We need your immediate support as we go to trial in a case that is
critical to
the future of marine mammals on this planet. Less than two weeks from now,
NRDC litigators will face off against the Bush administration in federal
court, with
the safety of entire populations of whales and dolphins at risk.
This long-awaited courtroom battle is the culmination of our eight-year
campaign to stop the U.S. Navy from illegally deploying its Low Frequency
Active (LFA) sonar system -- a new technology that blasts ocean habitats
with
noise so intense it can maim, deafen and even kill marine mammals.
I hope you'll go to https://www.nrdc.org/joinGive/join/lfa.asp right now to
make an online emergency contribution in support of this historic case.
What's at stake? Consider: last year, the Bush administration issued the
Navy a
permit to deploy LFA sonar over 75 percent of the world's oceans and to
harass
or injure up to 12 percent of every single marine mammal species found
anywhere
in this vast expanse of ocean!
But before that disaster could unfold, your support enabled NRDC to race
to
court last fall and win a dramatic eleventh-hour reprieve for thousands of
whales and dolphins. A federal judge blocked global deployment of the
sonar
system until a full trial could be held and all the evidence heard.
That all-important proceeding will begin on June 30th. It will determine
whether this dangerous technology is finally unleashed upon our planet's
oceans -- or whether it should be permanently blocked until the Navy obeys
the
law and demonstrates that LFA would not cause serious harm to ocean life.
Scientists are warning that LFA sonar may threaten the very survival of
entire
populations of whales, some already teetering on the brink of extinction.
At
close range, the system's shock waves are so intense they can destroy a
whale's
eardrums, cause its lungs to hemorrhage, and even kill.
AP Photo
Iceland Launches Controversial Whale Hunt
(Reuters) - Iceland launched its first whale hunt in more than a decade in
the name of scientific research, but the United States, Britain and
several other governments opposed to whaling labeled the hunt unnecessary.
Three ships - the Sigurbjorg, the Njordur and the Halldor Sigurdsson -
left port Sunday to begin hunting for 38 minke whales during August and
September.
Dilated cardiomyopathy has been found in more than three-quarters of
stranded dwarf and pygmy sperm whales beached so far in the Southeast this
year and has been known as one cause of beaching since the 1980s. Already
this year, 38 diseased whales have washed up on to Southeast US beaches.
Puget Sound's southern resident killer whales are going extinct faster
than the Seahawks playoff hopes, but the government agency charged with
protecting them has refused to do anything about it. So today
conservationists are going to court to force the agency to comply with the
law and protect the whales from extinction.
Since 1996, the southern resident population has declined nearly 20
percent. Scientists have found that toxic pollution, habitat degradation
and stresses from an increasing amount of vessel traffic are all
implicated. Combine these threats with the ever-present risks of oil
spills, boat collisions and diseases, and we may witness the extinction of
the Pacific Northwest's most magnificent and charismatic species within
the next century.
High-powered sonar from Navy ships appears to be giving whales and other
marine mammals a version of the bends, causing them to develop dangerous
gas bubbles in some tissues and blood vessels and to beach themselves and
die, according to a study published yesterday in the journal Nature.
Genetic Study Shows Extent of Whaling
(Reuters) - A genetic study of whales suggests many more have been
slaughtered than believed in the whaling frenzy that began in the 18th
century, and shows populations have not recovered enough to allow
hunting to resume, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. The International
Whaling Commission may be underestimating by tenfold the number of the
giant mammals that lived in the seas before whaling began, the
researchers said. More...
FOOD
FIGHT
Tuna, widely known for
its health benefits, is the third most popular food on grocery store
shelves behind sugar and coffee. It's also widely known that canned tuna
contains potentially poisonous methylmercury, but why isn't it mentioned
by the FDA in its current consumer advisory? NOW examines how the
influence of the Tuna industry on the FDA may be putting Americans and
their children at risk for mercury poisoning. The report exposes that
the FDA only tests about a dozen cans of tuna for mercury a year and
doesn't ask to review the tuna industry's own tests. A recent study by
the Mercury Policy Project, a public interest group, showed that one in
20 cans of Albacore tuna they tested had unacceptably high mercury
levels.
NOW WITH BILL MOYERS
continues online at PBS.org (www.pbs.org/now). Log on to the site to for
more on the hazards of mercury; for more on mercury in fish
With 300,000 pollution-related deaths a year in the U.S. and Europe, why
isn't there greater alarm over the health toll caused by environmental
toxins? In her book, "When Smoke Ran Like Water," epidemiologist Devra
Davis makes the case that pollution should be confronted as a public
health disaster. She'll talk about her own family's deadly encounter
with industrial pollution and give her prescription for action.
The oil spill off the coast of Spain is rapidly becoming an
environmental catastrophe of historic proportions. Why, thirteen years
after the Exxon Valdez, are oil tankers known to be inherently unsafe
still on the high seas? And what is California doing about spills and
toxic releases into its waters?
Ken Balcomb says new pictures of the brain of a harbor porpoise that
died in Puget Sound last May are very telling.
The pictures show signs of severe trauma.
"This is another smoking gun for me that we've got a consistent trauma
here," says whale researcher Balcomb.
Balcomb says the evidence convinces him that Navy sonar killed the
porpoises.
Government scientists examined 11 porpoises that washed ashore. But
they won't release any evidence until all the lab results are in. They
tell KOMO 4 News that will take at least two more months.
But Congress plans to decide next month whether to exempt the Navy from
the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Balcomb says, "I'm concerned that the design of the whole investigation
is intended to slow things down."
The investigation should tell us if Navy sonar killed the 11 porpoises.
The USS Shoup used sonar on a training exercise off San Juan Island.
In a rare coincidence, whale researchers using underwater hydrophones,
recorded the sound and its effect on killer whales.
Within days, dead porpoises started washing up.
Three months later, the National Marine Fisheries is still
investigating.
Navy Lt. Bill Couch says, "The Navy is very interested in the results,
we are sensitive to the plight of marine mammals in Puget Sound so it's
important to wait for those final results."
National Marine Fisheries says its investigation into the porpoise
deaths is completely separate from the congressional debate over marine
mammal protection.
But Balcomb believes the government should know what killed the
porpoises before it decides whether to allow the Navy to
ignore rules protecting marine mammals.
is a beautiful, unusual piece of jewelry that acts as an energy balancer and energetic mirror,
reinforcing your body's natural energy field while also helping you cope with the energy overload
and stress of daily life.
A high - voltage, high - frequency, resonant transformer (Tesla Coil) that wirelessly
transmits pulsed waves of electromagnetic energy. The transmitted energy stimulates and
invigorates the entire body on a cellular and subcellular level to optimize and improve health,
wellness, and athletic performance.
The Ten minute exerciser, all you have to do is find ten spare minutes a few times a week to reach optimal results.
Whole Body Vibration is a fascinating new technology, and is being used by celebrities and athletes the world over. From hard bodies like Madonna and Gwen Stefani, to champion Lance Armstrong, vibration exercise is the choice among the fittest today. Many professional Sports teams now use Whole Body Vibration in their training.
For more information on the Noblerex K1
Please Click Here
