Posts by melissa.walker
The smallest dolphin in the world faces extinction unless we provide it the biggest protection
By Meghan Rickard While largely symbolic rather than statutory, “the first 100 days” are closely watched by the media and their success measured by public approval ratings. It is with the idea in mind of measuring the actions of the administration’s first 100 days that we are bringing you our 100 day blog series. The…
Read MoreAs humpback numbers are on the rise around the world, one population still risks extinction
By Danika Warrens In the United States, the first 100 days of a newly elected president’s term are thought to represent the new administration’s ability to reach their proposed targets. While largely symbolic rather than statutory, “the first 100 days” are closely watched by the media and their success measured by public approval ratings. It is…
Read MoreUnique Subspecies of Bryde's Whale Found Only in Gulf of Mexico
By Linda Rudin In the United States, the first 100 days of a newly elected president’s term are thought to represent the new administration’s ability to reach their proposed targets. While largely symbolic rather than statutory, “the first 100 days” are closely watched by the media and their success measured by public approval ratings. It is…
Read MoreA win for critically endangered North Atlantic right whales in the New Year!
WDC welcomes today’s announcement by the US Bureau of Ocean Energy and Management (BOEM) denying six pending permits applications to conduct seismic testing along the mid-Atlantic and Southeast US coastlines. Just last month, WDC celebrated President Obama’s decision to permanently protection areas in the northeast Atlantic from offshore drilling. However, WDC remained concerned about the…
Read MorePermanent Protections for Areas of the Arctic and Atlantic Ocean from Offshore Drilling
WDC joins US Secretary of Interior Sally Jewel in applauding President Obama’s announcement to withdraw portions of the Atlantic and Arctic Ocean from oil and gas extraction. Nearly 4 million acres of water from Massachusetts through Delaware, along with 115 million acres of the US Arctic waters, will be protected. Working as part of a…
Read MoreWDC's Whale SENSE Atlantic Program has Banner Year in 2016
In 2016, the responsible whale watching program Whale SENSE Atlantic hit two records: the highest number of participants (16) and the most large whale entanglements documented by participants (13). The most recent entanglement was reported by American Princess Cruises out of New York City on December 4, and involved a critically endangered right whale. “This…
Read MoreNMFS’ Designation of Russian Beluga Whales as Depleted Makes Their Import into US Illegal
Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), Cetacean Society International (CSI), and Earth Island Institute (EII) lauded the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) today for its final designation of the Sakhalin Bay-Amur River population of beluga whales in Russia as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The depleted designation makes it illegal…
Read MoreLandmark protections designated for whale habitats thanks to the collaborative efforts of conservationists
Today’s historic announcement by President Obama to create the first Marine National Monument in the Atlantic Ocean is the second time this year when protections for whale habitats on the US east coast have been established. Nearly 5,000 square miles of the newly designated Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument further enhances protections to…
Read MoreCalifornia Bans Orca Captivity and Breeding
Last month, the California State Assembly overwhelmingly approved a bill to ban captive orca performances and breeding programs and Tuesday California Govenor, Jerry Brown, signed the bill into law. This historic legislation is in stark contrast to the situation in Arizona where dolphins from California were recently shipped to become the main attraction at Dolphinaris,…
Read MoreConcerns Over Humpbacks Removed from US Endangered Species List
Not everyone is celebrating the recent announcement by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) that it will remove federal protections from 9 global populations of humpback whales including humpbacks that feed off the east coast of the US and Canada. Based on a White House press release, this decision is “evidence that U.S. efforts to protect and restore thousands of endangered animals and plants are working.” However, Whale and…
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