A dolphin swimming through the world’s oceans after fish, and a bat flying through the air with its membranous wings to catch insects or eat fruit: at first glance, it looks like no two creatures could be more different. But it turns out they share a superpower – they hunt prey by emitting high-pitched sounds […]
Tag: Whale
PETITION: Stop Georgia Aquarium Importing 18 Wild Belugas
Georgia Aquarium wants to import 18 wild-caught belugas, despite the National Marine Fisheries Service ruling that it can’t because of conservation issues. The whales would come from Russia, torn from their family groups and destined for a miserable life behind glass. According to the Fisheries Service, five of these whales could still be nursing, i.e. […]
Reprieve for whales at risk from oil platform
In a victory for conservationists, an oil platform planned near the habitat of a critically endangered whale population has been postponed for at least five years. A decision about development plans for the offshore Sakhalin-II drilling platform has been deferred by the Sakhalin Energy consortium, according to the western gray whale expert panel report. Concerns […]
100,000 Vote Against Seismic Blasts
I have more great news to share with you about Oceana’s campaign to halt the use of deadly seismic airguns on our Atlantic coast. On September 6, Oceana delivered more than 100,000 petitions to Tommy Beaudreau, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Those petitions urge the government to stop the proposed use of […]
Buried in every whale’s earwax resides a record of their lifetime exposure to pollutants
In addition to the amazing revelation that whales have earwax (!!), we learn that a team of researchers in the United States just published a paper detailing a new method that they developed for measuring a whale’s lifetime exposure to a wide variety of chemicals — by studying their earwax. In this study, the team […]
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 […]
Plan to preserve the world’s ‘last ocean’ killed by Russia
As the most pristine marine ecosystem on the planet, Antarctica’s Ross Sea has become dubbed the world’s “last ocean.” Home to an abundance of penguins, whales, orcas, seals, and massive fish, the Ross Sea has so far largely avoided the degradation that has impacted much of the world’s other marine waters. However, a landmark proposal […]
Sea-Kayaking with Wildlife around the Fastnet Rock
Conditions were ideal for sea-kayaking and wildlife photography on the west coast of Ireland early this morning – flat sea, not a breath of wind and sun burning off the early morning mist. Departing at 06:00 am from Schull Harbour in West Cork, Joff, Hugh and Nick kayaked 7 miles to the Fastnet Rock. Following […]