Wild Cetacean News

In Alaska, a Mystery Over Disappearing Whales

Belugas pass cultural knowledge across generations. Their survival may depend on how they collectively adapt.

When Roswell Schaeffer Sr. was 8 years old, his father decided it was about time he started learning to hunt beluga whales. Schaeffer was an Iñupiaq kid growing up in Kotzebue, a small city in northwest Alaska, where a healthy store of beluga meat was part of making it through the winter. Each summer, thousands of these small white whales migrated to Kotzebue Sound, and hunts were an annual tradition. Whale skin and blubber, or muktuk, was prized, not only as a form of sustenance and a trading commodity, but also because of the spiritual value of sharing the catch with the community.

Now, nearly seven decades later, Schaeffer is one of only a few hunters who still spends the late weeks of spring, just after the ice has melted, on Kotzebue Sound, waiting for belugas to arrive. Many people have switched to hunting bearded seals, partly out of necessity: There simply aren’t enough belugas to sustain the community anymore.

In Alaska, a Mystery Over Disappearing Whales
 
Lawsuit Pushes U.S. to Sanction Mexico as Vaquita Porpoise Nears Extinction

Conservation groups sued the U.S. Department of the Interior today in federal court to force a long overdue decision to sanction Mexico for allowing illegal fishing and trade that endanger the vaquita porpoise.

Vaquita become entangled and drown in illegal nets set to catch totoaba, an endangered fish whose bladders are in high demand in China as a symbol of wealth and for their purported, but unproven, medicinal value. An estimated 10 vaquita are all that remain, and scientists predict the species will soon be extinct unless Mexico halts illegal fishing and trade.

Lawsuit Pushes U.S. to Sanction Mexico as Vaquita Porpoise Nears Extinction
 
Several humpback whales found dead on British Columbia's coast in a matter of weeks

Researchers say finding one dead humpback is unusual — but at least 4 have been found since Oct. 12

Several humpback whales have been found dead in B.C. in the span of just a few weeks, and it appears humans may be the cause in at least two of the cases.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has identified at least four and possibly five humpbacks found dead on B.C. beaches or coastal areas between Oct. 12 and Nov. 21.

Paul Cottrell, the marine mammal co-ordinator for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, says at least two of them had signs of "blunt-force trauma," indicating they may have been hit by a large object, such as a boat.

Several humpback whales found dead on B.C.'s coast in a matter of weeks
 
Two Towns in Washington Take Steps Toward Recognizing the Rights of Southern Resident Orcas

The moves are the latest developments in the “rights of nature” movement gathering momentum in countries around the world, including the U.S. With only 73 of the orcas of the Salish Sea still in existence, time is of the essence.

Gig Harbor, Washington, on Monday became the second city in the Pacific Northwest region to proclaim that Southern Resident Orca whales have legal rights. A week earlier, Port Townsend, Washington, made the same proclamation, marking the first time a U.S. city council has made such a recognition.

Two Towns in Washington Take Steps Toward Recognizing the Rights of Southern Resident Orcas - Inside Climate News
 
Australia's false killer whales confirmed as a distinct species, as scientists hope discovery will lead to stronger protections

Working off Australia's remote northern coastline, Charles Darwin University (CDU) marine scientist Carol Palmer has got to know false killer whales as one of the country's most charismatic dolphins.

Key points:
  • Dr Carol Palmer and Indigenous ranger groups have confirmed that the Top End's false killer whales are a separate species
  • Scientists are hoping the research will lead to an upgrade in the species' conservation status
  • The federal government says it is trying to protect the dolphins from marine debris and gas developments
"False killer whales are most fantastic because they actually come over to the boat to say 'hello', and they check you out," she said.

Now, working with Indigenous ranger groups from the Northern Territory's Cobourg Peninsula to the Kimberley, she has gathered enough DNA samples to prove that Northern Australia's false killer whales are a distinct endemic species not found anywhere else.

Dr Palmer said she had made the discovery by collecting small skin samples from the animals, in a process they barely notice.

