsel (NRDC), IFAW and other plaintiffs settled a Mid-Frequency Active sonar lawsuit on Friday, concluding IFAW’s participation in litigation against the Navy.  Among the terms of the settlement, the Navy has agreed to publicly disclose previously classified information, provide funding of almost $15 million in new marine mammal research, and has made assurances that the Navy will abide by federal environmental protection laws.  Earlier this year NRDC and IFAW successfully settled a Low-Frequency Active Sonar case and litigated the Southern California Mid-Frequency Active Sonar lawsuit decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. 

The news was also posted to the Environmental Magazines web site.