America!

Strange place, the Land of the Free.
Particularly when it comes to marine conservation.
Hooray for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council who, according to the Anchorage Daily News, want to put a hold on any industrial fishing in the US portions of the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas before skippers have a chance to rip through the area and risk damaging fish stocks now the changing ice caps might open up the Arctic.
But big Boos to the US Navy for risking the dwindling population of right whales with a new sub-busting system of sonar beacons they want to place off the coast of Florida, as reported on the Florida Today website.
Environmentalists fear the device could damage the mammals' ability to navigate, increasing the risk of beaching and death as they migrate and calve along Florida's east coast. The US Navy is adamant the system and training ground is important to head off a sub attack.
I didn't realise the US Government's War on Terror was so worried about Bin Laden sneaking up in a sub. But hey, it could happen. Remember Steven Spielberg's cautionary tale 1941.
The most worrying aspect is the comments from some readers obviously accepting to collateral damage. To summarise, it's okay that the whales might die, as long as Al Qaida can't sneak in to Florida in a sub.