It was spring, 20 years ago now, but he remembers it clearly. On the deck of the Geco Resolution, wind tearing spray from the waves, Robert McCauley stood gazing out onto an ocean blackened by night. The ship had been firing seismic airguns all day, thunderous blasts punching through the water and into the seabed. Over […]
Tag: Megaptera novaeangliae
These endangered whales have lived in a small sea for 70,000 years. One of them just broke the pattern
Scientists documented the first long-distance travel of an Arabian Sea humpback whale (ASHW): a small population of only around 82 individuals that live off Oman’s coast. Unlike other humpbacks around the world, these endangered whales usually stay close to home. The population is genetically distinct from other humpbacks, having diverged around 70,000 years ago, and individuals usually stay within […]
Fisheries and climate research would be hit hard in Trump’s proposed budget
Physicist Stephen Volz had been working with colleagues at the U.S.’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for nearly 10 years to produce a new generation of geostationary satellites — instruments that would provide critical observations about atmospheric conditions, climate patterns and weather. But when Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, this long-term project […]
Antarctic conservation summit closes with stalemate on MPAs & krill fishing rules
The annual meeting of the international body responsible for conservation of the marine ecosystems in the Southern Ocean concluded on Friday with no progress on two contentious issues before it: the creation of new marine protected areas and the strengthening of regulations governing krill (Euphausia superba) fishing. The 44th meeting of the Commission for the […]
In Panama, major port construction begins at key mangrove site
Conservation groups in Panama are trying to halt the construction of a new port in the Pacific province of Chiriquí that they say could destroy breeding grounds and nurseries for marine species. The Puerto Barú project, located outside the town of David, would create a new port on Panama’s northwest coast, increasing trade and tourism […]
SETI Scientists Test Interactive Bioacoustic Playback as Tool for Exploring Non-Human Intelligence
The study of non-human animal signals challenges and informs our search for non-human intelligence with the ultimate hope of deepening the human-animal relationship. The diversity of non-human intelligence that exists on Earth has been revealed in a multitude of observational and experimental studies over the past several decades. This diversity is observed from octopus to […]
Something to Sing About……
The Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) has been making somewhat of a comeback since it was banned from being hunted in 1966. Over 90% of it’s population had been hunted out and it is only in the past few years that its numbers have increased to an estimated global population of 80,000. Now that is something […]