By David Pendered April 21 – New federal reports have found cause for optimism for the endangered eastern North Pacific right whale, described by NOAA Fisheries as “among the world’s rarest and most mysterious great whale populations.” “I am very optimistic and hopeful about the future of these whales,” Dana Wright, NOAA Fisheries affiliate/University of […]

Environment
Wind farms, sea life – Feds seek to strike balanceBy David Pendered (Note to readers: The Wall Street Journal reported Jan. 1: Soaring Costs Threaten U.S. Offshore-wind buildout.) Dec. 30 – Wind farms to be built in U.S. coastal waters have prompted a coordinated federal examination of how to protect North American right whales and other sea life from the energy systems. On Dec. […]

Environment
Distracted ship pilots threaten right whales, tooBy David Pendered Dec. 11 –A ship’s pilot distracted by his cell phone grounded a container ship on a sandbar in the Chesapeake Bay. The incident shows how human error adds to the vulnerability of North American right whales in busy shipping areas such as Savannah. The U.S. Coast Guard’s Findings of Concern released Dec. 6 […]