WDC joins group legal action to force protection for endangered North Atlantic right whales
Conservation groups in the US, including WDC have sued the National Marine Fisheries Service (the US federal agency responsible for the stewardship of national marine resources) for failing to respond to two rule making petitions to protect critically endangered right whales from being run over and killed by ships and boats in US waters. The…
Read MoreNew blue whale population discovered
A previously unknown population of blue whales has been found living in the Indian Ocean after researchers picked up and recorded an unrecognised song travelling hundreds of miles through the sea. Blue whale vocalisations are very low and can reach other whales through the water up to 500 miles away, but each population has their…
Read MoreLatest endangered species list confirms all freshwater dolphins face battle to avoid extinction
A dolphin found in the Amazon river, the tucuxi, has been classed as endangered on the latest Red List issued by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation for Nature) – the body that assesses the survival prospects of plants, animals and fungi. This latest classification for the tucuxi now means that all the world’s…
Read MoreAre orcas behind a drop in great white shark numbers?
A drop in the numbers of great white sharks in the coastal waters around South Africa could be due attacks by orcas according to a new government report. The report suggests that the orcas are killing sharks and eating their livers, which has led to the disappearance of great whites from the waters of False…
Read MoreWDC scientists join call for global action to protect whales and dolphins from extinction
Scientists from Whale and Dolphin Conservation, along with over 250 other experts from 40 countries, have signed on to an open letter calling for action to urgently address the precarious situation of many populations of whales, dolphins and porpoises, (collectively ‘cetaceans’) many of which face extinction threats due to harmful human activity such as incidental…
Read MoreWe’ve won protection for Māui and Hector’s dolphins, but is it enough?
After decades of our campaigning, the New Zealand government has finally released the Threat Management Plan (TMP) for the Māui and Hector’s dolphins who live only around this country’s shores. It’s more protection than these dolphins have ever had before and we are grateful to the New Zealand government for pushing hard for these changes,…
Read MoreWhales, dolphins, porpoises and healthy seas under lockdown
Anyone watching blue, humpback or sperm whales can clearly see and hear the power-packed spout that comes just before they suck in a deep breath. Are whales and dolphins noticing that the air is cleaner these days since the coronavirus lockdown began? Do they sense there is less ship traffic as economies almost everywhere have…
Read MoreBlue whales in New Zealand prefer to hang out in cooler waters
Researchers from Oregon State University studying blue whales in the South Taranaki bight, New Zealand have found a link between the whales, their feeding and changes in water temperatures. The findings, published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series, reveal how certain conditions play a part in where the whales are and availability of their prey…
Read MoreFirst finless porpoise drone footage from Hong Kong revealed
The first ever drone footage of the Indo-Pacific finless porpoise has been captured by OceansAsia’s. The film shows a pod gathering in Hong Kong waters, a rare occurrence as they seldom come together in big groups. The large numbers of finless porpoise seen in the area since lockdown could be due to quieter waters. Restrictions on ferry…
Read MoreNewer sonar technology still a threat to whales
A study into the effects of underwater sonar has revealed that newer technology is as disruptive to whales as sonar used by the military. Researchers at St Andrews University in Scotland, led by Professor Patrick Miller, compared experiments on continuous sonar near Norway undertaken previously with new data from the new, continuous sonar. Continuous sonar…
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