The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant operates just a few miles from WDCS-NA’s headquarters in Plymouth, MA.   A couple of buildings down from our office, one of the power plant's emergency alert speakers hangs from a telephone pole.  We largely ignore the periodic sirens followed by the “this is a test” recorded voiceover.  Our annual calendar, provided by the Plant and complete with emergency driving directions out of Plymouth in the case of an accident, hangs in the office bathroom.  The local hospitals and schools have stores of iodine pills, just in case………………  Every one of us working in the Plymouth office knows someone that works at the Plant, it’s a significant source of employment for a town that largely relies on tourism and our reality of living with nuclear power.  Pilgrim, as it is locally known, is a haunting shadow we have grown accustomed to and tend to not think about until something goes wrong, either here, or half way around the world.  And as the Plant is requesting to extend its license for another 20 years, we have much to consider from a human, and whale, standpoint. 
 
Pilgrim began operation in 1972 with a 20 year license, extended in 1992.  Opponents worry the Plant is too old and brittle to continue to function and that it’s not if, but when, that a catastrophic accident will happen.  They point out the reactor is the same type and design as the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, which had a massive radiation leak and was disabled during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  But are the major catastrophic accidents the only concern we should have?  Are the day to day plant operations enough to raise our concern environmentally? 
 
Pilgrim was built on Cape Cod Bay, providing a convenient and endless source of cooling water necessary for operation.  Cape Cod Bay is also home to protected seals, dolphins, porpoises and endangered large whales, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, of which fewer than 500 remain.  In fact, the Bay is so important to right whales that most of it was designated as Critical Habitat under the Endangered Species Act in 1994.  The only reason the entire Bay was not designated at the time was a lack of data, which we now have.  As a result, our 2010 Petition to the US government to increase Critical Habitat for right whales asks for the entire Bay to be designated.  But it's not just right whales that might be affected. All of the animals living in Cape Cod Bay may be impacted by the thermal discharges, as well as by the discharges of biocides, chlorine and radioactive elements as water does not stop at the imaginary boundaries we place on maps. 
 
The current that runs through Cape Cod Bay begins in the waters north and moves counter clockwise through the Bay.  Each day, the Plant discharges more than 510 million gallons of heated, and treated, water into the Bay.  Yet, no research has been conducted to determine the entrainment (sucked into the cooling pipes) rates of Calanus copepods, the primary prey item for endangered right whales.  Calanus copepods have a preferred thermal environment from just below freezing to a maximum of 60F.  This species cannot survive the 27-32F degree increase in water temperature resulting from the Plant’s outflow, or the 120F water temperature during the bi-weekly thermal backwashes. Pilgrim, itself, acknowledges that the “Cumulative impacts on the aquatic food web potentially could include reductions in the abundance of important phytoplankton and zooplankton species in the vicinity due to their entrainment in the cooling systems or from exposure to the heated discharges. This could potentially lead to effects on other species in the food web.”  Yet they go on to say that there is no evidence that the operation of the Plant will have an impact.  Is that why the studies haven’t been done?  No data, no problem? Never mind that the Environmental Impact Statement produced by Pilgrim provided information on sandlance, primary food source in our area for endangered humpback and fin whales, from an educational website, not a research journal.  If most universities require citations from peer reviewed journals, not web sites, then shouldn’t a permit applicant for a nuclear power plant be held to a similar standard?
 
We have asked the National Marine Fisheries Service to conduct a Consultation with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as required under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.  Whales face a staggering number of threats the outflow from Pilgrim is simply one of them. But it is the cumulative impacts of the combined threats that are impeding their recovery.  We are grateful to the organizations tracking the threat to human health that may result from the radioactive exposure resulting from leaks, but we hope the government will also look at the impacts the Plant has on Cape Cod Bay and its inhabitants simply from its operation.

The unprecedented number of mass strandings of common dolphins on Cape Cod have made national and international news. Beginning in mid-January and continuing for more than five weeks, common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) have been stranding on Cape Cod Bay shores. According to IFAW’s Marine Mammal Rescue and Research Team (MMRR), at least 179 animals stranded - of which 71 were alive. The team responded to four more live dolphins in Eastham yesterday, releasing all four - one with a satellite tag! Thanks to their efforts, nearly 75% of the animals stranded alive this season were successfully released. Six of the released animals were tagged with some going north to Maine while others have gone south or east, at least one venturing off the continental shelf east of New Jersey. These data support the idea that the animals are not sick and can be released successfully.

