[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Re: Sabah shark Sanctuary

 

Jamie:

Please put your site's URL in the MBI "Links" section!

Gregg

--- In MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL@yahoogroups.com, "Jamie M" <jamiemills_98@...> wrote:
>
> Hello every one this is my first post of this site even though I've been a member for some time now. Last summer I was on a scuba diving trip off East Malaysian Sabah. I have now recently been informed by the diving business I was diving with that the Dive companies around Seporna are lobbying the govenment for an 8000km2 shark sanctury. Considering the problems that are faced in this Asia area with shark finning this sanctury with help protect the sharks in the area.
> The project has been approved by the local Govenment and the department of fisheries. They now a proposal will be submitted to the Sabah state Government for approval. The local dive industry would like to pass on a petition with atleast 10,000 names from marine enthusiasts around the world who are in favor of the Shark sanctury.
> When I was there diving around Mabul and sippadan it really was an amazing place to dive with a great diverse marine envoriment. Though its not being protected enough as I could here the explosives from the fishermen when I was under water.
> I would like to ecourage everyone one to help make this proposed sanctury pass into law. Pleae follow the link.
> www.thepetitionsite/1/support-a-semporna-shark-sanctuary-and-the-future-of-our-oceans/
>

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[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/support-a-semporna-shark-sanctuary-and-the-futu

 
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[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Sabah shark Sanctuary

 

Hello every one this is my first post of this site even though I've been a member for some time now. Last summer I was on a scuba diving trip off East Malaysian Sabah. I have now recently been informed by the diving business I was diving with that the Dive companies around Seporna are lobbying the govenment for an 8000km2 shark sanctury. Considering the problems that are faced in this Asia area with shark finning this sanctury with help protect the sharks in the area.
The project has been approved by the local Govenment and the department of fisheries. They now a proposal will be submitted to the Sabah state Government for approval. The local dive industry would like to pass on a petition with atleast 10,000 names from marine enthusiasts around the world who are in favor of the Shark sanctury.
When I was there diving around Mabul and sippadan it really was an amazing place to dive with a great diverse marine envoriment. Though its not being protected enough as I could here the explosives from the fishermen when I was under water.
I would like to ecourage everyone one to help make this proposed sanctury pass into law. Pleae follow the link.
www.thepetitionsite/1/support-a-semporna-shark-sanctuary-and-the-future-of-our-oceans/


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[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Jet skiers blast dolphin pod

 

(ninemsn.com, Tasmania)

By ninemsn staff

Two jet skiers were seen riding through a dolphin pod.

Two jet skiers have been filmed blasting through a large pod of up to 30 dolphins that included babies near Hobart.

Video of the incident shows the jet skiers, a man and a woman whose identities are unknown, appearing to target the dolphins in Frederick Henry Bay off Lauderdale on Saturday.

Horrified onlookers who were filming the dolphin pod from a boat can be heard yelling at the jet skiers, saying: "Go away!".

The couple continued to ride among the dolphins, which split up and fled in different directions.

Wildlife biologist Kris Carlyon, from the Department of Primary Industries, said the dolphins would have felt harassed by the jet skiers and would likely leave the area.

"This is a sad example of people getting over-excited and ruining it for everyone else," Ms Carlyon told The Mercury.

Marine and Safety Tasmania said it was trying to find out who the jet skiers were.

(video: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8411392/jet-skiers-blast-through-dolphin-pod)


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[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Re: killer whale rights

 



I must say you have a point there Bob. Watching a Killer Whale with Shamu for a stage name propel its 6 ton body out of a tiny tank (compared to the ocean it was use to traveling in) at my tender age of 15, did spark what was to become my 30+ yr. journey of personal research and a great passion of mine. The more I have discovered by mentors such as our own Dr. Mann and other learned researchers and Ph.D.s, the more I seek to discover. Scientists like Dr Visser and Dr. Bigg are paving and have paved the road of discovery for all of us. And may I say it was NOT those who serve the almighty dollar at venues such as some aquariums and zoos.
In my most humble opinion, we do need certain educational instuitions to bring public awareness but certainly NOT at the expense of the animals' exploitation and undeserving harm.
Jo Benedix
My heartfelt thanks to those mentioned above and the membership here who have inspired and encouraged me..within MBI, I have learned much!

