It's right to save right whales!

Right Whale

Environmental Project

Pitch -

I want everyone to be honest right now. Have you ever thought about all the animals that have become extinct? Did you know that there is an estimated 150 million to 1 billion animal species that have gone extinct to this date?  As well, 99% of all the animal species to have ever lived on our planet have gone extinct. Therefore, why do we need another species to leave us? It brings us nothing except one less animal species for us to observe and understand. We need to take serious action right now to help keep the species of right whales on our planet. Currently, there are only 300 right whales that remain on our planet. These whales are the most endangered species of whales alive. They have also gone extinct in their homeland, the Atlantic Ocean. Now, their main population lives around the East Coast of the United States of America and Canada. 

The reason why these whales are one of the most extinct species on the planet at the moment is because of human negligence. The main cause of death of right whales is that they get stuck in the giant nets of fishing ships or collide with the ships themselves. I want to help keep this species alive because if they become extinct, the world will lose one of its main beauties. If we were to lose this species of animal, we would never be able to fully understand them and learn about what they have to offer. The way that I am going to help keep these right whales alive is that I am going to build a breeding sanctuary that is marine protected in their main breeding habitats, the Atlantic Coast of the Northern Atlantic Ocean. This will give them a safe environment without any ships nearby, so that they can live and breed without any distractions. 

My main goals for this project are to:

• make a sanctuary for right whales were they can be sheltered against ships and other dangers,
• Increase the population of right whales so that they do not go extinct.

Critical Need -

Fishing Vessel

We all know that the reason I want to start this project is to help in stopping right whales from going extinct. These animals will all die if major action is not taken to protect them as they cannot fully protect themselves. About 300 right whales remain on this planet. In 2011, 4 right whales were killed. 1 whale was killed because it was hit by a fishing vessel and 3 others were killed because of the fishing gear on ships. These are only the reported number of whales that were killed. There could be many more that were killed and not discovered during 2011. If these numbers continue to rise or even stay the same, these whales could go completely extinct by 2073. I know what you're thinking. 2073, that is ages away! But no, this day will eventually come by and we will be thinking to ourselves, why we did not do anything to help save these beautiful animals. That is my reason for doing this project.

Impact -

Red Tide Effect

Right whales have a very large impact on the ecosystem and lifestyle of the Atlantic Ocean. First of all, these whales are at the top of their major food chain. They help keep the ocean stable and healthy without a major increase of animals. Secondly, right whales are one of the major consumers of phytoplankton. If there is an increase of phytoplankton in the ocean, a red tide effect can happen. This red tide effect suffocates fishes that are swimming in them. These fishes either suffocate and die due to the red tide, or end up swimming away, to a different ecosystem, as they cannot live under the conditions of water with the red tide effect.   

Feasibility -

The first phase of the project will start during April 2014 and will finish in September 2014. We will then start the second phase in April 2015 and completely finish the project in September 2015. We will execute this project in two phases because during the winter it will be cold and the water will turn into ice which will make it much harder to work. As well, winter is when right whales bread, therefore we do not want to disturb them during that time. If we open the sanctuary in September 2015, we will be opening it right before their next breeding time. The total duration of the project will be 12 months.

This project is quite expensive and will take extensive completion time. To raise funds to cover the costs, I will be asking various businesses to help us start up our project. Firstly, I will be asking RONA, Canadian Tire and Home Depot for materials such as tools, equipment and building supplies. Secondly, I will be asking Corporations such as Google to advertise our project so that people around the world can understand what is happening to the right whales and also start a donation page where people can donate to help build the sanctuary. I will also ask WWF for their aid and also if they would like to take part in the project as their goal is to protect and conserve animals. They can be part of the project and also start donation pages on their own website to help kick start our project. Places like RONA, Canadian Tire and Home Depot would want to help us with our project because they will be one of our sponsors, so when we advertise, they will be gaining publicity. Google will want to help because they want to have all the information on their website and show people that they are helpful and willing to save an animal specie. WWF will help us because their job is to protect and conserve animals, and that is what we are doing. Lastly, I will be approaching the Government authorities to propose my project and ask them if they want to be part of it and to possibly approve our project to receive a grant. After that I will go to banks and ask them for contribution as well.

The start up cost for this project is estimated at $6,250,000. This cost includes:

·        4 x Crane Boats = $500,000 x 4 = $2,000,000

·        4 x Captain = $100,000 x 4 = $400,000 (Only 5% will be payed at start up)

·        200 x Workers = $40,000 x 200 = $8,000,000 (Only 5% will be payed at start up)

·        Equipment (Tools, etc.) = $600,000

·        Materials (Walls, etc.) = $3,000,000

·        Permits = $250,000

To reduce the cost of labor, we will also have volunteer workers that sign up and participate in the building of the sanctuary.

Once the sanctuary is open, there will be observation platforms so that people can come watch the whales. They will have to pay a minimum entry fee to participate.

Last Points -

• Right whales can be 45 to 55 feet long and weigh 70 tons!
• They can travel at 10 mph;
• Calves (Whale that is just born) drink their mother's milk for 8 to 17 months. 

Get to know me - 

Hey, my name is Sasha Pourseyed. I am 15 years old and currently enrolled in the grade 10 program at Bill Crothers Secondary School. I enjoy sports such as soccer and rugby. In the future, I would like to become either a Mechanical Engineer or a Nuclear Engineer. I started this project for 2 reasons. Firstly, I wanted to bring attention to the people of the world about this issue and secondly, I want to help protect this endangered species.

What helped me with this project -

"Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition." Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary -. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://www.asoc.org/issues-and-advocacy/antarctic-wildlife-conservation/southern-ocean-whale-sanctuary>.

"North Atlantic Right Whales (Eubalaena Glacialis) - Office of Protected Resources - NOAA Fisheries." North Atlantic Right Whales (Eubalaena Glacialis) - Office of Protected Resources - NOAA Fisheries. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/rightwhale_northatlantic.htm>.

"Northern Atlantic Right Whales." WorldWildlife.org. World Wildlife Fund, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://worldwildlife.org/species/north-atlantic-right-whale>

"Right Whale." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/right-whale/>.