Thousands of whale images are being combed through by researchers in order to help conserve a calving spot off the coast of Western Australia that was severely affected by the whaling industry. The researchers believe Geographe Bay, off the coast of south-west Western Australia, is an important calving ground that needs to be protected, and […]
Tag: right whales
‘Forever chemicals’ are now found not only in whales but also in human lungs!
Scientists detected a strange effect on the stress hormones of North Atlantic right whales in the aftermath of 9/11. Ships are abundant in our oceans, yet there was a huge slowdown in traffic throughout the North Atlantic eastern seaboard immediately after the planes flew into the twin buildings, lowering undersea noise. While the rest of […]
New rules could further slow ship speeds to protect right whales
Federal authorities spent the past few years analyzing rules for the shipping industry and are now close to releasing fresh guidelines to help protect a vanishing species of whale. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been reviewing the speed regulations it uses to protect North Atlantic right whales, and according to spokesperson Allison Ferreira, […]
Humpback Whale Habitat Protected by Biden Administration
The Biden Administration took a significant step to protect humpback whales. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NFMS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Commerce departments have finalized a rule to protect ocean habitats used by humpback whales. Humpback whales were once hunted to the brink of extinction and now two of the five “breeding […]
Whales in Danger in United States Waters
A new opinion piece in The Hill is calling for extra protection for whales in the United States. Kyla Bennett, the science policy director at Public Employees for Environmental responsibility (PEER) called on the current administration to act to save the North Atlantic right whale, Bryde’s whale, and North Pacific right whale. Each of these […]
New Rule on Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales Falls Short
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NFMS) released a new rule at the end of December to reduce the risk to critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. Unfortunately, the rule is inadequate to protect these animals. NFMS’ rule focuses on helping whales that get tangled in fishing gear used for crab and lobster fishing. However, their […]
Even slow-moving boats likely to kill endangered right whales in a collision, study finds
For North Atlantic right whales, collisions with large cargo vessels are one of the deadliest threats to an endangered population. But new research from Canada has found even under the government’s current maritime speed restrictions, strikes are likely to be fatal. In a new paper published in Marine Mammal Science, biologists found that collisions between […]
North Atlantic right whales now officially ‘one step from extinction’
With their population still struggling to recover from over three centuries of whaling, the North Atlantic right whale is now just “one step from extinction”, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The IUCN last week moved the whale’s status on their Red List from “endangered” to “critically endangered” – the […]