--- In MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL@yahoogroups.com, "robert" <stuttgart822@...> wrote:
>
> Interesting point-does the Constitution apply to killer whales? I would imagine only in the west coast 5th circuit, but the Supreme Court would likely reject. Captive Orca and dolphins do serve a purpose by making the public aware of their qualities thus becoming more favorable toward spending tax dollars for marine mammal research.
> Bob S
>
> --- In MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL@yahoogroups.com, "MalcolmB" <malcolmb2@> wrote:
> >
> > (The Northern Advocate)
> >
> > Ingrid Visser: Orca have rights too
> > Catherine Masters | Sunday, January 29, 2012 10:16
> >
> > Whale expert Dr Ingrid Visser and Rudie the Orca. - Picture/Michael Cunningham
> >
> > From the top of a hill on the Tutukaka coast the deep blue stretches to the horizon in a sun-soaked haze.
> >
> > It's a whale highway out there, says the woman with a passion for whales and for orca in particular.
> >
> > Ingrid Visser rattles off the marine life which passes by - southern right whales, humpback whales, blue whales, pilot whales, orca, minke whales, bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins.
> >
> > "Yeah, it's not a bad spot, huh?" she smiles.
> >
> > New Zealand's best-known whale scientist lives on this hilltop and runs her Orca Research Centre from here, which is why the deep freeze in the huge green shed behind which doubles as her home is full of stingray discarded by orca. The 45-year-old analyses the remains for pollutants to gauge the health of New Zealand's orca population. She explains stingray are an orca delicacy - though only, as far as she knows, a delicacy for New Zealand orca.
> >
> > In Argentina, orca don't seem to like stingray. They like seals though and will launch themselves on to the beach to grab them. New Zealand orca swim right past seals but will go for shark - in Argentina, orca don't do shark.
> >
> >
> > These eating habits are important because they are examples of orca culture, Visser says. Around the world orca have different cultures and even different dialects.
> >
> > Traditions are passed down through the generations, just like humans, she says, stretching an arm towards the Poor Knights Islands in the distance to make another point.
> >
> > The Poor Knights are about 25km away, which is a mere quarter of how far orca travel each day in their tight-knit family groupings, communicating through echolocation, the sophistication of which Visser says we humans have much to learn. She says what we do know about the animals is that they are self-aware, sociable and extremely intelligent.
> >
> > Her point is this: an orca in captivity is a miserable orca.
> >
> > New Zealand doesn't have captive orca but other parts of the world do, including America, which is why we are here in Tutukaka talking to Visser. She has agreed to join with Peta, America's biggest animal welfare organisation, to take on powerful US marine park SeaWorld.
> >
> > In the coming months, if a judge allows the motion, she will be a key part of an unusual and controversial court case designed to challenge the captivity of five captive orca in the US (there are thought to be 42 captive orca worldwide and possibly thousands of dolphins) by using the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which bans slavery.
> >
> > The case has shocked some in America because of the apparent comparison of orca to black slaves, but Visser is unfazed. Take a look at online footage of orca captures, she says. It is extremely disturbing. The animals scream and cry and thrash around as they are trapped and then ripped away from their families to live the rest of their lives confined to little pools, where their sonar bounces meaninglessly off concrete walls and where they must repeatedly perform tricks in order to be fed.
> >
> > In captivity some males are masturbated to inseminate captive females, she says, "so these animals are being used as breeding slaves as well, pretty much exactly the same way as what was done with African American slaves, so again there are all these parallels."
> >
> > And, she says, don't forget the 13th Amendment itself was once criticised by an outraged public who said black people were not human, only animals.
> >
> > Visser freely admits to adoring orca to the point of obsession but she hopes a win in the American courts will set off a chain effect for other imprisoned animals too. Even if there is a loss, she hopes the case will at least be a step toward freedom.
> >
> > But this case is controversial, even among animal welfarists. Peta lawyer Jeff Kerr says the organisation is very serious about the suit and he thinks they have a good chance of winning.
> >
> > Another high-profile American animal rights lawyer, though, says the suit is ill thought-out and if Peta loses it could set animal rights back, not take them forward.
