The Magic and Horrors of Encounters at Sea

An awe-inspiring, tragic, must-see presentation by Brian Skerry.


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Visit Brian on the Web at www.brianskerry.com

How to Cuddle with an Elephant Seal

If this doesn't make you smile, you might want to check for a pulse.


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=)

Waltz of the Sea Lions

Simply... charming.

Navy Resumes Sonar Training

In the latest chapter of a story we've been following here for some time now, the US Navy has resumed sonar training off the San Diego coast while the legal battle continues.

The Navy has resumed sonar training off the coast of Southern California as the government and environmentalists battle in court over how the exercises affect whales and other marine mammals.

The training by the carrier strike group of the USS Abraham Lincoln is part of a broader exercise to prepare the group for deployment, the Navy said in a news release.

During the exercises, which began Wednesday and were scheduled to last through February 1, sailors train in anti-submarine warfare, ocean security operations and other areas.

Commander Dora Lockwood, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Third Fleet in San Diego, said Sunday the operations were being conducted "within all the regulations."

The anti-submarine warfare exercises use mid-frequency active sonar. Critics say sonar has harmful effects on marine mammals, possibly by damaging their hearing. Some allege the sonar causes whales and other mammals to beach themselves.

A federal judge this month temporarily lifted certain measures designed to lessen the impact of sonar on whales.

The decision came a day after President Bush exempted the Navy from an environmental law in an effort to allow the service to continue anti-submarine warfare exercises. He said the exercises were in the interest of national security.

The Natural Resources Defense Council had sued to force the Navy to lessen the harm of its sonar exercises. In November, a federal appeals court said the sonar problem needed to be fixed.

See previous posts:

1) Court Orders Navy to Lessen Sonar Impact on Marine Life

2) Bush Exempts Navy From Court Order Limiting Sonar Exercises

And the Moron of the Week Award Goes to...

It's a tie!!!

Two men from South Florida who posted a video of themselves trying to hook a manatee in a Hollywood, Fla., canal on their MySpace pages were ordered to serve prison time.

Charles Podesta, Jr., 20, and Karl Kuhn III, 19, were charged with violating the Federal Endangered Species Act.

Podesta was sentenced Thursday to 30 days, plus 30 days of house arrest. He must also offer an apology on his MySpace page.

Kuhn was given a 15-day jail term, plus a year of probation.

Both men were also given 100 hours of community service.

Bush Exempts Navy From Court Order Limiting Sonar Exercises

President Bush - in response to a court order from earlier this month - has issued a waiver that exempts the United States Navy from limiting sonar exercises seen as harmful to whales.

Los Angeles, CA (AHN) - The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) said it will appeal an unprecedented waiver issued by President Bush Wednesday that overrides a federal court order requiring the U.S. Navy to minimize harm to whales and dolphins during sonar exercises off Southern California.

President Bush gave the Navy the waiver under the Coastal Zone Management Act and allowed the Navy a second "emergency" waiver under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Both waivers must survive court review for the Navy to legally ignore the injunction.

"The use of mid-frequency active sonar ... are in the paramount interest of the United States," said Bush in a memorandum to the Defense Department.

The U.S. District Court on Jan. 3 required the Navy, among other measures, to maintain a 12 nautical mile no-sonar buffer zone along the California coastline; to shut down sonar when marine mammals were spotted within 2,000 meters; and to monitor for marine mammals using various methods.

"This is not a national security issue. The Navy doesn't need to harm whales to train effectively with sonar. It simply chooses to for the sake of convenience," said Joel Reynolds, director of the Marine Mammal Protection Project at NRDC, which obtained the injunction against the Navy.

Oh Snap! Teen Captures Dolphin Mid-flight

This kid has skills!

Standing on the back of a moving boat in Fiordland's Doubtful Sound, Christchurch teenager Tyler Christmas had one last shot at his target.

The 16-year-old steadied himself and pressed the shutter on his mother Karen's digital camera. What he got was a perfectly framed dolphin in mid-leap, with another of the pod just breaking the water in the boat's wake.

Tyler was on a holiday cruise with his parents on January 5 when a pod of 20 dolphins appeared in the boat's wake. As the dolphins zig-zagged, several started to jump out of the water.

Tyler said that on the first passes he shot either too early or too late, capturing snouts or tails. However, his persistence paid off.

"That was the last jump they did," the Linwood youngster said of his stunning photo.

However, when he downloaded the photograph onto his laptop, he was not overly impressed.

"I thought 'Hmm, OK. I have seen better'," he said.

However, after seeing the reaction of others, and with his mother's encouragement, he sent the photo to The Press summer holiday competition.

It arrived just too late, but the newspaper's illustrations editor was impressed.

Tyler is already eyeing a career in video or still photography.

Court Orders Navy to Lessen Sonar Impact on Marine Life

From Fox News:

A U.S. District Court in Los Angeles has ordered the Navy to adopt a series of measures that would lessen the impact of sonar on whales and other marine life during exercises off Southern California.

The preliminary injunction issued Thursday requires the Navy to create a 12-nautical-mile no-sonar zone along the coast, have trained lookouts watch for marine mammals before and during exercises and shut down sonar when mammals are spotted within 2,200 yards.

The Natural Resources Defense Council filed the lawsuit to force the Navy to lessen the harm of its sonar exercises. In November, a federal appeals court said the sonar problem needed to be fixed and sent the matter to a trial judge in Los Angeles to hammer out the details.

The council's lawsuit alleges the Navy's sonar causes whales and other mammals to beach themselves. But the Navy has said the exercises are vital for training and claims it already minimizes the risk to marine life.