Hello everyone. Happy new year.

I had a very rough 2023. I am hoping 2024 is not so nasty. I hope the same for all of you.

My Fact in Focus series ended up somewhat derailed due to a combination of family emergencies and the growing need to address the issues "the walrus whisperer" presents to activists and activism.

In addition to being a near-constant source of mis/disinformation, his pathological need to be the center of attention does a dramatic disservice to every cause he approaches.

With him now adding "UrgentSeas" into the mix - attempting to construct a façade of legitimacy - it further complicates things. Especially given the current climate of lazy journalism, which unfortunately rewards sensationalism and rarely bothers with research.

I've a playlist on youtube with these videos, and recently completed a 2-part, in-depth video regarding the recent manatee situation with the Miami Seaquarium.

Please share, and be on the lookout for more informative content in the future.

(tumblr specifically - I'm a bit behind on messages here, I will get to them soon. Thank you.)

Feeling some kind of way about Tokitae's death, and watching Li'i be ignored like some kind of acceptable collateral damage... No. Not having it.

Saw this (new) reply on an older post that was recently reblogged and just wanted to note: In This House, I Believe no marine parks should have marine mammals because they not only seem incapable of housing them decently, they seem incapable of growing out of the cetacean version of this:

(img source) Captive marine mammals in general are also a no-go unless it's for a rescue/non-releasable situation or for some actual conservation purpose. This is why we need sanctuaries, but apparently human corruption largely wants to fuck that up too, so that's cool. SeaWorld making increasingly loud excuses for itself, for decades, need not apply to being decent in any way.

People wanting to keep Corky at Seaworld forever. Just saw a post on that. Can't reblog it because I'm blocked, but. Wow.

The Superpod 8 videos are now available for everyone to view.

They were actually ready to go last Friday morning (early), but for obvious reasons it did not feel appropriate to post them that day.

I will be working on accurate subtitles as I get a chance to. If you would like subtitles fixed on a video before I've gotten to it, please let me know and I'll prioritize it for you. Thanks.

Phil grifting off of Tokitae's death has me feeling some kind of way.

That disgusting man needs to stop.

I've not posted this before, due to being on the fence about it. I made it back in 2021. It's a depressing showcase of MSQ. It's even more depressing now. I hope it's clear what the point was.

I'm crushed. I have things to say. But I'll say them later.

Eh... in my opinion, no. (Largely because SeaWorld somehow manages to be AZA accredited. For me that has the effect of damaging the validity of the institution, not legitimizing SeaWorld.) But there's a lot of nuance to your question. Aquariums can feature a variety of animals. Some, in my opinion, suitable for captivity - and some not. Your definition of an aquarium behaving "ethically" is likely going to hinge partially on your take on various captive animals, like dolphins. Which I don't know. For what it's worth, AZA and WAZA technically, on paper, have relatively strict guidelines. And a while ago WAZA decided to suspend JAZA (Japan's AZA) until it shed members who dealt with Taiji.

I don't know what facility you're referring to exactly. But regardless of affiliation, by many objective measures it's simply not ethical to keep cetaceans captive.

John Carlos Frey wants to make a documentary like we've never seen in this space before. "John Carlos Frey is an investigative reporter, documentary filmmaker and author. He has dedicated his career to exposing the abuses of government and those in positions of power. He has a proven track record and is a strong advocate for the voiceless. Mr. Frey's work has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, PBS, Hulu and HBO to name a few. His work has garnered critical acclaim and six Emmy Awards." Please help us spread the word about his fundraiser so we can get more eyes - and hopefully more money - on this project. It will be an invaluable piece of media and is sorely needed.

URGENT! DO YOU WANT TO HELP THE SOUTHERN RESIDENTS? PLEASE HELP US WRITE, CALL AND TEXT!

A lawsuit, National Wildlife Federation vs National Marine Fisheries Service, may finally determine the fate of the 4 Lower Snake River Dams, the salmon who spawn there and the remaining 75 Southern Resident Orca who desperately need salmon to survive. Biden needs to know that we want those dams breached. He's broken enough of his climate promises - let him know that, and the extinction of these amazing animals, isn't an option!

Public comment is also being sought on the matter. Please visit our page, BidenBreachNow, for talking points, social media shareables, and extensive information about why the dams need to go. This is a critical time. Please call, text, write or email, every day if you can, until August 31st. Even if you already have acted and/or shared, please do it again. Please keep sharing because every voice counts! The Snake River was once one of the top salmon rivers in the world. That is sadly no longer the case. Four deadbeat dams on the Lower Snake River have cost an estimated 8 to 9 billion dollars in failed salmon recovery attempts - taxpayer money! - and they lose millions more every year generating unstorable surplus energy. What they do sell is often sold at a loss. The dams continue to get older and costlier to maintain, while solar and wind energy have replaced their power output; energy efficiency alone has done the same seven times over.

These dams aren't even clean energy! Their reservoirs emit huge amounts of methane, which contributes to the climate crisis. Please help spread this if you can, and join in. We have a real chance here to get this done - so let's do it.

As the late and great Ken Balcomb said: "We're at a point in history where we need to wake up to what we have to consider: do we want whales, or not?"

He never stopped fighting for the Southern Residents, and neither should we.

HEY ALL!

Straight out of Superpod I was roped into helping set up a fierce new campaign due to some time-sensitive stuff we learned about breaching the Lower Snake River Dams. I'm going to make and blaze the post shortly, but I'd love to have as much help as possible getting word spread around. We need everyone!

Back from Superpod (as of Sunday) - have been putting the house back together, seeing to my animals & offloading all of my SD cards. 

I’m currently in the process of getting the presentations edited and ready to share; will let everyone know when things are ready. 

I’ll be headed out to Superpod shortly.  If I’m able to, I can post mini updates (and share pictures) throughout the week. If not, I’ll post a summary afterwards and y’all can expect presentations to be available 1-2 weeks afterwards.  I’m also going to see if I have the OK to post the Ways of Whales material.

For those who may be interested in attending Superpod this year (or knowing more about it), its website has been redone and is now live with the event schedule.