> >
> > Professor Steven Wise, who visited New Zealand a few years ago to speak to Auckland University law students, has long been investigating using the law to get rights for imprisoned animals but says the 13th Amendment is not the way to go. He fears a judge will simply rule orca are not slaves under the constitution and thus deal a blow to all future legal challenges.
> >
> > Kerr, however, says it is the right time to make this challenge -the public is ready for change, he says, and the captive orca are definitely ready.
> >
> > Peta asserts that the 13th Amendment bans slavery but makes no reference to species. Kerr says slavery is slavery, no matter the species of the slave. He says this is the first case to seek to apply the constitution to living, breathing, feeling beings who happen to be born not human and regardless of whether this case is the one to make change, change is coming.
> >
> > "You know, people don't want to have animals torn from nature and forced to perform silly tricks just for some fleeting human entertainment.. They don't want pigs and chickens horribly abused on factory farms, they don't want animals skinned alive for their fur just for a bit of fashion and they don't want household products and cosmetic products tested on animals - if you look at all of those aspects there has been already and continues to be a major seachange in the way people look at our interactions with the other species on the planet."
> >
> > Also part of the case is Ric O'Barry, who used to train dolphins used in the TV show Flipper but who now works for WSPA, and two former SeaWorld trainers.
> >
> > An American civil rights attorney, Phil Hirschkop, who decades ago won a landmark case declaring unconstitutional the laws banning interracial marriage, has also joined the legal team.
> >
> > "Forty years ago I fought for the fundamental right of people to marry the person of their choosing regardless of race," he says.
> >
> > "Now I'm fighting for these orcas' fundamental rights to be free from enslavement regardless of their species."
> >
> > SeaWorld filed a brief to dismiss the case, on the basis the 13th Amendment applies only to humans, but Peta has now filed a brief opposing their motion and this is set down to be heard next month.
> >
> > The five orca being fought for once swam free in the ocean - and that is enough for Visser. As we talk on her Tutukaka hilltop, she frequently fires up at the thought of how miserable these animals must be.
> >
> > She is no stranger to fighting for orca freedom and last year spent a lot of her own money travelling to the Netherlands in a losing battle to fight for a young orca called Morgan.
> >
> > When Morgan was found separated from her family off the coast of the Netherlands, alone and starving, she was "rescued" and sent to a Dutch dolphinarium for rehabilitation but instead of being returned to the wild she was sent to a theme park in Spain.
> >
> > The decision devastated Visser and she fires up again - "we're supposed to be a civilised society but we're teaching our kids it's okay to keep these amazingly intelligent animals locked up in a pool, to swim around in their own pee and poo, be made to do tricks and be fed carrion. They get so frustrated they slam their jaws against the pool and smash their teeth."
> >
> > People pay money to go and see this: "How narrow-minded, how conceited we are as a species," Visser says and urges New Zealanders who travel to vote with their wallets and not go to see them.
> >
> > Visser has studied and swum with New Zealand orca for more than 20 years. Her role in the case will be to present the science about orca - to speak up for them. She has no problem marrying her scientific role with advocacy for orca.
> >
> > "As a scientist, if you can't speak up for them, then who's going to? You know, I've built my career on this species, so isn't it about time that I turn around and do something for them?"
> >
> > She fires back down again. Scientists don't always speak up, she says, because if they make a stand they are labelled as activists.
> >
> > "This is an unfortunate label because this implies you are a nutcase."
> >
> > Visser laughs because she knows some people think she is a nutcase when it comes to orca.
> >
> > But she doesn't mind being called obsessed, saying she is happy looking herself in the mirror.
> >
> > "I'm not doing any harm to anybody. It's not an obsession that's detrimental to the natural world and it's not detrimental to the animals. I'm comfortable with it."
> >
> > Whistling whales
> >
> > * Orca have brains five times the size of the human brain and good long-term memory.
> >
> > * Sociable, they have strong family groups and distinct cultures.
> >
> > * They have signature whistles, so each member of the group has a different sound.
> >
>

