Wild Cetacean News

Dr. Wolverine said:
Any more news about Vaquitas?
Click to expand...

The most recent population estimate was on June 7th of this year an estimates 10 individuals remain, based on a survey done in May. All individuals sighted looked healthy, and they included at least one calf. The population appears to of remained mostly stable since 2019.
On August 7th of this year the International Whaling Commission issued an 'Extinction Alert' for them (the first time they've ever issued such an alert) but maintains hope that with a 100% gillnet ban, they may be able to naturally recover.
 
Always_Amity said:
The most recent population estimate was on June 7th of this year an estimates 10 individuals remain, based on a survey done in May. All individuals sighted looked healthy, and they included at least one calf. The population appears to of remained mostly stable since 2019.
On August 7th of this year the International Whaling Commission issued an 'Extinction Alert' for them (the first time they've ever issued such an alert) but maintains hope that with a 100% gillnet ban, they may be able to naturally recover.
Click to expand...

That's great news! However, won't inbreeding be a problem for them to naturally recover?
 
Whale Watch: Legislative Attacks on Efforts to Protect Two Critically Endangered Whale Species

The most recent disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in mid-November 2023 leaked more than one million gallons of crude oil off the Louisiana coast. This sickening event threatened the survival of Rice’s whales, one of the most endangered whale species on the planet. Unfortunately, this is only one example of the human-caused threats these whales face. Over the last several months, Rice’s whales, and similarly endangered North Atlantic right whales, have faced a wave of significant threats from anti-wildlife members of Congress.

Whale Watch: Legislative Attacks on Efforts to Protect Two Critically Endangered Whale Species
 
Chemicals from wildfire smoke found in whales: UBC research

Research out of UBC has made a new disturbing discovery. Chemicals from oil emissions and even wildfire smoke have been found in Southern Resident and Bigg’s killer whales.

The study says it is the first to discover polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the whales off the coast of B.C. PAHs are found in coal, oil, and gasoline, and come from several sources, including spills, burning coal, and wildfire smoke, researchers explain.

“There is a process, a pathway mechanism in the atmosphere called the long-range transport … So, eventually, these particles, this organic matter, this particulate matter, all this smoke basically carrying all these chemical contaminants, will deposit via dry deposition or wet deposition — basically the rain,” said senior author Dr. Juan José Alava, who is the principal investigator of the UBC Ocean Pollution Research Unit.

Wildfire chemicals found in orcas: UBC study | CityNews Vancouver
 
Nine countries sign global pact to protect endangered river dolphins
  • Since the 1980s, the combined populations of river dolphin species have plummeted by 73%.
  • With the Global Declaration for River Dolphins, 14 countries (six of them in Latin America) are expected to join forces to protect the six surviving species of this aquatic mammal that inhabit the world’s rivers and are under some category of threat. So far, nine of the governments involved have signed the declaration.
  • The declaration comes at a critical moment for these animals. In September 2023, the death of more than 150 river dolphins in one of the most important lakes in Brazil raised international concern.
In September of last year, 154 river dolphins perished in Lake Tefé in the Brazilian Amazon, reminding conservationists of the urgency required to protect threatened freshwater cetaceans. The deaths occurred during an intense drought.

“For us, this is a crisis. In one month, more than 10% of the populations of the two dolphin species that inhabit Lake Tefé died,” says Daphne Willems, global leader of river dolphin research at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). “We’ve never seen this before. It’s climate change. The water was significantly reduced and temperatures rose to 40° Celsius (104° Fahrenheit). Dolphins are not generally sensitive to temperatures; it doesn’t bother them much. But this was like cooking them.”

Nine countries sign global pact to protect endangered river dolphins
 
Scientists investigate mysterious case of orca that swallowed 7 sea otters whole

Scientists in Russia discovered seven perfectly intact sea otters in the belly of a beached orca, according to a new study. The doomed killer whale was found far from its normal hunting grounds, raising the question of what it was doing there.

The female orca (Orcinus orca) was found in 2020 on the coastline of one of the Commander Islands, which lie offshore the Russian Far East in the Bering Sea. Scientists performed a necropsy on the animal and discovered not only the seven dead sea otters (Enhydra lutris), which collectively weighed 258 pounds (117 kilograms), but also 256 cephalopod beak parts.

Scientists investigate mysterious case of orca that swallowed 7 sea otters whole
 
Opportunistic orcas have developed a new feeding behavior that appears to be killing them

More orcas have died entangled in fishing gear in Alaska this year than in previous years, which may be linked to a "new behavior" where they feed in front of ascending fishing nets.

A record number of orcas have died this year after snacking on fish hauled up by commercial trawlers in Alaska but then getting entangled in fishing gear, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Fishers have linked the increase in mortality to a "new behavior," in which orcas — also known as killer whales — feed in front of nets that fishers simultaneously pull to the surface.

