Tell Obama to Protect Whales in Artic

The bowhead whale is only whale that spends its entire life in Arctic waters. It is one of the oldest mammals on earth and with one of the longest life spans, more than 100 years. Its population was severely reduced before a 1966 moritorium on whaling.


The bowhead is listed as threatened with extinction, and listed by the National Marine Fisheries Service endangered under the United States' Endangered Species Act.


The bowhead's habitat is affected by climate change, which is melting their icy home and reducing their food supply. They are in danger from entanglement in fishing gear, contaminants, and noise, especially from offshore oil drilling. Bowheads have extremely sensitive hearing and may rely on calls for navigating under ice packs. With increased industrialization in the Alaskan Arctic, man-made sounds have increased, and bowheads change course to avoid them. The extent to which noise may impact these whales is still unknown.


They are also in danger from deadly collisions with ships stikes, and as the ice melts from climate change, vessels and oil exploration have more access to the whales' habitat.


Yet despite these obstacles facing the endangered whales, BOEMRE (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement) has conditionally approved a number of permits for Shell Oil's plan to drill in the Arctic Ocean as soon as summer 2012, despite lack of adequate cleanup processes and technologies for oil spills in the Arctic sea ice environment. With the potential of an oil spill, many would be likely to suffer irreparable harm.


Tell Obama to continue to uphold the Endangered Species Act of the United States and protect these whales, despite Shell Oil's threat to sue.

President Barack Obama
The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500
comments (202) 456-1111
switchboard (202) 456-1414
fax (202) 456-2461

e-mail: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

The bowhead whale is only whale that spends its entire life in Arctic waters. It is one of the oldest mammals on earth and with one of the longest life spans, more than 100 years. Its population was severely reduced before a 1966 moritorium on whaling.



The bowhead is listed as threatened with extinction, and listed by the National Marine Fisheries Service endangered under the United States' Endangered Species Act.



The bowhead's habitat is affected by climate change, which is melting their icy home and reducing their food supply. They are in danger from entanglement in fishing gear, contaminants, and noise, especially from offshore oil drilling. Bowheads have extremely sensitive hearing and may rely on calls for navigating under ice packs. With increased industrialization in the Alaskan Arctic, man-made sounds have increased, and bowheads change course to avoid them. The extent to which noise may impact these whales is still unknown.



They are also in danger from deadly collisions with ships stikes, and as the ice melts from climate change, vessels and oil exploration have more access to the whales' habitat.



Yet despite these obstacles facing the endangered whales, BOEMRE (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement) has conditionally approved a number of permits for Shell Oil's plan to drill in the Arctic Ocean as soon as summer 2012, despite lack of adequate cleanup processes and technologies for oil spills in the Arctic sea ice environment. With the potential of an oil spill, many would be likely to suffer irreparable harm.



Continue to uphold the Endangered Species Act of the United States and protect these whales, despite Shell Oil's threat to sue.

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