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[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Count the whales before you drill...

 

(Adelaide Now, Australia)

Whale count paves way for Bight oil hunt off SA
by: Belinda Willis From: The Advertiser January 31, 2012 12:00am

(PHOTO: A blue-whale pod off Cape Nelson, near Portland. Sightings of blue whales were made during aerial surveys for Bight Petroleum in waters between Ceduna on the west coast of South Australia and Port Fairy in Victoria. Picture: Bob McPherson)

(PHOTO: Bight Petroleum chief operating officer Iain MacDougall.)

AERIAL surveys funded by Bight Petroleum have recorded 17 blue-whale sightings off southern Australia.

Bight Petroleum chief operating officer Iain MacDougall said the information would be used to help the company plan its exploration activities about 100km offshore from Eyre Peninsula.

Three aerial surveys this summer, undertaken by Portland-based researchers Blue Whale Study, have covered waters between Ceduna on the west coast of South Australia and Port Fairy in Victoria.

Bight was granted two exploration permits in the Eastern Bight Basin last year and Mr MacDougall said it had revised its forward plan to start a 3D seismic survey of the zone during the summer of 2012-13.

"We think it's one of the very much under-explored areas, only nine wells have been drilled in this area to date," he said.

He compared this to many more being drilled in the North Sea until oil was found.

Mr MacDougall said operating in calmer summer months would help manage on-board safety of survey ships.

A summer exploration program would avoid key migration times, particularly of the southern right whale that occurs during winter, he said.

Once the surveys are completed, the company will work through regulatory approvals, with hopes of drilling an exploratory well in 2014-15.

Dr Peter Gill, who heads Blue Whale Study Inc, said three surveys, covering more than 5000km, had led to 17 blue whales being identified.

"The eastern Bight is a very important habitat in some seasons," he said.

Mr MacDougall said most were spotted to the south of Kangaroo Island. The next survey flight is scheduled for early February.

Bight Petroleum is the wholly owned Australian unit of Canada-based explorer Bight Petroleum Corp.

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[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] What Do Killer Whales Eat in the Arctic?

 

St. John's, NFL — Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are the top marine predator, wherever they are found, and seem to eat everything from schools of small fish to large baleen whales, over twice their own size. The increase in hunting territories available to killer whales in the Arctic due to climate change and melting sea ice could seriously affect the marine ecosystem balance. New research published in BioMed Central's re-launched open access journal Aquatic Biosystems has combined scientific observations with Canadian Inuit traditional knowledge to determine killer whale behaviour and diet in the Arctic.

Killer Whales have been studied extensively in the northeast Pacific ocean, where resident killer whales eat fish, but migrating whales eat marine mammals. Five separate ecotypes in the Antarctic have been identified, each preferring a different type of food, and similar patterns have been found in the Atlantic, tropical Pacific, and Indian oceans. However, little is known about Arctic killer whale prey preference or behaviour.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is increasingly being used to supplement scientific observations. Researchers from Manitoba visited 11 Canadian Nunavut Inuit communities and collated information from over 100 interviews with hunters and elders.

The Inuit reported that killer whales would 'eat whatever they can catch', mainly other marine mammals including seals (ringed, harp, bearded, and hooded) and whales (narwhal, beluga and bowhead). However there was no indication that Arctic killer whales ate fish. Only seven of the interviewees suggested that killer whales ate fish, but none of them had ever seen it themselves.

The type of reported prey varied between areas. Most incidents of killer whales eating bowhead whales occurred in Foxe Basin and narwhal predation was more frequent around Baffin Island. Inuit were also able to describe first-hand how killer whales hunted, including several reports of how killer whales co-operated to kill the much larger bowhead. During the hunt some whales were seen holding the bowhead's flippers or tail, others covering its blowhole, and others biting or ramming to cause internal damage. Occasionally dead bowheads, with bite marks and internal injuries but with very little eaten, are found by locals.

'Aarlirijuk', the fear of killer whales, influenced prey behaviour with smaller mammals seeking refuge in shallow waters or on shore and larger prey running away, diving deep, or attempting to hide among the ice. Even narwhal, which are capable of stabbing a killer whale with their tusks (although this is likely to result in the deaths of both animals), will run to shallow waters and wait until the whales give up.

Killer whales are seasonal visitors to the area and have recently started colonising Hudson Bay (possibly due to loss of summer sea ice with global warming). Local communities are reliant on the very species that the orcas like to eat. Dr Steven Ferguson from the University of Manitoba who led this research commented, "Utilising local knowledge through TEK will help scientists understand the effects of global warming and loss of sea ice on Arctic species and improve collaborative conservation efforts in conjunction with local communities."

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[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Natives speak on prey's fear of killer whales

 

(EarthSky.org)

Fear of killer whales makes sea creatures run, dive or hide

New research suggests that, as climate warms and killer whales find new hunting grounds, marine ecosystems will be affected.

New research has combined scientific observations with Canadian Inuit traditional knowledge to how killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the Arctic eat and behave. Researchers from Manitoba visited 11 Canadian Nunavut Inuit communities and collated information from over 100 interviews with hunters and elders as part of this research. They published their results on January 29, 2012 in the open access journal Aquatic Biosystems, saying that the increase in hunting territories available to killer whales in the Arctic due to climate change and melting sea ice could "seriously affect the marine ecosystem balance."

