Scientists find whales more endangered in Exxon, BP and Rosneft oil areas

Source: WWF

Oil and gas exploration by energy giants Exxon, BP and Rosneft is seriously threatening one of the world’s most critically endangered whales, according to a panel of top scientists in a new report.

The Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel (WGWAP), composed of 11 scientists and representatives from Shell and Sakahlin Energy, met in April to discuss how oil and gas development affect the whales’ main annual feeding area off the northeastern coast of Sakhalin Island, Russia.

The scientists found that in 2008 there was a large decrease in the number of whales in their annual feeding area near the shore during a period of loud industrial activity, including a seismic survey. This is significant because if the whales are displaced from this primary annual feeding area, they will have less success reproducing.

“Western gray whale cows with their calves feed near the shore, but the industrial noise resulting from oil and gas development activities is pushing them out of the area,” Doug Norlen from Pacific Environment. “Any disturbance of these critically endangered whales’ behavior is particularly concerning as there are only 130 of them left."

Read more: http://www.panda.org/wwf_news/?166681/Scientists-find-whales-more-endangered-in-Exxon-BP-and-Rosneft-oil-areas

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Western Gray Whale panel report 261 KB pdf: http://assets.panda.org/downloads/wgwap_6_report_final.pdf