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  • Don Lichterman
    • Dec 8, 2020
    • 4 min read

A Whale of a Week, Klettsvik Bay, National Marine Fisheries Service, Gloria Estenzo Ramos, Sri Lanka

Beluga whales Little White and Little Grey explore their new sanctuary home

Beluga whales, Little Grey and Little White, explore their new home in their new sea sanctuary at Klettsvik Bay in the Westman Islands off the south coast of Iceland. The sanctuary covers an area of 32,000 square metres and offers a natural environment for the whales to live their lives. The Sanctuary, operated by charity the SEA LIFE Trust and which is the first of its kind, was built with the support of a generous donation from Merlin Entertainments. Created in partnership with Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), the SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary is one of the biggest developments in captive whale and dolphin care and protection in decades and the first of its kind to be created for cetaceans. More information about sanctuaries for whales and dolphins at: https://uk.whales.org Video courtesy SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary

We need your help to stop a proposal that could allow serious harm to over two thirds of the entire southern resident population of endangered orcas.

A proposed rule from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) would allow Naval sonar activities in the Northwest Training and Testing area to seriously harass up to 51 of these orcas (68% of the entire population!), putting the recovery and even survival of this population in jeopardy.

Southern resident orcas are still struggling to survive and recover – we can’t let this population go extinct on our watch!

Take a stand: Tell the NMFS to reduce the danger sonar activities pose to the survival of southern resident orcas!

Orcas are the largest member of the dolphin family, and just like their smaller cousins, orcas depend on echolocation to find prey and to communicate with other pod members. With so few salmon left, it’s essential that we reduce underwater noise as much as possible to make it easier for orcas to find the food they need to survive.

The ear-splitting shrieks of the sonar can make life nearly impossible for these majestic and vulnerable animals. These sonar activities can disrupt critical natural behaviors like feeding, nursing, surfacing, migration and more.

These orcas already face dire threats from pollution, collapsing food supplies and climate change. They’re fighting for their lives – but if the NMFS approves this sonar disruption, it could be the threat that pushes them over the brink.

Tell NMFS not to approve the incidental take rule on southern resident orcas in the Northwest Training and Testing Study Area!

Time is running out to save these whales. Given this population’s already critically endangered status, we need to do all we can to help these orcas – including protecting them from disruptive sonar activity! PROTECT SOUTHERN RESIDENT ORCAS

In conversation with Gloria Estenzo Ramos, Oceana’s leader in the Philippines, on victories, adapting, and launching an expedition during COVID-19

In the Philippines, Oceana campaigns with and for artisanal fishers who depend on healthy, abundant oceans. Together, we have won protections and policies that reduce illegal fishing, prevent habitat-destroying fishing methods like bottom trawling, and that ultimately help to ensure that fishers can feed their families. Oceana CEO Andy Sharpless has a virtual conversation with Gloria Estenzo Ramos, Oceana’s leader in the Philippines, on our victories and how we effectively campaign amid a global pandemic. Read more


Save Southern Resident Orcas From Extinction

Southern Resident orcas have been literally starving to death, bones visible through their skin. They primarily feed on salmon, especially Chinook salmon —once-abundant, many Chinook salmon runs are now also threatened or endangered with extinction because of dams, habitat loss and other threats. Only 74 Southern Resident orcas remain.


Right now, we have an opportunity to help Southern Resident orcas survive. The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) are considering measures that would help ensure more food is available to starving Southern Resident orcas through active and responsible fishery management – and we must make sure they take bold, comprehensive action, before it’s too late.


Tell the PFMC and NMFS to take meaningful actions to increase the availability of food for these critically endangered orcas


Speak Up for Whales

Large, indiscriminate drift gillnets kill many iconic species—and these nets are still legal in West Coast waters. Urge your U.S. representative to pass the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act before this Congress ends! TAKE ACTION

Over Hundred Beached Whales Saved by Local Rescuers in Sri Lanka
"Corporations Are People, My Friend."