Transient killer whales near Unimak Island, eastern Aleutian Islands, Alaska. They are top predators that affect the behavior of their prey, causing them to run away, dive deep or try to hide among sea ice. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Killer whales are top marine predators wherever they are found. According to these researchers, the whales "seem to eat everything from schools of small fish to large baleen whales, over twice their own size." "Aarlirijuk," or the fear of killer whales, apparently influences the behavior of killer whales' prey. Smaller mammals seek refuge in shallow waters or on shore, and larger prey run away, dive deep, or attempt to hide among the ice. Even narwhal, which are capable of stabbing a killer whale with their tusks (although this is likely to result in the deaths of both animals), will run to shallow waters and wait until the whales give up.

The type of reported prey varied between areas. Most incidences of killer whales eating bowhead whales occurred in the Arctic's Foxe Basin, while narwhal predation was more frequent around Baffin Island.

Inuit were also able to describe first-hand how killer whales hunted, including several reports of how killer whales co-operated to kill the much larger bowhead. During the hunt some whales were seen holding the bowhead's flippers or tail, others covering its blowhole, and others biting or ramming to cause internal damage. Occasionally dead bowheads, with bite marks and internal injuries but with very little eaten, are found by locals.

Even narwhal, which are capable of stabbing a killer whale with their tusks (although this is likely to result in the deaths of both animals), will run to shallow waters and wait until the whales give up. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Click here to expand image above

In this research, the Inuit who were consulted about the diets of killer whales reported that killer whales would `eat whatever they can catch', mainly other marine mammals including seals (ringed, harp, bearded, and hooded) and whales (narwhal, beluga and bowhead).

However there was no indication that Arctic killer whales ate fish. Only seven of the interviewees suggested that killer whales ate fish, but none of them had ever seen it themselves.

Killer whales have recently started colonizing Hudson Bay (possibly due to loss of summer sea ice with global warming). Local communities are reliant on the very species that the orcas like to eat. Dr Steven Ferguson from the University of Manitoba who led this research commented, "Utilizing local knowledge through TEK will help scientists understand the effects of global warming and loss of sea ice on Arctic species and improve collaborative conservation efforts in conjunction with local communities."

Bottom line: Killer whales in the Arctic, which are top predators, eat a variety of foods and influence the behavior of their prey, according to a new study led by Dr. Steven Ferguson from the University of Manitoba, published January 29, 2012 in the open access journal Aquatic Biosystems. If, as scientists expect, climate continues to warm, the whales will affect marine ecosystems different from those they now inhabit. For example, the whales have started colonizing Hudson Bay in recent years, where local communities are dependent on the species orcas like to eat.

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[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] killer whale rights

 

Interesting point-does the Constitution apply to killer whales? I would imagine only in the west coast 5th circuit, but the Supreme Court would likely reject. Captive Orca and dolphins do serve a purpose by making the public aware of their qualities thus becoming more favorable toward spending tax dollars for marine mammal research.
Bob S

