The uncomfortable feature of this story is that the scientists were not imposed upon Sakhalin Energy from outside. The surviving animals faced threats throughout their range, while the north-eastern Sakhalin feeding grounds placed them directly beside major offshore hydrocarbon development. This is one of the recurring themes of the Sakhalin environmental record:uncertainty itself became part of the risk assessment. March 2005: Sakhalin Energy Changes the RouteOn 30 March 2005, Sakhalin Energy announced that it would reroute the offshore pipelines. Contemporaneous reports in March 2005 described Shell and Sakhalin Energy moving the offshore route after intense concern over the whales.