"In 2023, our captains have reported an increase in the number of killer whales present near our vessels," the Groundfish Forum, a Seattle-based fishery trade association that oversees activities on 19 trawlers in North Pacific waters, said in a statement. While orcas are known to flock to fishing sites to feast on the catch, "marine mammal scientists are not sure why this change has occurred."

Orcas (Orcinus orca) are highly intelligent and innovative marine mammals that can imitate and learn from each other through a process called social learning. Orcas are known to exploit human fisheries, which provide them with all-you-can-eat buffets worldwide, according to a 2022 NOAA Fisheries report. Longline fisheries, which dangle lines of baited hooks to catch various fish species, are particularly attractive, as orcas can easily pluck food off the hooks.

Opportunistic orcas have developed a new feeding behavior that appears to be killing them
 
Inbreeding may be causing orca population in the Pacific Northwest to crash

Inbreeding among an endangered population of orcas off the coasts of British Columbia, Washington and Oregon is a cause for concern.

Southern Resident killer whales, a small population of orcas living in the Pacific Ocean off the northwest coast of North America, are so isolated that they've taken to inbreeding, which has contributed to their decline, a new study finds.

Inbreeding may be causing orca population in the Pacific Northwest to crash
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
Inbreeding may be causing orca population in the Pacific Northwest to crash

Inbreeding among an endangered population of orcas off the coasts of British Columbia, Washington and Oregon is a cause for concern.

Southern Resident killer whales, a small population of orcas living in the Pacific Ocean off the northwest coast of North America, are so isolated that they've taken to inbreeding, which has contributed to their decline, a new study finds.

Inbreeding may be causing orca population in the Pacific Northwest to crash
Click to expand...

:( Poor Southern Residents, they just can't catch a break.
 
Humpback whale spotted off Porthleven, Cornwall

A humpback whale has been caught on camera off the coast of Cornwall.

Dan Abbott, a wildlife camera man, said he and his friend travelled from Bristol to Porthleven on Monday to capture the mammal on Tuesday.

Hundreds of people headed to Falmouth in February after three humpback whales were spotted off the coast.

Mr Abbott said it was the first time he had seen a humpback whale in the UK, and that he planned his journey to catch it on camera.

https://www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-68495411.amp
 
Smelly Gas Helps Researchers Track Right Whales

In the vast open ocean, how does a large animal like a right whale find enough food to eat? Right whales eat copepods, a tiny marine zooplankton, and the copepods eat microscopic plants known as phytoplankton. Scientists suspect that in order to find food, the whales are following odors produced by natural chemical compounds. The compound scientists are most interested in is called dimethyl sulfide (DMS) — a smelly gas released when the copepods eat phytoplankton. Essentially, in order to predict where the North Atlantic right whales will be aggregating, scientists are following the same scent trail the whales may be using to locate their favorite food.

Smelly Gas Helps Researchers Track Right Whales
 
NFWF Announces $1.8 Million in Grants from the Killer Whale Conservation Program

Grants will address lack of available prey and other challenges facing endangered Southern Resident killer whales

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced more than $1.8 million in grants under the Killer Whale Conservation Program (KWCP), a partnership with BNSF Railway, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The grants will generate more than $1.7 million in matching contributions from grantees, for a total conservation impact of more than $3.5 million.

NFWF Announces $1.8 Million in Grants from the Killer Whale Conservation Program
 
Detecting killer whale pregnancies from the air

Our cetacean researchers are busy analyzing the 2023 field season data, collected using drones.

To continue over a decade of collaborative killer whale research alongside colleagues at NOAA, SR3, and Ocean Wise, Raincoast’s cetacean scientists spent two months in the field last year collecting aerial images for photogrammetry.

Photogrammetry, a versatile technique used across various disciplines, is useful in biology to enable precise measurements of animals from photographs. At Raincoast, we utilize this method to capture detailed images of threatened Northern Resident killer whales using a drone launched from our research vessel, Achiever. When we return from the field each year, we take meticulous measurements from these photos to determine each whale’s body condition. This evaluation of body condition in killer whales not only helps us as conservation scientists in understanding a population’s vitality, but it also provides insights into the whales’ reproductive health by detecting pregnancies.

Detecting killer whale pregnancies from the air | Raincoast
 
India's rivers are home to 6,000 dolphins - but they are in trouble

India's longest and most holy river, the Ganges, is home to thousands of dolphins. But their survival is under threat.

But these aren't like the ones found in oceans. They don't leap out of the water in spectacular arcs; surface for long intervals or swim in an upright position. Instead, they swim sideways, spend much of their time underwater, have long snouts and are almost completely blind.

These are Gangetic dolphins, a species of river dolphin - and India's national aquatic animal - that's found largely in the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system in the northern part of the country.

A new survey finds India's rivers host around 6,327 river dolphins - 6,324 Gangetic and just three Indus dolphins. A majority of the Indus dolphins are found in Pakistan as the river flows through both the South Asian countries.

https://www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg70pprzegyo.amp
 
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