--- In MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL@yahoogroups.com, "MalcolmB" <malcolmb2@...> wrote:
>
> (The Northern Advocate)
>
> Ingrid Visser: Orca have rights too
> Catherine Masters | Sunday, January 29, 2012 10:16
>
> Whale expert Dr Ingrid Visser and Rudie the Orca. - Picture/Michael Cunningham
>
> From the top of a hill on the Tutukaka coast the deep blue stretches to the horizon in a sun-soaked haze.
>
> It's a whale highway out there, says the woman with a passion for whales and for orca in particular.
>
> Ingrid Visser rattles off the marine life which passes by - southern right whales, humpback whales, blue whales, pilot whales, orca, minke whales, bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins.
>
> "Yeah, it's not a bad spot, huh?" she smiles.
>
> New Zealand's best-known whale scientist lives on this hilltop and runs her Orca Research Centre from here, which is why the deep freeze in the huge green shed behind which doubles as her home is full of stingray discarded by orca. The 45-year-old analyses the remains for pollutants to gauge the health of New Zealand's orca population. She explains stingray are an orca delicacy - though only, as far as she knows, a delicacy for New Zealand orca.
>
> In Argentina, orca don't seem to like stingray. They like seals though and will launch themselves on to the beach to grab them. New Zealand orca swim right past seals but will go for shark - in Argentina, orca don't do shark.
>
>
> These eating habits are important because they are examples of orca culture, Visser says. Around the world orca have different cultures and even different dialects.
>
> Traditions are passed down through the generations, just like humans, she says, stretching an arm towards the Poor Knights Islands in the distance to make another point.
>
> The Poor Knights are about 25km away, which is a mere quarter of how far orca travel each day in their tight-knit family groupings, communicating through echolocation, the sophistication of which Visser says we humans have much to learn. She says what we do know about the animals is that they are self-aware, sociable and extremely intelligent.
>
> Her point is this: an orca in captivity is a miserable orca.
>
> New Zealand doesn't have captive orca but other parts of the world do, including America, which is why we are here in Tutukaka talking to Visser. She has agreed to join with Peta, America's biggest animal welfare organisation, to take on powerful US marine park SeaWorld.
>
> In the coming months, if a judge allows the motion, she will be a key part of an unusual and controversial court case designed to challenge the captivity of five captive orca in the US (there are thought to be 42 captive orca worldwide and possibly thousands of dolphins) by using the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which bans slavery.
>
> The case has shocked some in America because of the apparent comparison of orca to black slaves, but Visser is unfazed. Take a look at online footage of orca captures, she says. It is extremely disturbing. The animals scream and cry and thrash around as they are trapped and then ripped away from their families to live the rest of their lives confined to little pools, where their sonar bounces meaninglessly off concrete walls and where they must repeatedly perform tricks in order to be fed.
>
> In captivity some males are masturbated to inseminate captive females, she says, "so these animals are being used as breeding slaves as well, pretty much exactly the same way as what was done with African American slaves, so again there are all these parallels."
>
> And, she says, don't forget the 13th Amendment itself was once criticised by an outraged public who said black people were not human, only animals.
>
> Visser freely admits to adoring orca to the point of obsession but she hopes a win in the American courts will set off a chain effect for other imprisoned animals too. Even if there is a loss, she hopes the case will at least be a step toward freedom.
>
> But this case is controversial, even among animal welfarists. Peta lawyer Jeff Kerr says the organisation is very serious about the suit and he thinks they have a good chance of winning.
>
> Another high-profile American animal rights lawyer, though, says the suit is ill thought-out and if Peta loses it could set animal rights back, not take them forward.
>
