(Reuters) – The only resident group of whales in the Gulf of Mexico, a population numbering fewer than 50 animals off the Florida panhandle, has moved one step closer to possible federal protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The… Read More ›
Whales
Atlantic Ocean Seismic Exploration Concerns Conservationists
WASHINGTON — Oil and gas companies hoping to drill in the Atlantic Ocean will have to contend with a new federal proposal to declare waters off the Carolinas and Georgia as critical for endangered whales. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric… Read More ›
State Lawmakers Consider Ban on Orca Capture for Entertainment
Friday, Feb. 6, 2015 (Reuters) – Washington state senators held a hearing on Thursday to consider banning the increasingly controversial capture or holding of killer whales for entertainment. More than half of the approximately 455 orcas taken for captivity originated… Read More ›
Marine Debris Ingestion Impacts Cetaceans
The debris found in the 37-foot (gray whale) male included more than 20 plastic bags, small towels, surgical gloves, a pair of sweatpants, duct tape, and a golf ball.
How Whales Impact Climate and the Sea
This video follows the more recent studies of how whales impact the overall health of the oceans.
New Findings on Arabian Sea Humpback Whales
Editor’s Note: A December 29, 2014 update to this story is added at this story’s end. The Arabian Sea humpback whale may be the most isolated humpback population on the planet, keeping its home in the same place for tens… Read More ›
A Whale’s Fluke of Identity
Editor’s Note: The following post on the “Whale Savers” from the Christian Science Monitor, is posted in part. It is a lengthy article, and we encourage readers to link to the original report (The Whale Savers) The photos posted here… Read More ›
Japan Defies IWC No Vote on “Scientific” Whaling
The Environmental News Service reports: PORTOROZ, Slovenia, September 18, 2014 (ENS) – The International Whaling Commission voted Thursday against Japan’s plans to resume “scientific” whaling in the Antarctic next year, but Japan said it would go ahead regardless. … Read More ›
Blue Whales Rebound on Pacific West Coast
California’s blue whale population has recovered to near historic levels, according to a new Marine Mammal Science study. This is the only population of blue whales in the world known to have recovered from whaling, which almost drove the species… Read More ›
Whales “Ocean Ecosystem Engineers”
Staff Report FRISCO — Whales may play a much bigger role in ocean ecosystems than previously thought, according to a University of Vermont researcher who studied how the great cetaceans recycle and move nutrients from one region to another. “For… Read More ›