U.S. conservation groups are threatening legal action to ban Canadian snow crab imports. Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/canada-snow-crab-imports-right-whale-1.4371094 And sadly, the pathologists who conducted North Atlantic right whale necropsies should be kicking themselves now. Not only was Wolbachia, Zika, WNV, and SLEV not tested for, but the evidence of "blunt force trauma" in four or five whales was merely "severe internal bleeding". Severe internal bleeding can have many causes including viral/bacterial infections or even foul play. But now, instead of the narrative "there's nothing on them, there doesn't appear to be anything on the outside" [said Tonya Wimmer, in reference to six whales], the CBC has published the following falsehoods: "Examinations show most of the whales died after being hit by ships or getting tangled in fishing gear ... Canada itself has acknowledged seven whales got tangled in snow crab lines this summer and two of them died." Fact: The only solid conclusion that can be made from the pathology report is that TWO whales died from entanglements, the rest is based on a personal opinion from data prior to 2009 (BEFORE Wolbachia-infected Aedes entered our food chain and prior to Zika). I invite everyone (especially scientists and pathologists) to comb the report: http://www.cwhc-rcsf.ca/right_whales.php Banning Snow Crab Imports is NOT the Ethical Solution Right Now . . . Snow crab fishermen and women are going to have their livelihoods destroyed! I think we owe it to them and to the memory of Joe Howlett to test these whales for Wolbachia, ZIKV, WNV, and SLEV in a timely fashion. Because, if I am correct, there will be more whale deaths. In fact, we will see many vertebrate die-offs. And the recent catastrophic Adélie penguin chick die-off has me even MORE convinced. Adélie penguins are consuming inordinate amounts of Wolbachia via their food sources: "Prey diversity was found to be greater than previously thought. Krill, fish, copepods and amphipods were the most important food groups ... Copepods were a major food item. Co-ingestion analysis indicated that copepods were present in association with fish in the diet more often than with krill, despite krill being consumed more commonly than fish." Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3864945 All of those food sources consume mosquito larvae. Wolbachia and Zika are both maternally inherited (found in the eggs and larvae of these Wolbachia-infected Aedes). Five independent research teams have determined that overnight-active Culex can spread Zika. It's worrisome that "whole male mosquitoes (Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus) in Mexico" also had ZIKV. Source: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/06/19/151951 With citations: http://www.infobarrel.com/Adlie_Penguin_Chick_Deaths_Wolbachia-Infected_Aedes_Is_More_Likely_Than_Climate_Change My article devoted to saving North Atlantic right whales: http://www.infobarrel.com/Test_North_Atlantic_Right_Whales_for_WNV_SLEV_ZIKA_and_Wolbachia My video PSAs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrSuDXGKaNY&list=PLOKbnPTbEbX038VHgLwhEoHPt156X1R_f I am adding more people to our petition so please ask a friend or family member to sign (this is the only way they will receive notification of our concerns). Warmest regards to all of you and thank you for the outpouring of concern and support, Rose Authors note: I cannot use italics or hyperlink. Ergo, links are not hidden and I used caps for emphasis. How your signature helps: each time a supporter signs our petition, an email is automatically sent directly to those being petitioned (governments, companies and individuals). When hundreds or even thousands of emails arrive in their inboxes, our message is impossible to ignore.