Environmental group says new federal report confirms false killer whale 'slaughter'
Source: Hawaii News Now
HONOLULU - An environmental group says it has new data supporting its lawsuit aimed at saving false killer whales in Hawaiian waters, with the data coming from the federal agency it is suing.
Earthjustice claims that longline fishing in Hawaiian waters is killing the false killer whales faster than they can be replaced. It says a new report from the National Marine Fisheries Service confirms those claims.
"That's why we're back in court, and these numbers back up what we've been saying for decades, which is, 'agency, stop sifting through the data and start acting because otherwise we're not going to have these false killer whales for future generations," said Earthjustice attorney David Henkin.
The Fisheries Service report showed that there are far more false killer whales in Hawaiian waters than previously thought. According to the report, the estimated number of the animals more than 22 miles from the main Hawaiian islands is actually 906, up from the previous estimate of 249.
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