Scientists were already worried about the survival of North Atlantic right whales following a slew of tragic deaths over the past year. Now, even more concerns are being raised about the lack of calves this year. Once considered the “right” whales to kill, this species was nearly hunted to extinction. Today, there are estimated to […]
Tag: national oceanic and atmospheric administration
Climate Change is Turning These Green Sea Turtles Female
Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef is home to one of the largest populations of green sea turtles on earth, but warming temperatures there linked to climate change are having a bizarre and worrying impact on them – they’re turning an alarming number of hatchlings female. Unlike most animals, genetics don’t determine the sex of sea […]
Trump plan to shrink ocean monuments threatens vital ecosystems, experts warn
The Trump administration’s plan to shrink four land-based national monuments has provoked howls of anguish from environmental groups, Native American tribes and some businesses, such as the outdoors company Patagonia. Accompanying changes to protected monuments in the oceans – vastly larger areas than their land-based counterparts – have received less attention, but could have major […]
Heroic Boat Captain Rescues Entangled Great White Shark
The Southern California coastline never used to be much of a hub for shark sightings, but that has changed this year. Great white sharks have been spotted from Long Beach to San Diego. Hoping to catch a glimpse of some sharks for themselves last month, Chris Pica and three of his friends took a skiff […]
Bottlenose dolphins off US coast hit by measles-like virus
More than 1,000 migratory bottlenose dolphins have died from a measles-like virus along the US eastern seaboard in 2013 and the epidemic shows no sign of abating, a marine biologist said on Monday. The death toll exceeds the 740 dolphins killed during the last big outbreak of the then unknown virus in 1987-88. “It is […]
Decision on Atlantic Seismic Testing is Delayed
It’s not often that a government delay is cause for celebration, but this time the oceans caught a break. After campaigning by Oceana and our allies, the Department of the Interior decided to postpone their decision on whether to allow seismic airgun use off the Atlantic coast until next March. This is the third time […]
Future of Great Whites in the Hands of California Leaders
We are alarmed by the recent decision by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) not to provide needed protections for U.S. West Coast great white sharks under the federal Endangered Species Act. NMFS declined protections despite current science estimates of only a few hundred sub-adult and adult white sharks at their primary aggregation sites. The […]
Endangered But Not Protected
Did you know that only about 6% of all U.S. species protected under the Endangered Species Act live in the oceans? On Monday, the conservation group WildEarth Guardians asked the federal government to grant protection for 81 additional marine species. Those currently listed are mostly “charismatic mega-fauna,” such as dolphins, whales, seals, and sea turtles. […]
Death of Dolphin in China Sparks Outrage—and Questions
The death of a dolphin in China that was photographed with beachgoers handling it shortly beforehand has sparked outrage on the country’s social media sites. Tourists on the South China beach near a resort in Hainan Province reportedly flocked to the stranded dolphin to take pictures, with a group of men lifting the animal out […]
Atlantic puffin population is in danger, scientists warn
The Atlantic puffin population is at risk in the United States, and there are signs the seabirds are in distress in other parts of the world. In the Gulf of Maine, the comical-looking seabirds have been dying of starvation and losing body weight, possibly because of shifting fish populations as ocean temperatures rise, according to […]
