Russia puts oil and gas development before whales

Western gray whale - Existence is threatened by the oil and gas industries. Copyright Greenpeace/Igor Gavrilov.

Just 26 breeding females left

June 2010: At this week's International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting, Russia refused to comply with repeated calls to postpone a planned seismic survey in the feeding grounds of the critically endangered Western North Pacific Gray Whale.

With just 26 known breeding females of the Western Gray Whale population remaining, seismic blasts in the Russian Far East where females and their calves are trying to feed led the IWC's Scientific Committee to express "serious concerns about the potential impact on Western Gray Whales" and to "strongly recommend" that a seismic survey by petroleum company Rosneft be postponed.

‘The scientific recommendation and statements by several governments here at the IWC should have served as a wake up call to Russia,' said Wendy Elliott of WWF. ‘This whale population is on the brink of extinction, yet oil and gas exploration in its only feeding ground is increasing.

'This is scandalous – it ignores sound scientific advice'

‘This is absolutely scandalous and completely ignores sound scientific advice,' she added. ‘Russia must reconsider its position on allowing the Rosneft seismic testing to go ahead this year.'

Aleksey Knizhnikov, WWF-Russia Oil and Gas Environmental Policy Officer said: ‘In addition to scientific advice of IWC, a Russian scientific body has also raised concerns about the Rosneft survey. Furthermore, this survey will be undertaken inside the proposed whale reserve that Russian government are currently considering establishing.'

Countries that took the floor to support the Scientific Committee recommendation that the survey be postponed included the United Kingdon, the United States, Mexico and Monaco.