WiLD Blog

In a surprising (or maybe not so much) decision by President Bush to put military maneuvers above the good of the environment has threatened the wellness of the marine mammals that live and migrate off the coast of Southern California.  A news article dated 17January from msnbc.com cited “President Bush’s decision to let the Navy continue using high-power sonar in its training off Southern California, a practice they say harms whales and other marine mammals” despite the fact that the use of this type of sonar is outlawed in the Coastal Zone Management Act which was passed unanimously by Congress, the federal court, and the California Coastal Commission.  Conservationists continue to protest this decision yet Bush seems to hold fast that the use of sonar off California’s coast is pivotal in Navy training exercises.  The Navy claims that they are on the watch for marine mammals during exercises, and if one is spotted within 2,200 yards, the sonar is cut off, but is this enough? High frequency sonar is proven to cause debilitating harm to marine mammals’ brains and ears.  Also, many marine mammals use their own version of sonar to locate food, and with conflicting sonar patterns being produced by the Navy, it will inhibit the ability of the mammals to locate their own food source. 

Julia Novak

Gray whales are being threatened again. Their yearly 12,500-mile migration brings them up and down the coast of North America, as they feed in the waters by Vancouver and Seattle during the summer and migrate down to breed in Baja California during the winter months. Scientists have discovered that the grey whales are arriving in their calving grounds thin and exhausted.

Scientists believe this is due to a lack of food for the whales when they are in their traditional feeding grounds. Consequently they are forced to look for food when they should be breeding.

The source of the problem is unknown but the consequences could be devastating. The gray whale is symbolic of Mexico’s natural heritage as Baja California is home to the world’s last undeveloped calving ground, San Ignacio lagoon. This problem has not only consequences for the future of the gray whale species but for the economic wellbeing of the tourism industry in both Baja and California.

Lack of food in their traditional feeding grounds is a serious threat to the survival of gray whales.

To WiLDCOAST, the grey whale has a special place in the organization. In our offices, on the walls are various articles relating the struggles and successes the grey whales have been through. WiLDCOAST has been heavily involved in the preservation of the coastal environment and protecting species such as the grey whale. The Baja California coast and lagoons are unique in being the last undeveloped calving sites of the gray whale. In addition the presence of the gray whale brings in tourists willing to spend money to see the whales. Not only do people enjoy whale watching in Baja California, but also in California, whale-watching tours are very popular during the winter months.

But economics are just a small part of the immense value these whales have to human beings. These whales are economically valuable to us for a deeper, intangible reason. It is impossible to put economic value on the sense of excitement and wonder when people spot these whales and the memories and impact they have on us. The beauty and excitement these whales bring to our lives reminds us that we are simply one part of the natural world, and that we also share the same world. Our actions can have consequences for these amazing animals that have been repeating their yearly migrations before humans even arrived on this continent. That is why it’s crucial to support conservation, ecotourism and conservation efforts to protect these whales.

-Calvin Lee

 A crew of Brazilian fishermen was caught on tape, purposefully capturing dolphins in nets and suffocating them. The dead dolphins were then dragged onboard, where the cameraman caught the fishermen laughing after someone said “Everyone’s going to jail after this filming!” The dolphin meat was most likely sold to other fishing boats as bait.

It is frightening to think about how heartless people can be. The depth of human cruelty is aptly demonstrated by the lack of remorse and the conscious decision these fishermen made to drown these animals. Dolphins are highly intelligent creatures that share our costal waters with us.  We can sometimes see them surfing the same waves we do. It’s astounding to me how cruel these men were to animals that share the same pleasures and food we do.

Thousands of dolphins are killed around the world every year

Unfortunately this just demonstrates one of the regular clashes between human and nature. We are fortunate share the oceans with a large variety of creatures, which brings great pleasure and enjoyment to those who regularly snorkel, scuba dive and “use” the ocean. However there are many people who make a living from the ocean that see these creatures as a threat to their livelihood. I’ve heard stories about fishermen off our coasts that have shot at dolphins and sea lions simply because they “stole” their catch. That’s like shooting a dog for eating scraps.

To me, this is just another sign of disrespect people show for the environment that we share with other creatures. These animals are just doing what they were meant to do, to survive. It’s their home, their habitat, their lives. For us to come in and take their food, pollute their waters and even slaughter them is simply despicable. There are viable alternatives to this conflict between man and nature.

