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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 18, 2008

Alaska's Beluga Whales Gain Federal Protection

WASHINGTON - The federal government on Friday placed the beluga whales in Alaska's Cook Inlet under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, concluding that a decade-long recovery program has failed to ensure their survival.

The findings by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service conflict with assertions by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who has questioned scientific evidence that the beluga whale population in the waters near Anchorage continues to decline.
NOAA said Friday that the Cook Inlet population declined by 50 percent from 1994 to 1998. NOAA said recovery of the beluga whale has been hindered by development and a range of economic and industrial activities, including those related to oil and gas exploration in Cook Inlet.

The U.S. Department of the Interior has proposed making oil leases available in Cook Inlet as early as next year and in 2011. Protection of the whale could hinder some of those activities.

Millionaire Fair Can Provide 'Something Nice'

MUNICH, Germany - The Millionaire Fair, a trade show offering luxury goods for the ultrarich from jewelry to helicopters, opened to the public Friday with few in attendance amid a global financial meltdown.

Fair director Klaas Obma said, however, that he did not think the crisis would keep rich shoppers from buying high-priced wares.

"I think it's quite the opposite," Obma said. "People want something nice to look at in their garage or living room, something to help them forget their troubles."

A wire report

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