UPDATE! Victory for Whales and Other Marine Mammals
Steve Mashuda, Earthjustice
We just won another huge victory for whales and other marine mammals and we wanted to share in case you missed the news!
In response to an Earthjustice lawsuit, a federal court just ruled that the government must better protect endangered whales and other marine mammals from U.S. Navy warfare training exercises along the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington by employing the best available science.
The sound level that whales and other marine mammals experience during the Navy's mid-frequency sonar training can disrupt migration, breeding, nursing, breathing, and feeding, and in some cases, cause internal hemorrhaging and ruptured eardrums.
Earthjustice sued in court to protect whales and other marine mammals from these dangerous training exercises--and we won!
According to Earthjustice attorney Steve Mashuda, who led the effort:
"This is a victory for dozens of protected species of marine mammals, including critically endangered southern resident orcas, blue whales, humpback whales, dolphins, and porpoises.The National Marine Fisheries Service must now employ the best science and require the Navy to take reasonable and effective actions to avoid and minimize harm from its training activities."
Earthjustice has been fighting for the protection of marine wildlife for years, butour work to safeguard our ocean ecosystems and the species that depend on them is far from over.
Because helped us win a victory to protect northwest orcas earlier this year, I also wanted to encourage you to take action to protect other imperiled marine species--including Atlantic bluefin tuna, sharks, and sea turtles--from being unnecessarily slaughtered by longline fishing.
We couldn't do our work, and win, without you!
Sincerely,
Steve Mashuda
Attorney, Earthjustice
P.S. Earthjustice has been working tirelessly to protect our oceans, but we need your help. Tell the National Marine Fisheries Service to improve its management plan for fisheries that unnecessarily harm bluefin tuna and other imperiled species.