Group Fights for Whale Rights

An Adams House senior has established a group to rescue dying species of marine life from Massachusetts Bay's polluted waters.

Calling itself the Cetacean Society, the new organization held its introductory meeting last night. Group organizer Paul J. Psychas '86, a longtime environmental lobbyist, said the society will initially focus on saving the right whale, which has an important feeding and breeding ground off Cape Cod.

There are fewer than 300 right whales in the world, said Psychas, who has introduced two bills into the state legislature to protect them.

Psychas said he is confident his organization will help the right whale in its fight for survival. "The University has an unusual mix of talented people who can really do something about this issue," he said.

The organization this spring will stage a "Night of the Right" to raise awareness of the right whale's plight. Psychas said he will invite state legislators, environmentalists and the public to the event.

Plans to sponsor a Harvard whale-watching expedition are also underway. Psychas said such encounters are "the best way to get the public interested and excited in whales."