"To use a pole or a crossbow to get just a small skin sample, it's really really easy, because they're coming over to us," she said.

https://amp-abc-net-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/101790316
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
Australia's false killer whales confirmed as a distinct species, as scientists hope discovery will lead to stronger protections

Working off Australia's remote northern coastline, Charles Darwin University (CDU) marine scientist Carol Palmer has got to know false killer whales as one of the country's most charismatic dolphins.

Key points:
  • Dr Carol Palmer and Indigenous ranger groups have confirmed that the Top End's false killer whales are a separate species
  • Scientists are hoping the research will lead to an upgrade in the species' conservation status
  • The federal government says it is trying to protect the dolphins from marine debris and gas developments
"False killer whales are most fantastic because they actually come over to the boat to say 'hello', and they check you out," she said.

Now, working with Indigenous ranger groups from the Northern Territory's Cobourg Peninsula to the Kimberley, she has gathered enough DNA samples to prove that Northern Australia's false killer whales are a distinct endemic species not found anywhere else.

Dr Palmer said she had made the discovery by collecting small skin samples from the animals, in a process they barely notice.

"To use a pole or a crossbow to get just a small skin sample, it's really really easy, because they're coming over to us," she said.

https://amp-abc-net-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/101790316
Click to expand...
It's worth noting that there is no paper on this published yet. Presumably it is about to be, but saying "confirmed as a distinct species" is a bit premature when there isn't any paper to go with it. That article is also a right mess. There are some really confusing disjointed statements in there, like:

"In Hawaii, where they've studied false killer whales for 20 years, they've got two populations of 250 and 500 animals, and I think we will find that is the case here for ours." - that reads like, because Hawaii has two populations of 250 and 500 animals, then Australia will as well? I don't understand how that follows at all.

...and: "We will be able to reclassify the false killer whales, and this is the first time," Dr Palmer said. "Apart from the US, we are the only other country that has identified this now." - I guess they are talking about conservation status but it is confusing when they are also talking about taxonomic status.
 
Chlidonias said:
It's worth noting that there is no paper on this published yet. Presumably it is about to be, but saying "confirmed as a distinct species" is a bit premature when there isn't any paper to go with it. That article is also a right mess. There are some really confusing disjointed statements in there, like:

"In Hawaii, where they've studied false killer whales for 20 years, they've got two populations of 250 and 500 animals, and I think we will find that is the case here for ours." - that reads like, because Hawaii has two populations of 250 and 500 animals, then Australia will as well? I don't understand how that follows at all.

...and: "We will be able to reclassify the false killer whales, and this is the first time," Dr Palmer said. "Apart from the US, we are the only other country that has identified this now." - I guess they are talking about conservation status but it is confusing when they are also talking about taxonomic status.
Click to expand...

Thank you for pointing these issues out.
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
Whole Foods to Stop Buying Maine Lobster Amid Risk to Endangered Whales

Maine’s political leaders criticized the decision, which was based on assessments by two conservation groups that have raised concerns that North Atlantic right whales have become entangled in the ropes used to fish for lobster.

https://www-nytimes-com.cdn.ampproj.../us/whole-foods-lobster-maine-whales.amp.html
Click to expand...

Here is another relevant article.

Right Whale Condemned to Extinction in Senate Omnibus

Unprecedented Poison-Pill Rider Lets U.S. Lobster Fishery Drive Whale Extinct.

With no process or accountability, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Appropriations Chair Patrick Leahy inserted an unprecedented right whale policy rider into the omnibus funding budget released today. Schumer’s measure gives the U.S. lobster fishery six years to delay necessary actions to prevent fishing gear from entangling and killing critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.

With a declining population of 340 individuals and 70 breeding females, the North Atlantic right whale will almost certainly be on an irreversible extinction trajectory if U.S. lobster fisheries are allowed to avoid key conservation measures.

Right Whale Condemned to Extinction in Senate Omnibus
 
Whale Watch Week returns in-person to the Oregon Coast

From Dec. 28 to Jan. 1, Oregon State Parks will host Whale Watch Week in person for the first time since 2019.

