Help Protect Hawaiian False Killer Whales
Hawaii is home to a unique population of whales, the Pseudorca. Members of the oceanic dolphin family, this genetically unique whale population has been dwindling at an alarming rate due to several threats:
- Overfishing: A top-of-the-food-chain feeder, the whales basically live on the same fish humans eat. Since many of these high-demand species are overfished, the availability of food is a major factor in the Pseudorca’s decline.
- Bycatch: They are known for taking fish off hooks, which
has resulted in them being killed as bycatch. - Fishing Pollution: The whales can also die when they accidentally ingest hooks,
leaders and line. - Chemical Pollution: Toxic accumulation of substances such as PCBs and DDTs, which compromise their immune
systems, have shown up in biopsies.
These few whales, already suffering from human encroachment on both land and in the water, face a new threat.
A corporation, eager to use their crucial habitat for profit-making fish farming, wants to install a dozen dirty, enormous fish cages in the whales’ habitat in order to grow 12,000,000 pounds of ahi yearly for international consumption. We have a special opportunity to prevent this threat.
We are working with the Kanaka Council, a group of Hawaiians known for protecting indigenous rights, in an effort which could stop the environmental devastation this industrial operation has the potential to cause.
Members of the Kanaka Council have filed a contested case on cultural grounds against a state decision to issue Hawaii Oceanic Technology, Inc. a permit to move forward with its industrial farm.
Help us stand up to greed and protect the Hawaiian false killer whales before it’s too late.