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<DIV>More information on EDC Blue Whale Claim.</DIV>
<DIV>Marty</DIV>
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<DIV>EDC's 11 page Aug. 12 draft letter is attached to Scott Hadley's <EM>V.Co. Star</EM> article.</DIV>
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<P align=left><FONT face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">"NMFS’ unreasonable delay in implementing these discrete, specific, and</FONT></DIV>
<P align=left><FONT face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">enforceable Blue Whale Recovery Plan provisions constitutes a violation of its nondiscretionary</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">duties under section 4 of the ESA"</FONT></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV><A href="http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/aug/13/group-to-sue-federal-agency-over-blue-whales/" rel=nofollow target=_blank>http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/aug/13/group-to-sue-federal-agency-over-blue-whales/</A></DIV>
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<DIV>Caitlin Crandell's <EM>Battling for the Blues SB Independent </EM>article includes comment of SBMNH Michelle Berman that" endangered<EM> right</EM> whale population currently stands at a mere 500."</DIV>
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<DIV><A href="http://www.independent.com/news/2009/aug/13/battling-blues/" rel=nofollow target=_blank>http://www.independent.com/news/2009/aug/13/battling-blues/</A></DIV>
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<DIV>"Whether the EDC’s lawsuit will help the whale is another question. “While the blue whale is endangered, the population is recovering,” explained Michelle Berman, the associate curator of vertebrate zoology at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Berman said that five deaths wouldn’t decimate the blue whale population as it would the endangered right whale, whose population currently stands at a mere 500. Berman said 2007 was an anomalous year. “We haven’t seen anything like it previously and haven’t seen anything like it since.” Furthermore, Berman believes that the whales “didn’t die in vain,” explaining that important information was gathered while examining the five dead whales. Berman thought the NMFS seemed to be “handling the issue delicately” in the myriad issues it deals with, and that the agency likely doesn’t have the “thousands or millions to spend” on implementing the blue whale
plan."<BR><BR></DIV></DIV></td></tr></table>