Dear Ilya Shestakov,

We are requesting that the Russian Federation deny applications from VNIRO, All Russian Federal Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography for any future captures of killer whales and beluga whales from the Sea of Okhotsk for research or any other reason.  We are also asking:

• that the Russian Federation and Minister of Agriculture construct new laws that prohibit any wild captures of cetaceans for the purposes of research, sale or public display and only allow non-invasive field research on native wild populations of killer whales and beluga whales in the Sea of Okhotsk.
• for the use of non-invasive land based technology such as X-band Radar for cetacean detection or Theodolite tracking systems to track and identify cetaceans in the area of the Shantar Islands.
• for extensive field research to be conducted on populations that were targeted for past captures near the Shantar Islands.
• that extensive non-invasive field research be conducted on killer whales and beluga whales that were released from the holding facility in Srednyaya Bay. We would like to see how many whales have survived or perished, how many whales have returned to their natural pods, if their natural pods have accepted them back into their pods, if they are foraging normally and if they are showing normal wild behaviour.
• that neutral scientists be included with VNIRO in this field research to provide transparency in their findings. Finally, The Russian Federation as well as VNIRO have an unprecedented opportunity to be the leaders in research never before conducted anywhere in the world that will provide facts proving or disproving that captive cetaceans can be returned to their wild habitats and go on to have normal natural life structures. The findings of non-invasive land based field research of wild populations will prove that there are key components in cetacean cultures that are missing from captive based research, proving that captive based research is inaccurate and obsolete.

Looking forward to a positive response 

Yours sincerely

Women of the World United Against Taiji

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/women.against.Taiji/

Website: www.wowvstaiji.com