Our companies are known for creating products that enhance people's lives. Through Sunset Corporation of America and its companies, we’re equally dedicated to improving lives.  Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment, animal welfare, wildlife issues and encouraging employee volunteerism.

The Sustainable Action Network (SAN), A Don Lichterman non-profit organization dedicated to building a global community raising awareness of corruption, injustice and the need for action across a full range of issues impacting people and animal/wildlife welfare around the world, such as conservation, climate change, campaign law, lobbying, government action and rescue work. SAN’s vision is to create safer world, free from political, environmental, and social oppression, where all the inhabitants of Earth can live in harmony within their own natural environments. Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment, animal welfare, wildlife issues and encouraging employee volunteerism.

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
ANIMAL RESCUES WELFARE, CRIMES & ABUSE
PROTECT OUR WILDLIFE

  • Don Lichterman
    • Oct 2, 2020
    • 4 min read

470 long-finned pilot whales beached, Georgia Aquarium, Dan Mulhall, Southern Orcas, Whale of a Week

Still no cause for mass pilot whale stranding in Australia

The reason for Australia’s biggest mass whale stranding will probably remain a mystery but the social nature of the species involved may have played a part

The reason for Australia’s biggest mass whale stranding will probably remain a mystery but the social nature of the species involved may have played a part, a marine mammal specialist said Saturday.


Officials said 108 of some 470 long-finned pilot whales had been rescued from sandbars at Macquarie Harbour on the island state of Tasmania’s west coast. There are no living whales remaining in the harbor, the Parks and Wildlife Service said.


The pod got into trouble earlier this week, with efforts now turning to the task of disposing 350 carcasses at sea, which the wildlife service said will take a number of days.


Pilot whales are known for stranding in mass groups. The top five largest beachings in Tasmania dating to the early 1800s, all are from the same species.

David Hocking, a marine mammal scientist at Monash University in Melbourne, said pilot whales form strong family bonds and can travel in groups of up to 1,000.


“If one or a few animals get themselves into trouble, they put out a distress call,” Hocking said. “Rather than running away, their instinct is to come together as a group because they have safety in numbers. But that means a few animals getting into trouble means they call more animals into that same area.”


Long-finned pilot whales are more closely related to dolphins and rely on echolocation, a series of rebounding clicks, to navigate.


Australia’s largest mass stranding had previously been 320 pilot whales near the Western Australia state town of Dunsborough in 1996. Tasmania’s previous largest stranding involved 294 whales on the northwest coast in 1935.

More Belugas Means More Suffering: Tell Georgia Aquarium to Stop Breeding Them

This spring, the Georgia Aquarium was pleased to announce the birth of a beluga calf, but adding to the number of cetaceans suffering in captivity is nothing to celebrate. Instead of the invigorating freedom that wild belugas enjoy, the confined prisoners of Georgia Aquarium experience nothing but crushing boredom and premature deaths. Your voice is needed to urge the Georgia Aquarium to stop breeding cetaceans and phase out cetacean captivity! ACT NOW

Southern Resident Orcas Are Starving to Death

Southern Resident orcas are starving to death due to a lack of their preferred prey, Chinook salmon. About 40% of calves do not survive. Join Oceana today to help protect Southern Resident orcas: https://bit.ly/33zN4rD

Ambassador of Ireland to the United States Dan Mulhall

In the largest known live stranding of northern bottlenose whales ever recorded in Ireland, seven innocent animals tragically died after washing ashore, and the culprit is believed to be ‘acoustic trauma’ usually caused by human activity, according to Sibeal Regan of Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG).


Unfortunately, rescuers are rarely given the resources necessary to humanely euthanize suffering deep-diving species, or to perform full postmortem evaluations to determine the cause of death. This must change — if human activity is to blame, we need stronger protections for whales.


