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Latest Resolution: 07 07
08
This resolution was carried by Senator
Kuehl and passed out of the
senate on Monday. It will be up
for a vote on the Assembly floor (concurrence) during the next
session.
Whereas, Each year, the
California gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus of the Eastern
North Pacific stock) migrates along the California coast to
feeding grounds in the Arctic, a journey of 8,500 to 11,000
miles; and
Whereas, The California gray
whale is important for public education, recreational value,
aesthetic appeal, economic significance, and scientific
interest to the people of California; and
Whereas, Whale watching
contributes to local economies in direct revenues and in the
overall economic well-being of coastal communities, including
the creation of jobs; and
Whereas, Whale watching
generates tens of millions of dollars in California annually;
and
Whereas, The California gray
whale migrates past one of the most heavily industrialized
coastlines in the world, exposing the California gray whale to
marine pollution, marine vessel traffic, industrial noise,
activities associated with the development of the outer
continental shelf resources, fishing entanglements, bottom
trawling, industrial development, and military and nonmilitary
sonar activity; and
Whereas, Marine mammals,
including the California gray whale, are vulnerable to
underwater sound, including high-intensity mid frequency sonar
systems used off the California coast;
and
Whereas, These sonar systems
blast across large areas with levels of underwater noise loud
enough to have resulted in deaths of marine mammals in
incidents around the world; and
Whereas, The significant threats
posed by global warming, melting
sea ice, and the impact of
increased sea water temperature in the Arctic feeding grounds
of the California gray whale have very serious implications
for the species; and
Whereas, The federal
government placed the gray whale on the endangered and
threatened species list in 1970 when its estimated population
was approximately 12,000 and removed it in 1994 when the
population rose to 23,000; and
Whereas, Prewhaling
population estimates used as a factor in determining species
recovered status of the gray whale are now known to be
erroneous and account only for a fraction of actual historical
populations; and
Whereas, A major collapse in
1999 and 2000 is estimated to have
wiped out one-third to
almost one-half of the population; and
Whereas, There has been no
proper population estimate published by the National Marine
Fisheries Service since 2001; and
Whereas, There is no habitat
protection for the Pacific Coast Feeding Aggregation in
California, Oregon, or Washington State;
and
Whereas, There are
inconsistencies in the protection states give to gray whales;
and
Whereas, Oregon lists the gray
whale as endangered; and
Whereas, Washington lists
the gray whale as sensitive; and
Whereas, California , by
law, defers to the federal government and lists the gray whale
as recovered; now,
therefore, be it Resolved by the
Assembly and the Senate of the State of California, jointly,
That the Legislature respectfully requests the United States
Congress and the President of the United States to call upon
the National Marine Fisheries Service to undertake an
immediate and comprehensive assessment of the California gray
whale. This assessment should include all current research
covering the migration routes, population dynamics, and
mortality of the California gray whale, and the impacts of
threats to the California gray whale, including the impact of
global warming on critical feeding grounds;
and be it
further Resolved, That the National Marine Fisheries Service
publish, and make available to the public, the results of the
comprehensive assessment of the California gray whale;
and be it further Resolved, That, if the results of
the comprehensive assessment or the body of scientific
evidence warrants it, the National Marine Fisheries Service is
requested to change the status of the gray whale to
endangered;
and be it further Resolved, That the Chief
Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to
the National Marine Fisheries Service , the President and Vice
President of the United States, the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, the Majority Leader of the Senate, and to
each Senator and Representative from California in the
Congress of the United
States.
Pedro Nava, California Assembly member
for Santa Barbara, authored the California Gray Whale
Resolution sponsored by the California Gray Whale
Coalition. This Resolution is now on its way through the
California Assembly and Senate as of April 1st,
2008.
Joint
Resolution of the California State Assembly and
Senate
Introduced by Assembly
member Nava
Relative to Higher Protection for the Eastern
North Pacific Gray Whale in The State of California
Whereas
each year the California Gray Whale (Eschrichtius
robustus -Eastern North Pacific stock) migrates along the
California Coast to feeding grounds in the Arctic, a journey
of 8,500 to 11,000 miles; and
Whereas
the California Gray Whale is an important
species from the standpoint of public education, recreational
value, aesthetic appeal, economic significance and scientific
interest to the people of California; and
Whereas whale watching
contributes to local economies both in direct revenues (and
the jobs these revenues support) and in the overall economic
wellbeing of coastal communities. Within
California, whale watching also contributes to local
revenues. Whale watching in California generates
tens of millions of dollars in California annually; and
Whereas the California Gray
Whale migrates past one of the most heavily industrialized
coastlines in the world thus exposing the population to marine
pollution, vessel traffic, industrial noise and activities
associated with the development of the outer continental shelf
resources, fishing entanglements, bottom trawling, industrial
development, military and non military sonar over virtually
its entire range; and
Whereas marine mammals,
including the California Gray Whale, are vulnerable to
underwater sound, including the use of high-intensity
mid-frequency sonar systems which have been used off the coast
of California. These sonar systems blast across large
areas with levels of underwater noise loud enough to have
killed marine mammals in incidents around the world; and
Whereas the significant threats
posed by global warming, melting sea-ice and the impact of
increased seawater temperature in the Arctic feeding grounds
of the California Gray Whale have very serious implications
for the species; and
Whereas the Federal Government
placed the California Gray Whale on the endangered and
threatened list in 1970 when their estimated population was
approximately 12,000 and delisted them in 1994 when the
population rose to 23,000; and
Whereas a major collapse in
l999-2000 is estimated to have wiped out one third to almost
half the population; and
Whereas there has been no proper
population estimate published by National Marine Fisheries
Service since 2001; and
Whereas there is no habitat
protection for the Pacific Coast Feeding Aggregation in
California, Oregon or Washington State; and
Whereas there are
inconsistencies in West Coast states protection; and
Whereas Oregon lists the Gray
Whale as endangered; and
Whereas Washington lists the
Gray Whale as sensitive; and
Whereas California considers the
Gray Whale as recovered; now, therefore be it
Resolved by the Assembly and the
Senate of the State of California State, jointly that the
Legislature respectfully memorializes the Congress and the
President of the United States to call upon the National
Marine Fisheries Service to undertake an immediate
comprehensive assessment of the California Gray Whale. This
assessment should include all current research covering the
migration route, population dynamics, mortality and impacts of
threats and proposed threats to the species including the
impact of global warming on critical feeding grounds prey; and
be it further
Resolved
by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
California State, jointly that the Legislature respectfully
memorializes the Congress and the President of the United
States to call upon the National Marine Fisheries Service to
publish the results of the comprehensive assessment of the
California Gray whale and make said results available to the
public; and be it further
Resolved by the Assembly and the
Senate of the State of California State, jointly that the
Legislature should provide the California Gray Whale the
highest protection available under California State law in
order to ensure consistency of protection along its migration
route; and be it further
Resolved by the Assembly and the
Senate of the State of California State, jointly that the
Legislature calls upon the California Fish and Game Commission
to upgrade the status of the California Gray Whale from
recovered to endangered; and be it further
Resolved, that the Chief Clerk
of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the
President and Vice President of the United States, to the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority
Leader of the Senate, and to each Senator and Representative
from California in the Congress of the United
States.
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