It’s the idea that we “own” nature that allows us to abuse it. People need to realize that ideas about “owning” land and water rights are man-made concepts. Animals and plants don’t care if you own a piece of land. Whether we like it or not, we share these spaces with other people and with other creatures. It’s crucial to form a healthy respect for the living things that we share the world with. They are no better than us, nor are we better than them. We all are trying to make a living on this planet, we need to recognize and respect that.

At WiLDCOAST, that’s why we work to protect the coastal land and species of Californias. That’s why we have educational programs for young children. These creatures share the same planet as us, and we end up affecting them in very significant ways. We need to focus on protecting, preserving and learning to live with the natural world, rather than destroying it.

-Calvin Lee

Thanks to San Diego Councilperson Donna Frye and our friends at the Sierra Club especially Ellen Shively and John Hartley for continuing to lead the effort to have the City of San Diego protect harbor seals at Children’s Pool. Given the overall threats to marine mammals due to increasing changes in ocean chemistry (becoming more acidic), it is more important than ever to protect these seals. The behavior by anti-seal activists who devote their energy to harassing the seals is unprecedented. Serge

S.D. panel OKs more time for seals

Proposal extends closure of beach
By Bruce Lieberman
SAN DIEGO  UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

November 16, 2006

The harbor seals at Children’s Pool beach in La Jolla could receive an early Christmas present this year – an extra month of private beach access.

A proposal approved by a city committee yesterday would extend the period Children’s Pool is roped off to people from Dec. 15 through May 15. The beach is now closed from Jan. 1 through May 1.

The extra time will help protect pregnant seals and their unborn pups, and young seals still dependent on their mothers, city officials said. The pupping season for harbor seals typically runs Jan. 1 through May 1. Mother seals have sometimes abandoned their pups on a beach after they’ve been disturbed or harassed.

The San Diego City Council must approve the proposal, and the California Coastal Commission will likely review the plan.

Activists who want the beach preserved for the seals supported the proposal, but they said it will mean little if the city doesn’t enforce it. They have long complained that neither city lifeguards or federal officials enforce barriers at the small beach.

“As long as there is no enforcement of your own municipal code, this travesty will continue,” said Ellen Shively, conservation chair of the San Diego chapter of the Sierra Club and one of 12 speakers in support of the measure. “Let the seals have their distance.”

A city ordinance unrelated to the barrier states, “it is unlawful to kill, wound, disturb, or maltreat any bird or animal, whether wild or domesticated” unless permitted by the city.

A rope barrier was erected along the western section of the cove in 1999, but in September 2004, it was taken down when the City Council decided to give people and seals equal access.

In 2005, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal agency that enforces the federal Marine Marine Mammal Protection Act, recommended to the city that it replace the rope barrier. City signs urging people not to harass the seals were not effective, and the seals needed to be further protected during pupping season, the agency said.

On April 19, the City Council voted to re-erect the barrier from Jan. 1 through May 1.

“Children’s Pool offers a unique experience,” said San Diego resident John Hartley. “Nowhere else can people get so close to harbor seals and . . . experience nature. It’s a treasure that we should protect.”

We invite you to visit San Diego and experience what is to live in a city that resembles an episode of The Twilight Zone. San Diego is a city that faces an $87.4 million budget deficit in 2007, and spends annually more than eight million dollars to promote tourism and more than 20 million dollars every three years to replenish sand in their beaches. It is also a city that is willing to promote a half-million-dollar project to dredge a 200-foot beach to get rid of federally protected harbor seals. In a city with miles and miles of beaches, this tiny beach is occupied by a colony of about 200 harbor seals. The site, considered by the New York Times as one of the best places to visit in San Diego, attracts more than a million tourists every year who come to enjoy the unique sight of harbor seals giving birth and nursing their young.

Unfortunately, some City Council members are more interested in making happy some time travelers visiting from the 1930s, who don’t realize that the year is 2006, than to do what is good for San Diego. How do I know these individuals have lived in the Twilight Zone for the last few decades? These individuals violate a federal law that has protected marine mammals since 1973; they scream that children do not have places to swim in a city with hundreds of swimming pools; they scream that minorities are not welcomed in a country where segregation laws were abolished in the 1960s; and they scream that sharks are going to eat your children in a city where the only (unconfirmed) shark attacked happened in 1957.

The San Diego City Council members have in their hands the opportunity to stop the madness by protecting year-round harbor seals in Casa Beach, withdrawing the Casa Beach dredging project, and stopping the support for those individuals living in the Twilight Zone.

E-mail San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders and the City Council members and ask them to place year-round the rope that protect the Casa Beach harbor seals, to withdraw the dredging project proposal, and to establish the San Diego Marine Mammal Sanctuary in Casa Beach. Saul