By the time officers reached the distressing scene in County Donegal, it was already too late. And without any way to safely euthanize the whales, emergency personnel could only try to alleviate their suffering as they slowly overheated.


Their heavy bodies can crush their bones, too, without water to support their weight, according to the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) ScienceLine.


Experts suspect that human sonar use causes deep-diving marine mammals to suffer from acoustic trauma, leading to these mass strandings. It is imperative that we determine if human activity is playing a role in whale deaths, and, if so, we must take corrective action to prevent more needless suffering.


Sign this petition urging Ireland Ambassador to the United States Dan Mulhall to push for full postmortem evaluations on all future strandings of deep-diving species, as well as humane euthanization tools for when rescue is not an option.

"Corporations Are People, My Friend."

Our companies are known for creating products that enhance people's lives. Through Sunset Corporation of America and its companies, we’re equally dedicated to improving lives.  Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment, animal welfare, wildlife issues and encouraging employee volunteerism.

The Sustainable Action Network (SAN), A Don Lichterman non-profit organization dedicated to building a global community raising awareness of corruption, injustice and the need for action across a full range of issues impacting people and animal/wildlife welfare around the world, such as conservation, climate change, campaign law, lobbying, government action and rescue work. SAN’s vision is to create safer world, free from political, environmental, and social oppression, where all the inhabitants of Earth can live in harmony within their own natural environments. Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment, animal welfare, wildlife issues and encouraging employee volunteerism.

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
ANIMAL RESCUES WELFARE, CRIMES & ABUSE
PROTECT OUR WILDLIFE

  • Don Lichterman
    • Aug 21, 2020
    • 5 min read

Lolita Stolen 50 years Ago Today, Little Grey, Little White, Say No To The Nets at A Whale of a Week

Stop the Navy from "Taking" 295,715 Marine Mammals in the PNW

The U.S. Navy recently applied for exemption under the Marine Mammal Protection Act for the "incidental take" of marine mammals, in order to carry out training and testing activities in the Pacific Northwest. If approved, such activities would directly impact the endangered Southern Resident killer whales while traveling through or foraging in the Navy’s area of operations. It would also impact thousands of other marine mammals that live in the Salish Sea and surrounding areas. 

Incidental take. Never have two such small, casual words held so much meaning. Let’s first be clear on the meaning of take.  It does have a broader meaning under the law, “to [or attempt to] harass, hunt, capture, or kill any marine mammal,” and also includes, “the doing of any negligent or intentional act which results in disturbing or molesting a marine mammal feeding.” However, it’s highly reasonable to assume that take can result in the loss of an animal, even if not on the day of an event.

Incidental is somewhat synonymous with accidental but is deemed foreseeable. But despite being foreseeable—and therefore preventable— it is still allowed by law under certain circumstances.

If ever there came an abysmal time to add a source of potential harm to this population, it would be now. 2020 has been another record-breaking year of near non-attendance by these whales in the Salish Sea, legally designated as their “core critical habitat.” Not at all surprising, given that the spring return to the Fraser River of their favored prey—Chinook salmon—is at an all-time low.

The proposal allows for various cetacean species to be impacted by testing and training practices. These testing include, Torpedo Exercise—Submarine (TORPEX—Sub), Tracking Exercise—Submarine (TRACKEX—Sub), Mine Neutralization—Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), Civilian Port Defense—Homeland Security Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection Exercises, Bombing Exercise (Air-to-Surface) (BOMBEX [A-S]), Gunnery Exercise (Surface-to-Surface)—Ship (GUNEX [S-S]—Ship), Missile Exercise (Air-to-Surface) (MISSILEX [A-S]), Submarine Sonar Maintenance, Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Training, and a lot more. The Navy also acknowledges that "acoustic and explosives stressors are most likely to result in impacts on marine mammals that could rise to the level of harassment, and NMFS concurs with this determination". Yet they still plan on going through with the proposal. 

