-
Climate
change.
-
Oil and gas
exploration and leases in Bering and Chukchi Sea feeding
grounds.
-
Noise from seismic
operations.
-
Military and non
military sonar.
-
13 Liquified Natural
Gas terminals planned along migration route.
-
Bottom
trawling.
-
Pollution causing
increased numbers of stinky whales.
-
Wave Energy
projects.
-
Orca Predation
causing mortality rates of up to 30% in some
years.
-
Lack of substitute
prey. Gray Whales are specialist feeders, their principal
prey (amphipod macrocephela) requires very cold
water to survive.
-
Changes in water
column.
-
Lack of regular and
proper population monitoring.
-
Collapsing calf count
as evidenced in 2007 when the lowest mid calf count in 30
years in 2007 was recorded.
-
IWC quota of 140 Gray
Whales per year which is, based on current population
analysis, unsustainable.
-
Gray whales are the
target species for an Aboriginal Revised Management Scheme
being developed by the International Whaling Commision,
(IWC).
-
What this means is
that the IWC Scientific Committee will soon set quotas for
more Gray Whales to be killed by indigenous tribes based on
deeply flawed and incorrect population estimates provided by
the US Government.
-
The Makah tribe are
seeking a waiver under the US Marine Mammal Protection Act
to allow the tribe to kill Gray Whales.
-
Failure of the
Federal Government to provide adequate monitoring programs
since delisting the species in 1994.