Help the Whales — Reducing Worldwide Threats

© Bryan & Cherry Alexander / SeaPics.com

It's not enough to love the whales. It's not enough to be inspired by their majestic beauty, by their haunting songs, to be graced by their presence, or benefit from their messages of wisdom. We must also give back to them. It's not enough to merely receive so much from the animals we love. We must also help them.

The whales of the earth are still in trouble. They are not saved yet. Worldwide, they still face major threats. Painful, deadly, horrifying threats.

Entanglements in fishing gear: An estimated 1,000 - 2,000 whales a year are entangled in nets and float lines, some dragging heavy traps and buoys. Only an estimated 3% of those entangled whales are fortunate enough to be spotted by humans and helped by those skilled to do the dangerous disentanglement work. The remainder suffer with infection from lines cutting into their flesh, difficulty breathing, diving and swimming. Read more about Center for Coastal Studies heroic disentanglement work

Ship Strikes: Injuries and deaths resulting from ship collisions remain a significant threat to whales. They are a primary cause of the slow recovery of the highly depleted population on of North Atlantic right whales. Ship strikes are a worldwide hazard to all whales. Read more

Pollution/Habitat destruction by humans: The ongoing harvesting of krill for human consumption as nutritional supplements may be threatening the food source of seals, penguins and whales. “Krill is the basis of the Antarctic food web, on which fish, seals, penguins and whales all rely.” Willie Mackenzie, of Greenpeace's oceans campaign. Read more. "The pesticides that you spray on your dandelions run off into the oceans and end up in the food chain, and enormous amounts of plastic and other trash end up in the ocean. It's a closed system. Everything's connected" Fabien Cousteau Read more

Sound Pollution: “Low frequency active sonar (LFA sonar) is a dangerous technology that has the potential to kill, deafen and/or disorient whales, dolphins and all marine life, as well as humans, in the water. It is the loudest sound ever put into the world's oceans.” Marsha Green, Ph.D Ocean Mammal Institute Read more

Watch Deadly Sounds in a Silent World
a compelling video from Save the Whales Again.

photo copyright Sierra Goodman www.divinedolphin.com

Whaling: Ignoring the International Whaling Commission's 1986 moratorium on whaling, Japan, Norway, and Iceland continue to kill whales under the guise of scientific study. Over 2,000,000 whales have been slaughtered between 1910 and 1969, and the killing continues. Read more

Sacred Swims & Communication with Humpback Whales

Organization Links

American Cetacean Society

"One of the principal purposes of the American Cetacean Society is to help bring scientists and the general public together. Our ability to bridge the gap between the layperson and the complex world of science and research is one of the things that makes us unique."

Center for Coastal Studies

Marine mammal research and education; pioneers of fishing gear disentanglement techniques

Cetacean Society International

Whales Alive! quarterly newsletter and archives of dozens of articles on whale issues that are comprehensive and "lay person friendly"

Earth Island Institute

Their International Marine Mammal Project is the sponsor of Ric O'Barry's work to save the Japenese dolphins from slaughter as shown in the documentary The Cove. Important group to sign up for Alert Emails, for both dolphin and whale protection.

Ocean Alliance

Research organization that focuses on whales and marine toxicology;
Founded by Roger Payne

Ocean Mammal Institute

Underwater sound pollution, impact research and more

Oceana

Active campaigns to save the oceans; action alerts

Sea Shepherd

Directly confronts and successfully stops whaling ships around the world; as seen on PBS Whale Wars

Articles

Our Healing Relationship with Nature, by Marsha Green, PhD

One of the most inspirational articles I've ever read

We Need to Stop Eating the Oceans, by Captain Paul Watson

How Your Supplement Choices Could Be Harming Whales, by Teresa Wagner

Why I Became a Vegetarian and Then a Vegan, by Teresa Wagner

We may one day find the Peace we seek,
and it will be when we accept ourselves not as the Crown of Creation,
but as one of the Jewels in the Crown,
alongside the People of the Sea.

~ Scott Taylor

Personal Note from Teresa:

As a lay person, I've studied information about humpback whales since 1988 after falling in love with them on my first whale watch trip. I've traveled many times to see them in New England, Alaska, Hawaii, and off the California coast where I live. And since 1999 I've taken people on spiritual journeys to swim with and talk with humpback whales in Silver Bank off the coast of the Dominican Republic.

I try to keep up with current natural history information and threats to the whales from the commendable organizations dedicated to research and conservation of whales, and share this information with the people on my trips. I have not been a stranger to the information of how whales are in harm's way. However, on March 26, 2009 in Silver Bank I saw firsthand a humpback calf tortuously entangled in fishing gear. Despite heroic efforts, the people who worked to disentangle him were not able to. He died a few weeks later and lived most of his life on earth in pain and fear. This experience changed my life forever. I didn't think I could love them more, or care about them more, but I do. I will never be the same after that tragedy, and I will never stop speaking out about how we can help them. It's no longer enough to just love them, watch and be with them, wear fluke jewelry and adorn my house with their photographs and sculptures. While these things can be gestures of respect for the whales, they're mostly for my own pleasure. They don't do anything to help the whales on a practical level. Life on earth is one community. When someone we love is in trouble, we need to act.

Fishing gear entanglement of whales, ship strikes, habitat destruction, sound pollution and whaling are real. And cruel.

If you love whales, please join me in participating in alert responses, making donations, saying prayers, and making food, supplement and household product choices that don't harm the whales.

May the whales be free from suffering. May they be at peace.

Humpback Photo Gallery

I feel myself surrender each time I see your face, I am staggered by your beauty, your unassuming grace.

~ Josh Grobin, My Confession

©Sierra Goodman divinedolphin.com

Enjoy the beauty and grace of the whales as you view the images.Click to see in larger size.
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Sacred Swims & Communication with Humpback Whales

And God created the great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, and God saw that it was good.

~ King James Bible

To purchase humpback whale photography:

Divine Dolphin: Exquisite prints and posters of dolphins and whales by Sierra Goodman of Costa Rica. Many of her beautiful whale images grace the pages of this web site thanks to her generosity. Visit her site to see the images she sells and to learn about her dolphin and whale encounters in Drake Bay.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., who has graciously allowed the use of some of his photos on this site.

Wild World Images: Magnificent humpback photographs by Tom Conlin, owner of Aquatic Adventures and producer of the dvd Whales of the Silver Bank.