Posted on 01/09/2012 5:19:17 PM PST by DogByte6RER
Monterey biologist accused of feeding whale
SAN FRANCISCO ---- A marine biologist who runs popular whale-watching tours on California's Monterey Bay has been indicted for violating federal laws that protect marine mammals.
Nancy Black, a marine scientist whose work has been featured on PBS, National Geographic and Animal Planet, was charged Wednesday with four violations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Her attorneys countered the charges by arguing that her interactions with the creatures were legal scientific research.
She was accused of feeding killer whales in 2005 during a research trip, and misleading investigators by editing video footage of her encounters with other whales during a whale-watching trip, and then lying about it. All of the alleged incidents occurred within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, one of 13 ocean sanctuaries established in 1992.
Prosecutors say the charges were filed after an investigation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Department of Justice. Wyn Hornbuckle, a spokesman for the DOJ, declined to comment, as did a spokesman for NOAA.
In addition to her scientific work, Black owns Monterey Bay Whale Watch and operates two commercial whale-watching vessels. Black has also worked with federal agencies on the study of whales, including the National Marine Mammal Laboratory, which is part of NOAA.
If she is found guilty of editing the video and then lying about it, Black could receive a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a half million dollars in fines. Each of the feeding charges carries a maximum penalty of a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
According to the indictment, Black was asked to provide video taken from her whale-watching boat during an October 2005 trip that investigators believe included an illegal encounter with a humpback whale.
(Excerpt) Read more at nctimes.com ...
lol.....
Bottom line is, they always think THEY will be one of the elite rulers. It is always a shock to them when they realize they aren’t viewed the the elites as being part of that crowd.
They are simply tools. Useful tools. The most useful kind of tools...those that don’t know they are being used.
Exactly what I was thinking! Once the whales start to see humans as an easy source of food, they'll be breaking into our homes and running rampant through campgrounds.
That is correct and cleaning up that whale poo will be a bitch.
NOAA fines big-wave surfers using Jet-Ski’s to rescue drowning friends in waves:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7i7Te1QQaM&context=C3ef0b68ADOEgsToPDskIYByOknu_cvU7m0Qe7FVkt
The government considers the prohibition on feeding whales to be a way of "protecting" whales? What are they protecting the whales from? Turkey and cheese sandwiches, a banana and some juice? Or is the government trying to keep them from becoming dependent and therefore more vulnerable? If feeding whales is harmful to them according to the all-knowing, all-seeing government, then is it not true that the government is intentionally harming humans by feeding them through its food stamp program, etc?
No good feed goes unpunished.
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