If they are not sick, then why do they strand in the first place is, of course, the million dollar question for which we have no solid answer. That certainly hasn’t stopped people from coming up with a multitude of reasons, some possible, some self-serving. We do know that Cape Cod, along with specific areas of New Zealand and Australia are hot-spots for mass live strandings of toothed whales (dolphins, pilot whales, etc). We know that the species that strand are typically pelagic animals, not normally found in shallow coastal waters. We know that Cape Cod, itself, is a “hook” in the ocean with significant tidal changes and shallow coastal flats. And we know that strandings here have been happening since before the Pilgrims arrived in 1620.

IFAW MMRR staff and volunteers bring a dolphin for release back into the sea. c. IFAW/L.Witzke

While there are cases where significant underwater noises, from seismic testing to military activity, have coincided with strandings, there is, however, no evidence of these recent Cape Cod events being caused by underwater noise. We do not have offshore energy developments in Cape Cod Bay causing noise, or electrical disruptions leading animals to shore. Cape Cod Bay is not significantly polluted making animals sick. For better or worse, this is a naturally occurring phenomenon. And for once, this is a case where we as humans are not the cause but rather the solution. Hundreds of volunteers overseen by IFAW's and the New England Aquarium’s stranding networks have given day after day to move animals back to sea. Countless hours have been spent by people giving out blankets, pouring coffee, or manning phones in an effort to help. This is a situation where we need to think less about what humans did wrong and more about what we, collectively, do right. Whales and dolphins around the world need our support just as we need them to survive to maintain healthy oceans on which we all depend.

And this is why we ask you to write to your congressional representatives and urge them to support funding for the Prescott Grant program, slated to be eliminated in the 2013 federal budget. This loss of this grant program would have a huge impact only on IFAW's MMRR team, but on all stranding networks around the country. Here's a sample letter and a website to look up the contact info of your Congressional rep.

Dear [Insert Congressional rep name here],

As a concerned member of your constituency, I am writing today to ask for your consideration and support on the very important issue of federal funding for marine mammal stranding response.  In the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service proposed budget (currently put forth by the President for approval), a very small, but very important program has been cut.  The John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program has been eliminated from the FY 2013 federal budget.  This cut will affect stranding response organization along every coast of the United States.

As a volunteer for one of these organizations, I can attest to the need for continued federal support.  The national marine mammal stranding network is made up mainly of non-profit organizations that have very few staff and many dedicated volunteers.  These organizations help NOAA Fisheries to fulfill its legal mandate to respond to stranding under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.  Under Title IV of the Act, NOAA (under the Secretary of Commerce) is obliged to:

“collect and update, periodically, existing information on—(1) procedures and practices for—(A) rescuing and rehabilitating stranded marine mammals, including criteria used by stranding network participants, on a species-by-species basis, for determining at what point a marine mammal undergoing rescue and rehabilitation is returnable to the wild; and (B) collecting, preserving, labeling, and transporting marine mammal tissues for physical, chemical, and biological analyses; (2) appropriate scientific literature on marine mammal health, disease, and rehabilitation; (3) strandings, which the Secretary shall compile and analyze, by region, to monitor species, numbers, conditions, and causes of illnesses and deaths of stranded marine mammals; and (4) other life history and reference level data, including marine mammal tissue analyses, that would allow comparison of the causes of illness and deaths in stranded marine mammals with physical, chemical, and biological environmental parameters.”

Stranding networks provide the skilled and experienced personnel necessary to fulfill this legal mandate, which NOAA cannot do internally.  These organizations do their best to garner public donations and foundation grants to cover some of the costs of response to live and dead marine mammals, with only this one dedicated grant program providing a small portion of federal support for the work.  Unlike other federally mandated work which receives federal funding from a variety of agencies and sources, the Prescott Grant Program is the only federal funding dedicated to stranding response.  It is unrealistic to assume that these dedicated organizations can continue to fulfill an ever growing request for data from NOAA, without continued federal support.

