Darn those beluga whales

Darn those beluga whales says Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. They have the audacity to become endangered and interfere with the economic growth of the state of Alaska:

"I am especially concerned that an unnecessary federal listing and designation of critical habitat would do serious long-term damage to the vibrant economy of the Cook Inlet area," Palin wrote. "Hundreds of thousands of people who live in this area know that we are taking excellent care of the environment and habitat there."

Governor Palin also opposes the listing of Cook Inlet Beluga whales because she thinks the state is doing everything necessary to recover the whales, despite the ominous beluga decline in the last decade plus. Belugas now number 375, down from 653 in 1994.

Governor Palin is not alone in being irritated at the Belugas, former Senator Ted Stevens went so far as to call the listing “a deliberate targeting of an area vital to the Alaskan economy.”

Defenders of Wildlife has a different view, they think Cook Inlet Belugas deserve protection.

The New York Times opines against the latest action by Alaska's politicians, suing to overturn the endangered listing visited upon the state of Alaska by those environmentalists in the Bush administration.

I think belugas have a very clear problem, they should quit swimming in formation like in the picture above. It makes them too vulnerable to attack by rogue bowling balls. (Sorry, I couldn't resist, they look too much like bowling pins).

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