By Jill Ettinger, Source: Ecosalon

“That the City and County of San Francisco supports the free and safe passage of all whales and dolphins in our coastal waters, including the Pacific Ocean, the San Francisco Bay, and its estuaries[…]Be it further resolved that every whale and dolphin has the right to be free of captivity, and to remain unrestricted in their natural environment.”

That’s the official word out of the city last week, when it passed the Cetacean Free and Safe Passage resolution, which was backed by Supervisor Scott Wiener and sponsored by the International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute. Hundreds of high school students also supported the measure to save the whales and dolphins by ensuring their inherent freedoms.

According to Laura Bridgeman, Campaign & Communication Specialist with the International Marine Mammal Project, “The significance of stating that cetaceans have the right to be free and to not be held in captivity cannot be understated, as it reflects a growing understanding that we humans ought to begin including other species into our calculations of what is fair and morally right,” she wrote in the Ecologist. “At a time when nonhumans are still considered property, any statements indicating their right not be considered so is profound.”

Read the rest at:  Ecosalon