The value of the work done by stranding networks goes beyond the animal welfare provided through response to live stranded animals.  Every animal, live and dead, is examined and key data and samples are collected.  These data are used by NOAA in developing sound, science-based policies to protect not only marine mammals, but also ocean ecosystems and human health.  Stranded marine mammals provide essential data in identifying emerging diseases and effects of biotoxins which can threaten commercially valuable fish and shellfish species as well as human health.
The Prescott Grant Program also serves to generate additional public funding for this work.  All grant recipients must provide matching funds totally one third of the federal funds requested.  Over the life of the grant program $36M in federal funding has in turn leveraged over $12M in public support for this important, federally mandated work.  I urge you to demand the re-instatement of funding for the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program.

Sincerely,

While many try to understand and improve the outcome of recent dolphin strandings on Cape Cod – half a world away free swimming dolphins are being brutally slaughtered on a regular basis. We are sad to report that the annual dolphin drive hunts in Taiji continue unabated.  Dolphin drive hunts are an accepted practice in Taiji, Japan – the village featured in the Academy Award Winning Documentary The Cove.  There, these magnificent animals are slaughtered for meat or kept alive for sale to marine parks and aquaria across the globe. The dolphin species primarily hunted in Taiji include: bottlenose dolphins, pilot whales, false killer whales, Risso's dolphins and striped dolphins.

We operate in the face of disturbing contrasts when it comes to our treatment of dolphins – as fervent work is being done to help stranded dolphins return to the sea in the US, dolphins in Japan and elsewhere are being harassed, corralled and essentially forced to strand before they are brutally slaughtered.

While we receive alerts of dolphins near shore in Cape Cod Bay - rescuers work to prevent strandings; however, dolphin alerts in Taiji are handled very differently. In Taiji, the alert of dolphin pods often results in fishermen driving the dolphins into the cove and then closing it off with nets to prevent their escape.  Another very stark contradiction is when stranded dolphins on Cape Cod cannot be returned to the sea, they are humanely euthanized.  In Taiji, dolphins are killed by driving a metal rod into their neck.  The small percent of dolphins in the cove that are spared from slaughter are ripped from their families and condemned to a life in captivity or swim-with programs.

January marks the mid-point of the annual hunt season: September through April.  The government-issued quota from Japan for this season in Taiji is 2,165 dolphins (mixed species).  During the 2010-2011 season, over 1,200 dolphins were killed and observers on the ground indicated that at least 150 dolphins were taken alive for aquaria.  Also, according to Wakayama authorities, 68 short-finned pilot whales were also slaughtered for meat and 6 were captured alive for aquariums during an extended hunting period which lasted until June.

WDCS works diligently to support global initiatives and efforts within Japan to seek out and support an end to drive hunts. Currently there are no signs from the authorities that the hunts will cease anytime soon.  However, in the near future, WDCS will publish a report on the cruelty and suffering associated with the killing methods currently utilized in the drive hunts.

Despite the controversial nature of the hunt, the international criticism, and the health risks that the often polluted meat can cause, thousands of dolphins are caught in drive hunts each year. While we are proud to work with stranding networks in the US to save dolphins, the dolphin drive hunts are a reminder that we have a very long way to go towards securing a safe future for all cetaceans. If you care to support our stranding response efforts and our work to end drive hunts and captivity you can make a gift now. You can also learn more about these issues on our captivity page and whaling page.

Happy Holidays- from the whales: The holidays are upon us, many are rushing to buy and Wrap up gifts for family and friends. Although holiday shopping maybe Chaos at this particular time of the year – it is also a magical time of year. We tend to be more nostalgic, cheerful and kinder to one another. It is a time to reflect and reconnect with family, friends and loved ones.

If we are lucky, we sit by the Fire; some roast chestnuts, some sing Holiday songs, but we all cheer at Midnight on New Year’s Eve.

While some little ones watch their Rooftop

and check and their Chimney

others light a Candle each night.
As far as traditions go, the decoration of trees dates back centuries. In the 16th century fir trees used to be adorned in Germany, both indoors and out, with apples, roses, gilded candies, and colored paper. It is believed that the Protestant reformer Martin Luther first decorated fir trees with light. Inspired by the way a Star looked shining through the Branch of a fir tree.
Later in history, Prince Albert -Queen’s Victoria husband- brought a tree from his native Germany to England. A Paint-ing of the Royal Family gathered around the tree in Windsor Castle popularized the tradition throughout Victorian England. After the fir trees were brought to America by the Pennsylvania Germans, it became an official tradition by the late 19th century around the world.
We Wish you a wonderful Holiday Season, and may it even be white with Snowflake!
Happy Holidays from everyone from WDCS NA!