Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Monterey Biologist Accused of Feeding Whale (Faces 20 Years in Federal Prison, Large Fines)
AP ^ | Monday, January 9, 2012 | JASON DEAREN

Posted on 01/09/2012 5:19:17 PM PST by DogByte6RER

Monterey biologist accused of feeding whale

Photobucket

SAN FRANCISCO ---- A marine biologist who runs popular whale-watching tours on California's Monterey Bay has been indicted for violating federal laws that protect marine mammals.

Nancy Black, a marine scientist whose work has been featured on PBS, National Geographic and Animal Planet, was charged Wednesday with four violations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Her attorneys countered the charges by arguing that her interactions with the creatures were legal scientific research.

She was accused of feeding killer whales in 2005 during a research trip, and misleading investigators by editing video footage of her encounters with other whales during a whale-watching trip, and then lying about it. All of the alleged incidents occurred within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, one of 13 ocean sanctuaries established in 1992.

Prosecutors say the charges were filed after an investigation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Department of Justice. Wyn Hornbuckle, a spokesman for the DOJ, declined to comment, as did a spokesman for NOAA.

In addition to her scientific work, Black owns Monterey Bay Whale Watch and operates two commercial whale-watching vessels. Black has also worked with federal agencies on the study of whales, including the National Marine Mammal Laboratory, which is part of NOAA.

If she is found guilty of editing the video and then lying about it, Black could receive a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a half million dollars in fines. Each of the feeding charges carries a maximum penalty of a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

According to the indictment, Black was asked to provide video taken from her whale-watching boat during an October 2005 trip that investigators believe included an illegal encounter with a humpback whale.

(Excerpt) Read more at nctimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: abuseofpower; biggovernment; crimeofthecentury; doj; envirofascism; envirornment; leftcoast; montereybay; noaa; overkill; savethewhales; treehuggers; whales; wtf
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-47 next last
Photobucket

Wow ... up to twenty years in federal prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for the crime of ... being nice to a whale?!? WTF?!?

The marine biologist is probably a tree hugging, global warming bandwagon liberal. But, federal prison time for this so called offense is just an abuse of government power.

1 posted on 01/09/2012 5:19:18 PM PST by DogByte6RER
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER

So, what are you on the Group W bench for?
Being nice to a whale. And disturbing the peace...


2 posted on 01/09/2012 5:22:04 PM PST by null and void (Day 1083 of America's ObamaVacation from reality [Heroes aren't made, Frank, they're cornered...])
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Photobucket Nancy Black steers the Sea Wolf II while Tony Lorenz watches for whales. The four-count indictment accuses Black of twice feeding killer whales in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary once in 2004 and again in 2005. (Chad Ziemendorf / San Francisco Chronicle)
3 posted on 01/09/2012 5:22:21 PM PST by DogByte6RER ("Loose lips sink ships")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: null and void

When liberals are dragged off, they will be screaming “But I was on your side! I’m with you guys! Why are you punishing me? I support all your stuff!”

They always think they will be immune until the system they create eats them. It is why liberals love tyrants.


4 posted on 01/09/2012 5:25:27 PM PST by rlmorel ("A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." Winston Churchill)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER

She deserves far more to get socked for the lying to investigative officials, than for actually feeding the whales, so long as she didn’t give the whales anything harmful. When giving a snack to a whale is deemed tantamount to a felony, we know the law has gone wilder than the whales are.


5 posted on 01/09/2012 5:26:51 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Sometimes progressives find their scripture in the penumbra of sacred bathroom stall writings (Tzar))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER

Wonder what the penalty would be for pulling a golf ball out of the blow hole.


6 posted on 01/09/2012 5:27:21 PM PST by bigdaddy45
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: null and void

And they all came back, shook my hand, and we had a great time on the bench, talkin about crime, mother stabbing,
father raping, all kinds of groovy things that we was talking about on the bench. And everything was fine, we was smoking cigarettes and all kinds of
things,


7 posted on 01/09/2012 5:28:10 PM PST by occamrzr06
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER

I just can’t keep up with this sh!t.

First it’s “Save the Whales” and now it’s “Starve the Whales”.


8 posted on 01/09/2012 5:28:57 PM PST by 2111USMC (Not a hard man to track. Leaves dead men wherever he goes.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bigdaddy45

Oh ... was that the Seinfeld episode? I remember George pulling out a golf ball to impress a date.


9 posted on 01/09/2012 5:32:25 PM PST by DogByte6RER ("Loose lips sink ships")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER

10 posted on 01/09/2012 5:32:51 PM PST by AndrewB (FUBO)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER

The offense occurred in 2005. 6+ years ago. No statute of limitations for feeding whales, for goodness sakes?
The absurdity of the tree hugger regime is obvious for all to see.


11 posted on 01/09/2012 5:33:22 PM PST by Scotsman will be Free (11C - Indirect fire, infantry - High angle hell - We will bring you, FIRE)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: null and void
You can get anything you want...

Great terrible song.

I hear it every Thanksgiving on the local NPR station.

/johnny

12 posted on 01/09/2012 5:33:43 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER

Maybe she fed them McDonalds. String her up! s/


13 posted on 01/09/2012 5:35:03 PM PST by manic4organic (We won. Get over it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER

Stupid federales!!!! Oh wait, there’s 10 million illegals in California, and they go after a whale feeder.


14 posted on 01/09/2012 5:39:53 PM PST by King Moonracer (Bad lighting and cheap fabric, that's how you sell clothing.....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER
Pure insanity, bureaucracy run amok, brought to you from the land of nuts and flakes.
15 posted on 01/09/2012 5:44:10 PM PST by factoryrat (We are the producers, the creators. Grow it, mine it, build it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rlmorel
They always think they will be immune until the system they create eats them. It is why liberals love tyrants.

Pretty close.

They love it when their pet tyrants create systems to eat those other guys.

They are always astonished when they themselves inevitably are one of those other guys.

Hmmm, still not quite right. *grumble* *grumble* *grumble* *grumble* *grumble* *grumble*

16 posted on 01/09/2012 5:46:40 PM PST by null and void (Day 1083 of America's ObamaVacation from reality [Heroes aren't made, Frank, they're cornered...])
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

Americas Government Is Preying On Her People


Click The Pic To Donate

Support The Resistance

17 posted on 01/09/2012 5:49:33 PM PST by DJ MacWoW (America! The wolves are here! What will you do?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DogByte6RER

If she smeared her face with shoe polish and smuggled 3,000 machine-guns to Mexi drug-dealers, she’d have NO legal charges whatsoever.

In fact the papers would be DESPERATE to avoid reporting about it.


18 posted on 01/09/2012 5:50:08 PM PST by gaijin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bigdaddy45
Wonder what the penalty would be for pulling a golf ball out of the blow hole

I believe that's a two stroke penalty, unless you dislodge the ball with a wedge and strike it while still in the air.

19 posted on 01/09/2012 5:54:01 PM PST by andy58-in-nh (America does not need to be organized: it needs to be liberated.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: bigdaddy45
Wonder what the penalty would be for pulling a golf ball out of the blow hole

I believe that's a two stroke penalty, unless you dislodge the ball with a wedge and strike it while still in the air.

20 posted on 01/09/2012 5:54:21 PM PST by andy58-in-nh (America does not need to be organized: it needs to be liberated.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-47 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson