Alaska Whalers to Cancel Beluga Hunt - Examiner.com

Alaska Whalers to Cancel Beluga Hunt - Examiner.com:

"The population [of Beluga whales] is now so low that Alaska Native whalers, who have chased belugas for generations, agreed Monday to cancel their annual hunt for the third time in nine years at the request of the National Marine Fisheries Service. The agency is expected to decide this week whether to declare the animals endangered."

Will another species of whales make it onto the Who's Who Of Endangered Species?

It seems that it is most likely that the Beluga's will soon join some of their cousins on the endangered list.

Though the Alaskan whalers have the legal right, given the right genealogy and decent, to hunt these whales... perhaps it is best for them to rely on other traditions of their people, granted the ill-fate of the Beluga's in the current age.

A Call To New Zealander's

Wanted: Whale spotters of the right stuff:

"A southern right whale spotted off Mahia on Monday afternoon could be part of a "homegrown" population.

The Department of Conservation has asked people to report any sightings of southern right whales - which will be near the coast as they breed from June to September - so staff can collect DNA samples and record details that identify individual animals. More information was needed to confirm the theory of a population separate to that in Australia and the subantarctic Auckland Islands."

Get in on part of the action, help them determine if it really is a separate population... you still can go whale watching and help out!

What a great excuse to go to the ocean and go whale watching!

You can have great time, some fun and help scientists figure out how well the whale populations are doing.

The Best,
Gary

For Oil Or Whales

Independent Online Edition > Business News: "Shell is facing a mounting international backlash against its 11bn Pound plans to exploit the vast energy reserves off the coast of this former top secret Soviet military base north of Japan. It has already been forced to re-route oil pipelines that threatened to disrupt the breeding grounds of the critically endangered western grey whale, and has suspended other works."

With oil prices being so high I thought this would be an interesting post to that effect. Shell is under a lot of pressure to keep its operations from disturbing the endangered whales in the pacific (around Japan).

There's a delicate balance that must be maintained between human needs and the need to preserve the earth and species on this planet... and apparently shell is stuck somewhere in the middle of this.

Hopefully they clean it up soon...

Gary

Good News But Still A Lot To Do

Humpback whale population on the rise. 31/08/2005. ABC News Online: "Researchers say the humpback whale population is slowly increasing but it needs to be protected from commercial whaling."

This is really good news for the humpback whales, however there is much that needs to be donen to keep them protected and keep their population growing.

Check out the site that I put up that will help show the need for the protection of all the whales and how you can make a difference:   http://theguidetowhalewatching.com/savewhales

A difference can be made, and the whales can be saved! We all just need to play our roles and make it happen!

Gary Schmidt

Migrating Around Africa

Humpback whale's movements make history:

"For the first time, a genetic study has followed a humpback whale from one ocean basin to another, adding to the knowledge of whales' migratory patterns.

Researchers reporting in the most recent issue of the Royal Society's Biology Letters, said a male humpback whale first sighted in Madagascar's Antongil Bay in 2000 was found in 2002 swimming off the coast of Loango National Park in Gabon -- on the other side of the African continent."

Chalking one up for whale research. What a breakthrough in knowledge, now if only they could keep track of them in an easy way.

All the more we know about whales, the more we'll be able to help them survive.

Gary

No Time Left For Right Whales!

RedNova News - Science - Scientist Warns North Atlantic Right Whale Facing Extinction: "The North Atlantic right whale's future looks grim if the current mortality rates continue, according to Florida State University assistant professor of oceanography Douglas Nowacek and a group of fellow scientists from across the nation."

Apparently the North Atlantic Right Whales are the most endangered whales. Even though there are births at an average rate of 23, this is estimated to be inadequate to overcome the levels of mortality they have seen.

They are estimating that the right whales face extinction within the next 100 years, if there aren't any changes in the management of shipping and fisheries!

Such gloomy news...

Gary

Too Many Whale Deaths

Environmental Economics: Whale economics: "More than 8 in 10 deaths of right whales may be going undiscovered"

These undiscovered whale deaths must be resolved. There are only an estimated 350 right whales to be present in the North Atlantic.

They must determine what the reason for the deaths are, and find solutions that properly address the issue.

Iceland and Norway are both nations that are involved in commercial whaling... how much of the unreported deaths might be because of these nations? This article doesn't say. Nor does it say if they even have a part in this, it doesn't give any potential reasons.

Hopefully good solutions that will resolve the problem are made.

Gary Schmidt

The best year for for right whales!

It's a good year for right whale calving: "This is one of the best years in recent memory for right whale calving, with 28 mother-calf pairs sighted so far, government biologists say."

What great news, the right whales are doing great. Hopefully, their population growth continues to go this way.

Gary

How old is that whale?

Australian researchers develop new method to determine whales' age: "Australian scientists are developing a new method of determining the age of humpback whales which can avoid killing the mammals in previous methods"

Kudos to the Australians for researching this. I'm not entirely too certain why we need to know how old the whales are. But since research seems to find it an important matter we shouldn't have to kill them to know how old they are!

Gary