From: Kate Wing <[log in to unmask]>

Marine Mammals

{CITES - IWC WHALING  JURISDICTION.   ON JUNE 13, 1997, DELEGATES
AT THE MEETING OF CITES (CONVENTION  ON  INTERNATIONAL  TRADE  IN
ENDANGERED  SPECIES  OF WILD FAUNA AND FLORA) PARTIES IN ZIMBABWE
VOTED 27-57 BY SECRET  BALLOT  TO  DEFEAT  A JAPANESE PROPOSAL TO
SEVER  LINKAGE  BETWEEN  CITES  AND  THE  INTERNATIONAL   WHALING
COMMISSION,   GIVING   WHALE  CONSERVATION  MONITORING  TO  CITES
EXCLUSIVELY.} [ASSOC PRESS]

Hawaiian Whale Sanctuary.   June  6,  1997,  was  the deadline by
which HI Governor Ben Cayetano was to have decided how  much,  if
any,  of  a  proposed  1,680  square  miles  of  state waters and
submerged lands should  be  included  within the Hawaiian Islands
Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and  managed  under  its
federal management plan.  [Assoc Press]

Atlantic   Large  Whale  Protection.   In  late  May  1997,  U.S.
District Court  Judge  Douglas  P.  Woodlock  ruled  that federal
agencies  were  making  sufficient  progress   through   proposed
regulations  to  address  citizen  concerns for better protecting
north Atlantic right whales.  [Assoc Press]

Tuna-Dolphin Legislation.  H.R.   408,  amendments  to the Marine
Mammal Protection  Act  relating  to  the  International  Dolphin
Conservation  Program,  was approved by the full House on May 21,
1997,  by  a  vote   of  262-166.   [Federal  Register,  personal
communication]

Norwegian Whaling.  On May 20, 1997, 28 Norwegian whalers  and  4
whalemeat  processing  companies  argued  in an appeal of a lower
court denial on  a  $8.5  million  lawsuit  against the Norwegian
government  in  Oslo  district  court,  claiming  they  sustained
considerable loss when the Norwegian government failed to support
the whaling industry between 1988 and 1993  and  did  not  permit
commercial whaling.  On May 26, 1997, a Dutch court rejected Paul
Watson's  petition  for  release  on  bail  at  a  hearing on his
possible extradition  to  Norway.   The  court  is  to submit its
recommendation concerning the Norwegian petition for  extradition
within  two  weeks.   Lofoten  Islands police have announced that
legal proceedings in Lofoten  County  Court are scheduled against
Watson in Norway on Sept.  1, 1997, relating to alleged negligent
navigation and collision with a Norwegian coast guard  vessel  in
the  summer  of  1994.  Compensation for damages of $120,000 with
possible interest  is  sought  by  the  Norwegian  Navy  for this
collision.  On May 28, 1997, the Norwegian Directorate for Nature
Management wrote a letter to the CITES Secretariat  stating  that
Norway  will  establish  a  DNA  register  for  whales  to better
identify whalemeat from  whales  taken under proclaimed Norwegian
quotas, as an addendum to Norway's proposal to downlist  2  minke
whale  stocks.   {On  June  9, 1997, a Dutch court decided not to
grant Norway's request for extradition of Paul Watson; Watson was
subsequently released.  On  June  11,  1997,  Oslo district court
rejected whalers' arguments in a lawsuit  against  the  Norwegian
government,  and  ruled that the government had the right to stop
whaling from 1988  to  1992.}  [Assoc  Press, High North Alliance
News, Dow Jones News, personal communication]

Captive Manatees Outside FL?  On May 20,  1997,  U.S.   Fish  and
Wildlife  Service  officials  reported  in  the  Fort  Myers, FL,
News-Press that more than 50 manatees are in captivity in FL, and
that display facilities are  overcrowded.  Some manatees that are
not candidates for  release  may  be  made  available  to  public
display facilities outside FL, if appropriate captive maintenance
standards can be met.  [Assoc Press]

Dolphin  Feeding  Enforcement.   On  May 19, 1997, NMFS issued an
announcement reminding the public that  it  is illegal to feed or
swim with dolphins in the wild.  NMFS personnel are holding  news
conferences  at various locations in FL where dolphin feeding has
become popular.  NMFS has contracted with the FL Marine Patrol to
provide additional enforcement  relating  to dolphins during 1997
and, in 1998, NMFS expects to fund an  additional  6  enforcement
officers  for  protected  species  enforcement, including dolphin
feeding and harassment.  [Assoc Press, NMFS press release]

Japanese  Scientific   Whaling.    On   May   12-16,   1997,  the
International  Whaling  Commission's  Scientific   Committee   is
meeting  behind  closed  doors in Tokyo, Japan, to review Japan's
scientific whaling  program.   Results  of  this  review  will be
presented at the IWC's annual meeting in Monaco in October  1997.
[Dow Jones News, Reuters]
....
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