Dear Save The Whales Supporter,
You have helped marine mammals throughout the world in 2012, and we thank you for taking a few minutes to send a letter, email or petition.
Here are some of the ways your comments mattered:
DEFEATING seismic testing by Pacific Gas & Electric off the Central California coast. The project go-ahead was denied by the California Coastal Commission. This was a major victory and made stronger by the numerous groups of citizens, indigenous people, animal and conservation groups that worked together to defeat it. Thousands of marine animals would have been killed or injured.
HELPED free entangled whales in the U.S. and Mexico. After the entangled gray whale June got away from rescuers in Orange County CA, she was next sighted in Big Sur, CA. Anticipating her arrival in the Monterey Bay, CA area, Save The Whales helped organize observers on land to look for her. However, June swam through without a sighting. Fearing for her survival, we learned that crab fishermen were her heroes and disentangled the barely-moving whale in Bodega Bay, CA It was then discovered June was traveling with a calf.
In Baja, California, Mexico we advised local rescuers on proper techniques to help them rescue a young gray whale that had netting tangled around its mouth. The rescuers saved the baby whale.
PROTECTING the vaquita, the world's smallest porpoise. Native to Mexico's Sea of Cortez, the vaquita is the world's most-endangered marine mammal. Fewer than 200 still survive, and these precious few are threatened by local gillnet fisheries. To help reduce that threat, we've provided funds for GPS systems that can alert fishermen when they enter waters set aside as vaquita preserves. We've also developed programs to raise fishermen's awareness of these preserves and of the plight of vaquitas. To learn more, visit
In addition to whales, we asked for your help for a marine mammal:
CALIFORNIA SEA OTTERS will now by law be allowed to swim freely between Northern and Southern California. A final decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service terminated the 25-year-old southern sea otter translocation program (originally designed to provide a safeguard against population loss from a catastrophe like an oil spill). Now, they can roam freely and populations will increase. Over 27,000 comments were received, the vast majority expressed support for termination of the translocation program. It will greatly decrease stress on the animals and eliminate the costs involved in moving them.
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EDUCATING and INSPIRING over 5,000 school children in 2012 with hands-on school programs about whales, marine mammals, endangered species, ocean pollution, sea turtles and storm drain pollution. We answered questions from school children all around the world; perhaps one of them will grow up to be a leader for the oceans. We continue to work with local municipalities and college students on community events and to stencil storm drains with the message, "No dumping flows to bay," in order to educate everyone so they understand that protecting the oceans and the whales is up to all of us.
Save The Whales was awarded the Best of Seaside Award for Environmental, Conservation & Ecological Organizations.
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