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Vaquita. Photo Thomas Jefferson

Scientific Committee gives first ever official species extinction warning

Photo: Thomas Jefferson We have welcomed the urgent call by experts to protect the vaquita...
blue whale

Whale fossil from Peru may have been heavier than blue whale

Scientists examining the bones of a 39 million-year-old ancient whale have concluded that it may...
Humpback whale © Christopher Swann

Humpback whales breach in synchronisation

Humpback whales are renowned for their incredible acrobatic displays, but a family in the USA...
Long-finned pilot whale

Unusual activity witnessed before pilot whale stranding

Just days after a pod of long-finned pilot whales stranded on an island in the...

Study reveals entanglement impact on freed whales

Hundreds of thousands of whales, dolphins and porpoises die every year as a result of being caught in fishing gear and nets but many survive horrific injuries only to live short and painful lives pulling nets around before slowly dying as a result.

Now research from scientists looking into the long term consequences of this kind of entanglement has revealed that whales can burn up twice as much energy whilst entangled. By using fishing gear removed from an entangled whale and then lowering it into the water behind a moving skiff, the researchers were able to estimate how much drag the fishing lines and buoys generated, and how much energy a whale would have to use up to pull the extra weight.

Find out more about the threat to whales and dolphins from fishing nets and gear.

The full report is available at Wiley Online Library