Ecosystem and Whales

* Speculative science can kill whales. Your June 6 article, “Deaths May Signal Too Many Whales for the Ocean,” quoted government and other scientists as saying that there are too many gray whales in the ocean. Recent whale deaths, apparently from starvation, are nature’s way of restoring the balance. As a professional marine ecologist, I see this as a dangerous misuse of science. A more plausible explanation, supported by scientific evidence, is that whales are starving because their ecosystem is collapsing.

California gray whales migrate to Alaska and feed in the Bering Sea. Since 1997 this region has undergone dramatic changes. Massive plant blooms have altered the food web. Thousands of seabirds have starved and others have failed to reproduce. Salmon runs are at an all-time low. Hungry killer whales have started hunting sea otters. Does this sound like a healthy ecosystem?

Now there is a rush to declare that there are too many gray whales. If we cut down old-growth forests, spotted owl populations decline. Does this mean we have too many owls? Most appalling is that this speculative science is being used to support both the Makah whale hunt and expanded commercial whaling. We should be using good science to evaluate whether California gray whales are in trouble and again in need of protection under the Endangered Species Act.

DEBORAH M. BROSNAN, Pres.

Sustainable Ecosystems Institute

Portland, Ore.