The Australian government has condemned Japan's "regrettable" decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission and resume commercial whaling. The Japanese government's withdrawal from the global body, announced on Wednesday, will see commercial hunts in the country's territorial and economic waters start in July 2019. Announcing the decision, Chief Cabinet …
The past was a world of giants, with abundant whales in the sea and large animals roaming the land. However, that world came to an end following massive late-Quaternary megafauna extinctions on land and widespread population reductions in great whale populations over the past few centuries. These losses are likely …
Australia has one of the highest rates of animal species that face extinction, decline or negative impacts from human behavior in the world. However, over the last decade, there have been rare occurrences of animals that are rebounding and thriving. One example is the conservation success story of the recovery …
Drones have come a long way, from their military origins as sinister hardware for spying and remote warfare to their more recent use by conservation charities monitoring whaling ships and rare bird nests. This year’s Drones for Good awards finalists included social enterprises hoping to develop unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) …
With as few as about a dozen of the mammals left, federal regulators say a unique species of baleen whales in the Gulf of Mexico about 70 miles off the Florida Panhandle may be threatened with extinction and could get special protection from federal regulators. In April, the National Marine …
A new tool may help the United States better conserve whales, dolphins and porpoises. Scientists have identified more than 100 areas within U.S. waters that should be considered biologically important when making management and regulatory decisions about human activities. The regions are known as Biologically Important Areas (BIAs), and could …
Research team corrects inaccuracies and elucidates measurements for 25 marine species National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) A team of scientists and undergraduate students have analyzed the body size for 25 marine species, including whales, sharks, squids, and other ocean giants. The project elucidates both the challenges of arriving at exact …
Japan has unveiled a plan to kill 333 minke whales in the Southern Ocean next year as part of its push to resume whaling following a legal setback instigated by Australia. The plan, released by the Japanese government on Tuesday, sets out a 12-year program that would result in the …
Blue whales were targeted in the North Pacific from 1905–1971 and are listed as endangered by the IUCN. Despite decades without whaling, abundance estimates for eastern North Pacific (ENP) blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) suggest little evidence for a recent increase. One possible reason is fatal strikes by large ships, which …
With two deaths this year and no new calves since 2012, the population of endangered killer whales in the Puget Sound continues to decline. The number of whales in J, K and L pods has dropped to 78, a level not seen since 1985, according to a census by the …
A Goolarabooloo Aboriginal man who led opposition to a multi-billion dollar gas hub has been posthumously named environmentalist of the year by the Bob Brown Foundation. Joseph Roe, a Broome community worker, defied money, arrests, threats and compulsory acquisition of his people's land to maintain integrity of Aboriginal culture and …
Mortality and injuries caused by ship strikes in U.S. waters are a cause of concern for the endangered population of blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) occupying the eastern North Pacific. We sought to determine which areas along the U.S. West Coast are most important to blue whales and whether those areas …
Speed limits for ships travelling in special Great Barrier Reef “whale zones” should be introduced to reduce the number of the animals being maimed or killed, a conservation group has urged. A report by the International Fund for Animal Welfare warns that whales are facing a growing threat of being …
Judges at the highest U.N. court ordered Japan on Monday to halt whaling in the Antarctic, rejecting its long-held argument that the catch was for scientific purposes and not primarily for human consumption. Tokyo said it was disappointed but would abide by the decision, while activists said they hoped it …
Major nations failed to reach agreement on Thursday to set up huge marine protected areas off Antarctica under a plan to step up conservation of creatures such as whales and penguins around the frozen continent. The 25-member Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) agreed, however, to …
A mass stranding of whales has been found on the coast of North Andaman Island, but rescue operations were not possible given the large size of the mammals, wildlife officials today said. Around 40 Short Finned Pilot Whales that normally live in the deep sea were found lying near Elizabeth …
The Environmental Protection Authority has recommended a $35 billion gas hub in the Kimberley be approved with strict conditions. The Browse liquified natural gas project at James Price Point, near Broome, could go ahead with 29 conditions and offsets to ensure environment objectives are met, EPA chairman Paul Vogel announced …
South Korea's proposal to resume whaling for scientific research has angered other Asian countries and conservationists who said the practice would skirt a global ban on whale hunting. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she would fight the proposal, which was made on Wednesday at a meeting of the International …
On Monday, at 8pm, Bandra resident Benedict Suarez noticed a blood-stained carcass of a dolphin at the Bandstand promenade. Suarez, who is a member of the citizen’s group Eagle Brigade, informed local corporator Asif Zakaria who, in turn, alerted the civic officials about the dead dolphin. This is the eighth …
Efforts to protect the North Atlantic right whale have gone high-tech with the creation of an iPad/iPhone application that can warn mariners when they approach an area where the highly endangered mammals are congregating. The Whale Alert app, available for free download, uses global positioning system and other technology to …