We cannot allow this. The Salish Sea is a precious habitat for the Southern Residents and countless other marine animals. The Southern Residents cannot afford an impact on even a single individual. But yet the Navy is seeking authority to take up to 51 whales. That’s right. 51 out of an Endangered population that stands today at 72 animals. This is deemed negligible? Negligent, neglectful certainly, but NOT negligible.


Sign and help us stop this! We need to use our voices to stop this. We can prevent the extinction of this species and keep thousands of other animals safe. Sign. Please. 

Thank you to Wild Orca & their volunteers who wrote most of this! They are doing incredible work & first notified us about this issue. Please go and support them...

More Belugas Means More Suffering: Tell Georgia Aquarium to Stop Breeding Them

This spring, the Georgia Aquarium was pleased to announce the birth of a beluga calf, but adding to the number of cetaceans suffering in captivity is nothing to celebrate. Instead of the invigorating freedom that wild belugas enjoy, the confined prisoners of Georgia Aquarium experience nothing but crushing boredom and premature deaths. Your voice is needed to urge the Georgia Aquarium to stop breeding cetaceans and phase out cetacean captivity! ACT NOW

Beluga whales Little Grey and Little White move into their sea sanctuary care area in Iceland

The two beluga whales, Little Grey and Little White, are now safely in their new sea sanctuary care area at Klettsvik Bay in Iceland. The moving of the whales into the world’s first open water sanctuary for belugas, was completed on Friday 7th August at 12:30pm Icelandic time. Little Grey and Little White are now in their bayside care pool and will need a short period of time to acclimatise to their new natural environment and all the outdoor elements before their final release into the wider sanctuary in Klettsvik Bay in the Westman Islands off the south coast of Iceland. The Sanctuary, operated by charity the SEA LIFE Trust and which is the first of its kind, was built with the support of a generous donation from Merlin Entertainments. Created in partnership with Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), the SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary is one of the biggest developments in captive whale and dolphin care and protection in decades and the first of its kind to be created for cetaceans.

This Orca’s Life Was Stolen From Her a Half-Century Ago

50 years ago, Lolita was violently torn from her family & then imprisoned in the world’s smallest orca tank.

30,000 hupback whales are currently migrating past the Gold Coast.

They are a major tourist drawcard, loved by locals. Yet underneath the surface lies a silent killer – shark nets. 


Just last month, THREE whales were entangled in as many days, including a mother and calf who struggled to free themselves for hours.


But it’s not just whales. The nets have killed 1,261 animals including turtles, rays, and dolphins. 


Alot of people aren’t aware shark nets indiscriminately kill marine life. Can you show them? Please click here to help expose the truth on three GIANT billboards.Help raise vital awareness about deadly shark nets


Your billboard on the main boulevard in Surfers Paradise. 


AFD has reserved three giant billboards, two in the centre of Surfers Paradise and another on busy West Burleigh Road. We need to raise $10,000 before August in order to lock them in, and raise vital awareness about these killer nets.


Help reach the target and protect marine life. Your billboards can start a powerful chain of events and help persuade government to remove shark nets – saving thousands of animals from slow, agonising deaths.

"Corporations Are People, My Friend."

Our companies are known for creating products that enhance people's lives. Through Sunset Corporation of America and its companies, we’re equally dedicated to improving lives.  Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment, animal welfare, wildlife issues and encouraging employee volunteerism.

The Sustainable Action Network (SAN), A Don Lichterman non-profit organization dedicated to building a global community raising awareness of corruption, injustice and the need for action across a full range of issues impacting people and animal/wildlife welfare around the world, such as conservation, climate change, campaign law, lobbying, government action and rescue work. SAN’s vision is to create safer world, free from political, environmental, and social oppression, where all the inhabitants of Earth can live in harmony within their own natural environments. Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment, animal welfare, wildlife issues and encouraging employee volunteerism.

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
ANIMAL RESCUES WELFARE, CRIMES & ABUSE
PROTECT OUR WILDLIFE

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