More than 15 sites along the Oregon Coast will offer a chance to watch thousands of gray whales migrate south through Oregon’s waters. Trained volunteers will be stationed at most of the sites to answer questions, share information and to help spot whales. A map of volunteer-staffed sites is available on the Oregon State Parks website at bit.ly/3VbQwRQ

“We really enjoy getting folks out to the coast for Whale Watch Week,” said park ranger Peter McBride in a press release from Oregon State Parks. “It’s something that Oregon State Parks has been doing for more than 40 years now, and we’re really glad to be able to bring it back in person.”

Whale Watch Week returns in-person to the Oregon Coast
 
For Humpbacks, Bubbles Can Be Tools

A lungful of air is like a multifunction toolkit for humpback whales.

On a breezy winter day in Hawai‘i, a team of researchers from Whale Trust Maui watched as a group of humpback whales cavorted around their boat. The wind-rippled ocean surface distorted the view through the ocean–air interface, but one whale repeatedly swished its fins at the surface to produce a vortex that flattened the chop, creating a smooth spot where it placed its eye to look up at the scientists. Photographer and researcher Flip Nicklin, having never seen vortices used in this way, dubbed them “whale windows.” At the end of the encounter, the whale used a different method to construct the window—it blew a perfect air ring from its blowhole, much like a smoker puffs a smoke ring, which again smoothed the surface. Then, as before, the whale turned its head and looked up, meeting the researcher’s eye. Was the whale using a bubble as a tool?

For Humpbacks, Bubbles Can Be Tools | Hakai Magazine
 
The Hidden Ocean Pollution Killing Marine Mammals

Noise and chemical pollution in our oceans are affecting marine mammals' ability to navigate, communicate and detect danger.

I've worn glasses since the age of five, my hearing isn't brilliant in busy environments and, like many others, I lost my sense of taste during Covid-19, which was incredibly disorientating. Perhaps once our senses are pushed to their limits, we begin appreciating them all the more. But we're certainly not the only ones relying on multiple senses: marine mammals depend on them to communicate, navigate, feed, hear and detect danger.

It's hard for us to imagine how marine creatures sense within their world. What's clear is that the picture is complex, and that human-induced impacts make that even more challenging.

Pollution is ubiquitous but not homogenous. There is oil and gas exploration on the seabed, military exercises, increasing shipping traffic and the relatively new threat of deep sea mining. Add to that sewage outflows, industrial discharge and agricultural run-off, the marine environment is getting busier, noisier and more polluted. So what are the hidden dangers to marine life?

As a marine strandings volunteer for the Devon Wildlife Trust in south-west England, I'm regularly asked to take photos and measurements of marine mammals stranded along my local coastline. Sometimes, there'll be noticeable injuries, rake marks from the teeth of bottlenose dolphin attacks perhaps, long straight cuts in the skin from a fishing line or occasionally a tail clean cut off as a result of bycatch. Usually though, the actual cause of death isn't simple to identify. A crack team of scientists are on a mission to discover more about how human-induced impacts affect UK populations of whales, dolphins and porpoises.

To find out more about their research, I visited Rob Deaville, a strandings scientist at the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme, this summer. Every year, he dissects about 150 stranded porpoises, dolphins and whales to find out what might have killed them. "In some cases, it can be very evident, for example bycatch, ship strike, grey seal predation, bottlenose dolphin attack, those causes of death are really obvious. But even a high level of pollution is not necessarily causal in an animal's death, it's more associated," says Deaville. "You're looking through a keyhole at one aspect, at what I call the terminal end, and then trying to look backwards at what that animal has experienced throughout their lifetime.

The hidden ocean pollution killing marine mammals
 
Cambodian leader orders Mekong safe zones to save rare dolphins

Cambodian premier Hun Sen on Monday (Jan 2) ordered the creation of conservation zones on the Mekong river to protect critically endangered dolphins, after three were killed by fishing nets and lines last month.

