We’re learning more about a skin disease that is harming dolphins, according to scientists at The Marine Mammal Center in California. A new study uncovers the link between the disease first discovered in 2005 and climate change. Because of decreased water salinity, dolphins develop patchy and raised skin lesions that can grow on 70% of […]
Tag: marine mammals
US allows killing of hundreds of sea lions to save struggling salmon
US authorities have given wildlife managers in Washington, Oregon and Idaho permission to start killing hundreds of sea lions in the Columbia River basin in hopes of helping struggling salmon and steelhead trout. The marine mammals long ago figured out that they could feast on the migrating fish where they bottleneck at dams or where […]
Petition: End Whale and Dolphin Captivity in the U.S.
In June 2019, Canada passed The Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act (Bill S-203). This law makes “it illegal to hold any cetacean in captivity, for reasons other than rehabilitation and scientific research. Breeding or trading reproductive materials of whales and dolphins will also be prohibited. Any breach of this ban carries fines […]
SeaWorld Ends Practice of Trainers Riding Dolphins
SeaWorld has announced that it’s ending the practice of letting trainers ride astride dolphins during shows.Animal rights activists have been asking for years for the practice to be banned. PETA published a shareholder proposal in December 2019, asking that the practice be banned, and that trainers stop riding on dolphins’ backs and faces. The animal […]
Baby Dolphin Dies While Performing at Dolphinarium in Bulgaria
It’s been widely known for some time now that cetaceans do not belong in captivity. Marine mammals like whales and dolphins are incredibly intelligent and highly social animals that belong in the wild with their pods. Like all other captive wild animals, their health is also negatively affected and deteriorates when in captivity. In the […]
Petition: Viral Pic Shows Beluga Whales in Tank Barely Bigger Than Their Bodies
As more and more people every day are condemning companies that hold cetaceans captive (we’re looking at you, SeaWorld), it’s no surprise that an image of two beluga whales imprisoned inside a minuscule tank in China has caused outrage online. Cambodian anti-captivity organization Ningyo La Mar d’Aprop originally shared the photo taken at Sun Asia […]
Ocean Noise is So Loud, Humpback Whales Stop Singing
Humpback whales have become well-known for their beautiful songs, but researchers have found that noise coming from ships is enough to make them shorten their songs, or stop singing altogether. While ocean noise has become a growing concern that’s expected to increasingly impact marine life, scientists from Ogasawara Whale Watching Association and Hokkaido University in […]
POLL: Should marine life be conserved by banning the use of “Drift Nets”?
California’s drift-net fishery is under fire from a coalition of marine conservation and animal protection groups.These wildlife advocates released a damning undercover video last week, revealing just how often innocent marine life dies because of drift nets. Deceptively small in size, California’s drift-net fishery has an enormous negative impact.The industry includes a fleet of about […]