> Professor Steven Wise, who visited New Zealand a few years ago to speak to Auckland University law students, has long been investigating using the law to get rights for imprisoned animals but says the 13th Amendment is not the way to go. He fears a judge will simply rule orca are not slaves under the constitution and thus deal a blow to all future legal challenges.
>
> Kerr, however, says it is the right time to make this challenge -the public is ready for change, he says, and the captive orca are definitely ready.
>
> Peta asserts that the 13th Amendment bans slavery but makes no reference to species. Kerr says slavery is slavery, no matter the species of the slave. He says this is the first case to seek to apply the constitution to living, breathing, feeling beings who happen to be born not human and regardless of whether this case is the one to make change, change is coming.
>
> "You know, people don't want to have animals torn from nature and forced to perform silly tricks just for some fleeting human entertainment.. They don't want pigs and chickens horribly abused on factory farms, they don't want animals skinned alive for their fur just for a bit of fashion and they don't want household products and cosmetic products tested on animals - if you look at all of those aspects there has been already and continues to be a major seachange in the way people look at our interactions with the other species on the planet."
>
> Also part of the case is Ric O'Barry, who used to train dolphins used in the TV show Flipper but who now works for WSPA, and two former SeaWorld trainers.
>
> An American civil rights attorney, Phil Hirschkop, who decades ago won a landmark case declaring unconstitutional the laws banning interracial marriage, has also joined the legal team.
>
> "Forty years ago I fought for the fundamental right of people to marry the person of their choosing regardless of race," he says.
>
> "Now I'm fighting for these orcas' fundamental rights to be free from enslavement regardless of their species."
>
> SeaWorld filed a brief to dismiss the case, on the basis the 13th Amendment applies only to humans, but Peta has now filed a brief opposing their motion and this is set down to be heard next month.
>
> The five orca being fought for once swam free in the ocean - and that is enough for Visser. As we talk on her Tutukaka hilltop, she frequently fires up at the thought of how miserable these animals must be.
>
> She is no stranger to fighting for orca freedom and last year spent a lot of her own money travelling to the Netherlands in a losing battle to fight for a young orca called Morgan.
>
> When Morgan was found separated from her family off the coast of the Netherlands, alone and starving, she was "rescued" and sent to a Dutch dolphinarium for rehabilitation but instead of being returned to the wild she was sent to a theme park in Spain.
>
> The decision devastated Visser and she fires up again - "we're supposed to be a civilised society but we're teaching our kids it's okay to keep these amazingly intelligent animals locked up in a pool, to swim around in their own pee and poo, be made to do tricks and be fed carrion. They get so frustrated they slam their jaws against the pool and smash their teeth."
>
> People pay money to go and see this: "How narrow-minded, how conceited we are as a species," Visser says and urges New Zealanders who travel to vote with their wallets and not go to see them.
>
> Visser has studied and swum with New Zealand orca for more than 20 years. Her role in the case will be to present the science about orca - to speak up for them. She has no problem marrying her scientific role with advocacy for orca.
>
> "As a scientist, if you can't speak up for them, then who's going to? You know, I've built my career on this species, so isn't it about time that I turn around and do something for them?"
>
> She fires back down again. Scientists don't always speak up, she says, because if they make a stand they are labelled as activists.
>
> "This is an unfortunate label because this implies you are a nutcase."
>
> Visser laughs because she knows some people think she is a nutcase when it comes to orca.
>
> But she doesn't mind being called obsessed, saying she is happy looking herself in the mirror.
>
> "I'm not doing any harm to anybody. It's not an obsession that's detrimental to the natural world and it's not detrimental to the animals. I'm comfortable with it."
>
> Whistling whales
>
> * Orca have brains five times the size of the human brain and good long-term memory.
>
> * Sociable, they have strong family groups and distinct cultures.
>
> * They have signature whistles, so each member of the group has a different sound.
>