The Irrawaddy dolphins, known for their bulging foreheads and short beaks, once swam through much of the mighty Mekong but in recent decades have been limited to a 190km stretch from northeast Kratie province to the border with Laos.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asi...olphins-conservation-zones-endangered-3178641
 
Right Whale Condemned to Extinction in Senate Omnibus

Unprecedented Poison-Pill Rider Lets U.S. Lobster Fishery Drive Whale Extinct

no process or accountability, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Appropriations Chair Patrick Leahy inserted an unprecedented right whale policy rider into the omnibus funding budget released today. Schumer’s measure gives the U.S. lobster fishery six years to delay necessary actions to prevent fishing gear from entangling and killing critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.

With a declining population of 340 individuals and 70 breeding females, the North Atlantic right whale will almost certainly be on an irreversible extinction trajectory if U.S. lobster fisheries are allowed to avoid key conservation measures.

“Schumer and Leahy are extinction Democrats who just heartlessly put special interests above our nation’s beautiful natural heritage,” said Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Right Whale Condemned to Extinction in Senate Omnibus
 
Breached dolphin's brains show neuropathology similar to Alzheimer's

In elderly adults, the most common neurodegenerative disease is Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is also the leading cause of dependency and disability. Besides humans, many other animals have been seen to develop certain aspects of AD-like pathology. In a new European Journal of Neuroscience study, scientists studied the brains of Odontocetes (Toothed whales) to document the presence or absence of neuropathological hallmarks of AD.

Breached dolphin's brains show neuropathology similar to Alzheimer's | News-Medical
 
Ship Noises Mute the Songs of Humpback Whales

Drowned out by the din of passing ships, humpback whales attempting to breed off the coast of Japan are cutting their conversations short.

With its enigmatic chorus of clicks, groans, and whistles, the haunting opus of the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is one of the ocean’s most striking sounds. Every winter, humpbacks may swim thousands of miles to their seasonal breeding grounds, where males competing for mates fill the waters with soft serenades. But off the coasts of Japan, these seas are falling silent—and it seems humans are to blame.

Today, in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers report that the noises emanating from human-operated cargo ships disrupt the mating songs of humpback whales. Drowned out by the underwater din, some whales are even going completely mum in the vicinity of these vessels—which could have serious consequences for their reproductive success.

Ship Noises Censor Humpback Whale Songs
 
A gray whale gave birth as a whale watching tour looked on

For a few moments, the passengers and crew aboard Captain Dave's Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari braced themselves, thinking they were about to witness something horrible. Instead, they experienced what the tour company called "a once in a lifetime" opportunity to watch as a newborn gray whale emerged into the world.

A gray whale gave birth as a whale watching tour looked on

 
Nine North Atlantic Right Whale Calves Spotted So Far

There is optimism among scientists who study the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Nine calves have been spotted during the first few weeks of the current breeding season.

Moira Brown is a senior scientist at the Canadian Whale Institute on New Brunswick’s Campobello Island.

Brown said the early numbers are promising, and she hopes to see more before the end of the breeding season in late March.

“Being at nine partway through the season, if we stay on par, we certainly hope to add maybe that many again. It would be good for the population to have some good calving,” Brown said in a recent phone interview.

Nine North Atlantic Right Whale Calves Spotted So Far
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
Nine North Atlantic Right Whale Calves Spotted So Far

There is optimism among scientists who study the endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Nine calves have been spotted during the first few weeks of the current breeding season.

Moira Brown is a senior scientist at the Canadian Whale Institute on New Brunswick’s Campobello Island.

Brown said the early numbers are promising, and she hopes to see more before the end of the breeding season in late March.

“Being at nine partway through the season, if we stay on par, we certainly hope to add maybe that many again. It would be good for the population to have some good calving,” Brown said in a recent phone interview.

Nine North Atlantic Right Whale Calves Spotted So Far
Click to expand...
Any idea what the amount of calves in past years have been? I was under the impression that NARW's were on their way to being functionally extinct so this is good to hear.
 
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