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WEEKLY NEWS 4: Relocating California Gray Whales

It is a well-known fact that whales can’t fly, but 50 gray whales will be doing just that if Andrew Ramsey and Owen Nevin have their way. Earlier this week at a meeting in Brazil, Ramsey and Nevin, conservation scientists with the University of Lancaster's School of Natural Resources in northern England, proposed airlifting the giant mammals from the Pacific Ocean off the California coastline to the chilly waters near the United Kingdom.

The plan, which if accepted will begin in 2015, is an attempt to reintroduce the gray whale to the Atlantic Ocean near the European continent. Once abundant in that part of the world, the whale species has been extinct in that region for 400 years. However, the species is thriving near California, and Ramsey and Nevin say that removing surplus members of the American population would not negatively affect the whales.

Should the plan be approved, the whales will be placed in cargo plane for a 12-hour journey to their new home. The gray whale, which can grow to a length longer than a school bus and weigh approximately 40 tons, must be kept moist at all times during the flight. Once in the new location, the whales should be at harmony with local fishing communities because they feast on worms, not fish. The whales also could help the local economy by bring whale-watchers from around the world.

However, some critics of the idea say that reintroduction is a complex process and may, in fact, harm the animals.

--Written by Morgan Diamond

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