Sea Shepherd will return to Antarctica at the start of the new year as escalating industrial fishing pressure threatens what may be the most important whale feeding ground on the planet. A fleet of fourteen supertrawlers from six countries operate between the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Orkney Islands, competing directly with fin and humpback […]
Tag: humpback whales
Humpback Whale Population Now Well Above Pre-Whaling Levels in Australia
The recovery of the eastern Australian humpback whale population has been described as nothing short of a “miracle,” such that the majestic beasts number more now than they did before commercial whaling. When homeowners today along the coasts of Australia file noise complaints, it’s likely to be from motor boats or late-night parties, but there […]
Twelve whales have been tangled in shark nets off Queensland’s coast so far this year. Here’s why
Scientists say a flourishing whale population that is swimming closer to shore and into the path of shark nets is contributing to the 50% increase in entanglements off Queensland’s coast this year. Nine entanglements involving 12 whales have already occurred this year, compared with six on average, many off the Sunshine Coast. Eight whales were […]
Record Whale Entanglements Show Urgent Need for Ocean Protection
The number of whales caught in fishing gear along U.S. coasts hit an alarming record in 2024, highlighting how human activity continues to endanger marine life. According to the Los Angeles Times, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed 95 cases of whales entangled in fishing lines, nets, buoys, and anchor ropes last year. […]
Never-seen-before BBC footage captures killer whales pretending to drown one of their own in chilling hunting session
From wave washing seals off Antarctic ice to snatching sea lions from the shoreline, killer whales are renowned for their effective hunting techniques. Now, killer whales have been filmed practising a new technique to hunt the largest animal to have ever lived: blue whales. In footage narrated by David Attenborough for the BBC TV series […]
Whale and her calf entangled in shark net off Queensland coast
A whale entangled in a shark net about five days ago with her calf is yet to be fully freed, two of four humpback whales to be entangled in shark nets off the coast of Queensland in recent days. Dr Olaf Meynecke, who researches marine mammals at Griffith University, said humpback whales were caught in […]
Whales and dolphins regularly hang out with each other – new study
As the annual humpback whale migration is underway with thousands of whales passing by the Australian coast, there are reports of dolphins joining the mass movement. But this isn’t a one off. In fact, our new study, published today in Discover Animals, shows interspecies interactions between dolphins and whales are widespread and frequent around the […]
Why have blue whales stopped singing? The mystery worrying scientists
Whale songs are far removed from the singing that humans are used to. Unlike our musical sounds, those produced by whales are a complex range of vocalisations that include groans, clicks and whistles and that can sound like anything from the mooing of a cow to the twitter of a bird. These vocalisations can be […]