“Saving the North Atlantic Right Whale: Ship Strikes are Deadly;” Free Lecture at Havre de Grace Maritime Museum

From the Havre de Grace Maritime Museum:

Wednesday, April 11, 2012 ~ 7 pm
By: Bruce Russell, Retired Coast Guard Commander

Tales of sea monsters scuttling ships have fueled imaginations ever since intrepid mariners first set out to sea. Herman Melville wrote in his classic Moby Dick the tale of a sperm whale attacking and sinking a whaling ship; this was based on a true story. Over a century later another true story is being told, that of large boats and ships striking and killing the globally endangered Northern Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis; fewer than 400 of these large slow-moving coastal whales are estimated to survive. In the last few decades, the National Marine Fisheries Service estimated that 2-3 Right whales were being killed each year by ships, and more from entanglements in fishing gear. Many of these have been killed of the entrances to the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. Bruce Russell will present a lecture on his work as chair of the Fisheries Service’s Right Whale Ship Strike advisory committee to document the deaths and to develop a strategy to prevent ships from killing these majestic creatures. The lecture will include beautiful and gripping pictures and a telling story of how mariners, ship owners and operators, marine biologists, conservation groups and governments came to together and developed a comprehensive strategy to slow ships down and divert ships away from right whale habitat.

Bruce Russell is a retired Coast Guard Commander, Museum Board member and Treasurer now living in Havre de Grace. He owns a small consulting and manufacturing company specializing in marine environmental protection and the commercial shipping industry. He is an avid boater, fisherman, birder and traveler, who combines his passion for the marine environment with his work and recreation.

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Free to the Public – Donations greatly appreciated!
For more information please call 410-939-4800 or visit our Event Calendar