Oil and Gas exploration puts whales at risk
A threat to the livelihood of the critically endangered gray whale Delegates meeting at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) conference in the Channel Islands warn that oil and gas exploration in the Russian Far East continues to threaten the livelihood of the critically endangered gray whale that spends its summer feeding along Sakhalin Island, according to a recent BBC News report. IWC scientists say that companies using seismic guns to find oil and gas in the area are taking steps to reduce impact, but they said those companies need to do more to protect the whales.The western population of gray whales is one of the most endangered group of cetaceans in the world, with only some 130 remaining, including only 26 breeding females. And the area around Sakhalin Island is their only known feeding ground.The IWC recommends that "appropriate monitoring and mitigation plans" should be implemented for oil and gas exploration in that area. It also urges companies to work with scientists to coordinate "seismic surveys and other noise producing activities."Seismic surveys entail the use of underwater sound that can be so intense that it may force whales out of the area and also may damage their hearing.A group of ...
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