Protecting Western Gray Whales

A Western Gray Whale near an oil drilling platform operated by Shell, Mitsubishi, and Matsui near Sakhalin Island.
Photo by Greenpeace Russia

E-LAW U.S. is pleased to welcome pioneering Russian environmental lawyer Yulia Yakel to Eugene for a ten-week Working Exchange Fellowship. Yulia and her co-workers at Legal Centre Rodnik in Moscow recently brought a groundbreaking case to protect the breeding grounds of the Western Gray Whale off Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East.

While in Eugene, Yulia will work with E-LAW U.S. Staff Attorneys and Staff Scientists to tap legal and scientific tools she needs to protect Western Gray Whales, defend indigenous peoples` land rights, and challenge oil industry abuses. Yulia will also complete an intensive English program at the University of Oregon`s American English Institute and attend the 2005 E-LAW Annual International Meeting.

The Western Gray Whale is a cousin to the Eastern Gray Whale that migrates up and down the west coast of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico each year. Both populations were decimated by commercial whaling in the 19th and 20th centuries. Eastern Gray Whale populations have recovered, but Western Gray Whales are still at the edge of extinction. The Western Gray Whale was placed on The World Conservation Union (IUCN) "Critically Endangered" list in 2000.

Scientists believe that fewer than 100 Western Gray Whales remain. Highly migratory, these whales return from May to October to feed in the same 60 x 5 km area off the northeast coast of Sakhalin Island. Unfortunately, within 20 km of this vital and irreplaceable habitat, multinational oil companies are developing major offshore oil and gas fields. In addition to the risk of an oil spill, the whales face the dangers of high intensity seismic exploration, construction of drilling rigs and platforms, and increased ship and helicopter traffic.

Yulia Yakel

Yulia and the Legal Centre Rodnik are challenging multinational companies, including Shell, Mitsubishi, and Matsui. They have won preliminary victories in the case, including a ruling recognizing the public’s interest in the case and granting standing to citizens.

Yulia has worked at Legal Centre Rodnik since its founding in 1999. She attended the 2004 E-LAW Annual International Meeting in Slavske, Ukraine, and called on colleagues in the E-LAW network for legal and scientific support to help protect marine life in the Sea of Okhotsk.

After the meeting, she wrote: "I met with advocates from many different countries who are working to protect the environment. I learned about their activities and methods, and exchanged contact information . . . I was inspired by new and interesting ideas."

E-LAW U.S. thanks the Trust for Mutual Understanding and the American English Institute for making Yulia`s Working Exchange Fellowship possible. We also thank Sue Fisher, U.S. Director of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, for her help with this report.