Tag Archives: whales
Nuisance noise becomes important whale study
Noise from earthquake sensors is being used to study the fin whale. The fin whale is one of the least studied and understood of the whales species and the ability to use earthquake sensors to track the whales could open up a small window to their mysterious world. The fin whale makes calls in the [...]
Chef faces 67 years in prison for serving whale meat
In the run up to Christmas the Nightjar Bar in Hackney, London was busted for serving whale in a cocktail called Moby Dick. While the police raided the bar and took away the whale skin, no arrests were made. The staff from the Nightjar must be thankful that they were not in the United States where a chef [...]
Korea backs down over whaling
One of the most disappointing outcomes of the July meeting of International Whaling Commission (IWC) was the announcement that the Republic of Korea would resume whaling for scientific purposes. However it appears that Korea has had a change of mind as it has not submitted a formal application by the deadline date of 3rd December. [...]
US Navy plans could make over 70% of oceans inhospitable to whales and dolphins
A coalition of marine conservation groups have today begun legal action against the National Marine Fisheries Service approval for allowing the US Navy to upscale their active sonar operation that could soon cover almost 75% of the oceans and seas. Active sonar is known to be dangerous to whales, dolphins and other marine wildlife. The sonar [...]
New look for marine conservation group
A new name and a new brand has been released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS). The new name loses the society part so it is now known as WDC Whale and Dolphin Conservation. The new logo will also help its presence on new media channels. The new look was [...]
Faroe Islands hunt: 590 dead whales so far this year
Some of the world’s leading environmental and marine conservation organisations have come together to write a letter to the Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands to halt one of the worlds most prolific whale hunts. This year (up to 24th August 2012) the islanders have killed 590 pilot whales bringing the total number of hunted [...]
A new message in a bottle
Sending a message in a bottle is a bit of a folklore for getting rescued from deserted islands but now marine scientists could use a simple bottle of sea water to determine what’s living locally. By using the latest DNA techniques a half litre of sea water can reveal the species of fish and whales [...]
Japan’s whalers set sail for the Pacific
Japanese whaling boats set sail yesterday for the Pacific Ocean with their sights set on a target of 260 whales. They are sailing under the scientific research exemption of the whaling ban. Two whaling vessels, the Yushin Maru and Yushin Maru No. 2, left their port of Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture yesterday (Friday 18th May) and will meet [...]
Swim with dolphins in morning, eat them for dinner later
There’s very few wildlife documentaries that can stun people into silence but the 2009 film ‘The Cove’ certainly did that. It was a wildlife film about the annual dolphin hunt in the Japanese village of Taiji. Each year hundreds of dolphins are rounded up, driven onto the beach and killed. A ‘lucky’ few of the dolphins will escape the [...]
Anquish over Iceland’s fin whale hunt
Three leading international NGO’s have reacted with concerns over news reports that Iceland will be resuming its hunt for endangered fin whales from June. The hunt is expected to last for 3 months. Iceland stopped its fin whale hunt last year after the devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunami but local newspaper reports say that the hunt [...]
Humpback whale song fills the Pacific again
It is one of the most successful rebounds of whale population numbers since the ending of whaling in 1966. The latest estimates of Humpback whales in the North Pacific has been put at over 21,000. The new estimates were put together by a team of marine researchers from NOAA Fisheries Service. The latest figure produced by a [...]
Killer whales go for spa holiday in the tropics
Recent results from tagging killer whales in the Antarctic has thrown up some interesting possibilities. It appears that killer whales make quick short trips up from Antarctic waters into the warmer waters of the tropics before immediately turning around and heading back south. The researchers from the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service suggest that this short duration [...]
TV Review: Ocean Giants BBC1
There’s little doubt that the new BBC1 mini-series Ocean Giants will win awards. The first programme in the series of tree looked at the big whales and what a spectacle it was. The programme took a look at a range of whales species culminating the the ocean giant the blue whale. There was a time a [...]
Right whales are coming back home
If you looked out over the sandy bays and coves of New Zealand a couple of hundred years ago you would have seen families of Southern Right Whales playing in the shallow waters. You would have also had the pleasure of watching female southern right whales giving birth in these ideal whale birthing waters. Then [...]
Spend a day cruising with Gordon Buchanan
If you enjoyed watching the BBC2 mini series The bear family and me, you may want to look at spending a day with the presenter and filmaker Gordon Buchanan. For 2 days only he will be teaming up with Sea Life Surveys on the Isle of Mull to offer some fascinating whale and shark watching trips. [...]
21 Giant fin whales spotted off coast of Britain
At up to 88 feet long and weighing as much as 120 tonnes, the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is the second largest animal living on Earth. Recently a pod of 21 was spotted in British waters known as the Celtic Deep.
Hawaiian dolphins proposed for endangered species listing
The insular Hawaiian false killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens, has been put forward to receive extra protection under the Endangered species Act. There are currently only about 150 individuals of this large dolphin left and dwindling numbers have resulted in the US administration proposing the species for greater protection. “The whales are losing their food, getting [...]
Whats so surprising about Sea Shepherd claims?
I’m not sure why there’s such a surprise of the claims that the Sea Shepherd ordered the sinking of it’s own boat for publicity purposes. Anyone who’s been involved in the environmental and conservation movement has known for years that the Sea Shepherd organisation is driven by media and not ideals. Remember this is the [...]
Japan to host pro-whaling nation summit
2010-08-26 Following on from the failure of the last International Whaling Commission to come to any firm conclusions and the maintenance of the current status quo, Japan has announced plans to hold a summit in November where it is hoped that 40 or more pro-whaling nations will attend. The summit is to be held in [...]
Dead whales – an oasis of life
The deep sea floor is not always a desert and devoid of life. In fact there’s many areas of the sea bed that are full of life and diverse. Coral reefs, wrecks, deep sea vents all provide opportunities for life to survive and flourish. One of the most diverse of these habitats are whale falls. [...]