Tag: whales

Shipping Industry with Federal Agencies launch new programs to reduce whale ship strikes

NOAA proposal extends rule reducing risk of whale ship strikes

California Shipping Lanes Moved in Attempt to Avoid Killing Whales

New Study Analyzes the Risk to Endangered Whales from Ship Traffic off Southern California

Ships off California coast warned to look out for whale

For Whales, too Every year, humans consume 70 million tons of seafood. Though this is an astonishing volume-one that has aserious impact on ocean populations-it cannot compare to sperm whales which consumer more than 100 million tons of seafood annually. Most of this consists of squid and small fish but-increasingly-plastic trash is making its way into the whales' diet as well.Sperm whales, specifically, have been identified as one of the most intelligent species in the ocean-if not on the planet. They posses the largest brains of any known animal-living or extinct-and use sounds and sonar to communicate with one another,organize into social groups, and evenidentify individuals by name.The cosmopolitan species has found great success and managed to establish itself in all of the world's oceans and many of the major seas. One of the keys to this success is their ability to dive deep below the surface-with some dropping nearly two miles-to find food. Even so, they have not been able to escape the scourge of ocean plastic pollution that has also impacted fish, turtles, and birds.Though hunting of sperm whales has been regulated since just after WWII, threats like pollution continue to threaten the species. The problem with ocean ...

A threat to the livelihood of the critically endangered gray whale Delegates meeting at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) conference in the Channel Islands warn that oil and gas exploration in the Russian Far East continues to threaten the livelihood of the critically endangered gray whale that spends its summer feeding along Sakhalin Island, according to a recent BBC News report. IWC scientists say that companies using seismic guns to find oil and gas in the area are taking steps to reduce impact, but they said those companies need to do more to protect the whales.The western population of gray whales is one of the most endangered group of cetaceans in the world, with only some 130 remaining, including only 26 breeding females. And the area around Sakhalin Island is their only known feeding ground.The IWC recommends that "appropriate monitoring and mitigation plans" should be implemented for oil and gas exploration in that area. It also urges companies to work with scientists to coordinate "seismic surveys and other noise producing activities."Seismic surveys entail the use of underwater sound that can be so intense that it may force whales out of the area and also may damage their hearing.A group of ...