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[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Re: Confessions of a dolphin-loving marine biologist

 

I missed the point about why she feels guilt for studying dolphins. Why not tell people? Most would be happy for her to be able to study such an interesting creature. Bob S

--- In MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL@yahoogroups.com, "MalcolmB" <malcolmb2@...> wrote:
>
> (Deep Sea News)
>
> Guest Post: True Confessions of a Dolphin-Loving Marine Biologist
> BY MIRIAM GOLDSTEIN, ON JANUARY 30TH, 2012 LEAVE A COMMENT LIFE AT SEA, MEGAVERTEBRATE, SCIENTIST! ACOUSTIC, ALEXIS RUDD, DOLPHINS, GRADUATE SCHOOL, HAWAII
> This is a guest post from Alexis Rudd, who is a doctoral student at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology on the island of O'ahu. Her research uses sound to study the distribution and behavior of dolphins and whales in Hawaii, in partnership with Young Brothers interisland shipping company.
>
> It seems as though most people have some sort of cultural guilt; we feel bad about not calling our parents regularly, about forgetting our brother's birthday, or we chow down on half the gallon of ice-cream while watching the season finale of Glee (yes, I cried). I have an additional guilty secret – I am one of the few marine biologists that actually studies dolphins. And not cold-water dolphins either – dolphins that frolic under tropical Hawaiian sunsets. It really is a secret, at least from casual acquaintances. When my dentist asks me what I do, I usually tell her I spend a lot of time on the computer. When the guy next to me on the airplane strikes up a conversation, I generally tell him I study underwater sound.
>
> Why all this guilt? Well, when you think about all of the millions of amazing creatures in the ocean, dolphins make up a very very tiny percent. And yet, it seems as though they get the majority of the love. Everyone loves dolphins, but there is so much more out there that deserves our love, respect, and interest. I mean, there are tunicates build their own house every day and are one of the inspirations for the alien in Alien! How cool is that?
>
>
> An endangered vaquita porpoise caught in a fishing net.
> So, if I feel so guilty about cetaceans (the group that includes dolphins and whales), why am I doing it? Well, despite the love, we really don't know that much about whales and dolphins. We don't know where they are most of the time, we have only a hazy idea of what some of them are eating, and we don't know a lot about their breeding habits. No one has ever seen a humpbacked whale, well… hump. A lot of cetaceans are in big trouble, like the North Atlantic Right whale and the Yangtze River Porpoise. The ones that are in trouble (like almost all other endangered life on earth) are endangered because of humans. North Atlantic Right Whales get hit and killed by big ships. Yangtze porpoises, which have to be one of the cutest animals ever, are being polluted and dammed into oblivion, just like their neighbors, the Yangtze river dolphin, which is now extinct. The beautiful vaquita porpoise is among the 50 most endangered animals in the world. So yes, there are a lot of other fascinating things to study in the ocean, but there are a lot of good reasons to study dolphins, too. Also, I love them, even if admitting it can be like admitting I like Twilight (which I am SO not admitting).
>
>
> This is how I sometimes feel when I'm talking to non-dolphin-studying marine biologists.
> OK, enough about the dolphin-guilt. How did I become involved with cetaceans, and what's it like to study dolphins in a place like Hawaii? It was a complete accident that I became involved in cetacean biology. When I was an undergraduate, I did research on sea stars. After graduation, I applied for a field course in invertebrate biology (basically the opposite of cetacean biology), but it was full, so I ended up in a class on marine birds. A broken skiff and a Coast Guard rescue later, and I was doing my class project on the association between marbled murrelets and gray whales. The class project led to an internship, and the internship led to a place in the Marine Mammal Research Program at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology.
>
> My specific area of study is Marine Bioacoustics, with an emphasis on Passive Acoustic Monitoring. This basically means that my research involves listening to dolphins and whales and then using their sounds to figure out where they are, what species they are, and what they are doing. Acoustics are an extremely useful tool for studying cetaceans, because they spend the majority of their time underwater where you can't see them. I spend about three days out of 14 on a tugboat, which travels from Honolulu to the Big Island of Hawaii or the island of Kauai. During the daytime, I stand up on the deck and look for cetaceans.
>
>
> This photo of a Hawaiian Spinner dolphin was taken off the bow of a tugboat.
> This can be pretty difficult, because the waters in Hawaii are comparatively rough. At night, the waves hit the side of the boat like the slamming of a large metal door, and bounce me up and down on my mattress like it's a trampoline. Depending on the weather, I will see zero to three groups of dolphins a day. I see a lot of flying fish and birds, and an occasional manta ray, but most of the time it is waves, waves, and more waves. I actually never got seasick until I started going out on the tug boats, but it has been ROUGH out there a few times. I find the best thing to do is park myself in my bunk, breathe deeply, and avoid eating raw asparagus.
>
> When I am on shore, I spend most of my time on my computer, writing programs to deal with the enormous amounts of acoustic data (sound recordings) that I have collected. Some of my time is spent on building electronics, fixing broken electronics, and looking at papers by other researchers. When I am lucky, I get to spend a week or two collaborating with other researchers, which is always a privilege. Through these relationships with other researchers, I have had some incredible experiences. I've tracked down a humpback whale by the smell of its breath, and watched false killer whales hunt.
>
> In the end, however, marine mammals are only a very tiny piece of the whole ecosystem that makes this world so beautiful. I would encourage anyone who is remotely interested in marine mammals to also look around at other marine (and terrestrial) life. There is a great deal of beauty worth saving, and it is not just dolphins that are beautiful.
>
> So You Want To Study Dolphins…
>
> Many people think that studying dolphins means you work at Sea World teaching dolphins to jump through hoops. Very little actual research comes from places like Sea World, although there is some. The main objective of these shows is to entertain, and to make money. Training dolphins to let you hug them and ride on their backs isn't science, and it doesn't tell us anything new about dolphins or help us to protect them in the wild. A dolphin show has about as much to do with real marine biology as a birthday party pony ride has to do with a cattle roundup.
>
> If you REALLY do want to study dolphins, here are a few tips. In school, you should study math, statistics, computer programming, or genetics. Do you absolutely hate this stuff? So did I, when I was in high school and college. However, it is incredibly useful to have these skills and will give you an edge over all the thousands of other people who love dolphins but have no technical skills. People often ask me how they can get paid to go out to sea and look for dolphins. The answer is not something that they want to hear: you need experience. How do you get experience? You work for free, and you do an absolutely excellent job of it. There are a lot of researchers out there who take unpaid interns for dolphin and whale research. These interns typically do a mixture of work, ranging from the very exciting (photographing whales from small boats) to the very boring (matching those photographs against thousands of other photographs). Generally, it is about 3% exciting and 97% boring, percentages that tend to hold true for cetacean research in general. An internship is like a medieval apprenticeship – sure, you are unpaid and work hard, but you are getting real experience with a master of the craft. If you think having new clothes and a good salary are very important, dolphin research is probably not for you.
>
> Speaking of those tropical sunsets, I just missed another one because I was too busy writing computer code.
>

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