Date: Sat, 7 Mar, 1998
US Defense Dept. says Whale Plan threatens Security
by: John H. Boit
The Patriot Ledger Quincy, MA

The Defense Department says a proposal aimed at protecting the world's 300 remaining North Atlantic right whales from ships in Massachusetts waters is a potential threat to national security.

The proposal, created about six months ago by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, would require ships entering right whale feeding and calving areas to register with a whale tracking station that would monitor the ship and whale locations. The areas would include Stellwagen Bank, Cape Cod Bay and Massachusetts Bay.

Military vessels would be exempt from the requirement.

But defense officials worry that civilian ship registration would make it easy for an enemy to figure out which ships are military vessels by process of elimination. The officials say that while not a concern in friendly waters, the idea of tracking ships for the protection of endangered species could be adopted by other nations.

The Defense Department said it "believes this would erode navigational freedoms globally and potentially endanger American lives," according to a Feb. 18 memo from U.S. Navy Rear Admiral John Hutson.
"That's absurd," said U.S. Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass., one of the lead supporters of the proposal. "This isn't Iraq, Bosnia or Libya. This is Cape Cod."

Whaling crews gave the mammals their name because their slow-moving nature and the high oil content in their blubber made them the "right" whale to hunt.

Today, their sluggish traits continue to put them in harm's way, biologists say: In the past three decades, researchers have confirmed that at least 15 deaths of the rare whales were due to blunt impact with ships' hulls or because of deep wounds caused by propeller blades.

About half of the deaths occurred in the 1990s, but only one confirmed death occurred in Massachusetts waters. Still, the prevalence of the whales in local waters will eventually bring additional deaths that could be averted, proponents of the plan say.
"When you see these numbers, 15 might not seem like a lot. But with only 300 left, it's a big deal," said Amy Knowlton, a biologist specializing in right whale research at the New England Aquarium.

The proposal would affect two areas: the whales' calving grounds off Florida and Georgia and its feeding areas off Massachusetts, including Massachusetts Bay, Cape Cod Bay, Great South Channel and Stellwagen Bank. Ships over 300 tons, roughly 150 feet long, would have to enter their name, direction, destination and speed into a satellite communication system now common on large vessels.

A land-based computer would send a message back to the ship warning of any right whales in the area. Ships would be required to check in with the station and receive information on whale locations, although they would not be required to alter their courses to steer around areas where the whales might be concentrated. The project is estimated to cost $100,000 a year.

Failure to register upon entering a whale area would be against the law. No fines or penalties have yet been suggested.
"The intent is not to bust people," said Greg Silber, a marine biologist with NOAA headquarters in Silver Spring, Md., who has been working closely on the project. "The intent is to provide information on how to avoid the whales."

Delahunt is taking the lead in pushing the project because it mainly affects the waters off Cape Cod, which is in his district, and because he is a member of the Resources Committee.
"We have this incredible mammal that is on the verge of extinction. Let's not set up scenarios that are just fantasy and have no basis in fact. We can come up with a reason not to do anything," Delahunt said.

Lt. John Oliveira, a Pentagon spokesman for the Navy, said military vessels already take steps to protect the whales in their calving grounds off Florida and Georgia by:

In a letter last month to Defense Secretary William Cohen, Delahunt called the military's objections to the proposal "perplexing," and urged him to approve the project. The letter was signed by the other nine congressmen and two senators who make up the Massachusetts delegation.

There are several types of right whales throughout the world. Biologists estimate there are about 300 North Atlantic right whales left, which roam from Florida to Newfoundland. The whales grow up to 50 feet long and weigh as much as 50 tons.



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