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13 Sperm Whales Found Dead with Stomachs Full of Plastic Trash

13 Sperm Whales Found Dead with Stomachs Full of Plastic Trash
13 Sperm Whales Found Dead with Stomachs Full of Plastic Trash
Back at the end of January, 13 sperm whales washed up dead on beaches in Germany.
And although it has now been revealed that the most likely cause of death was acute cardiovascular failure, the contents of their stomachs was alarming, to say the least. Among the squid beaks and fish parts was a whole lot of plastic???just more damning evidence that plastic isn???t worth the convenience.

Sperm whales normally subsist on a diet comprised mostly of squid, shrimp, crab, and fish. These ones, however, had accidentally eaten a surprising amount of exceedingly strange stuff: a plastic car part, bucket parts, and perhaps the strangest of all, a fishing net that was almost 50 feet long.
Read More… 13 Sperm Whales Found Dead with Stomachs Full of Plastic Trash

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Musician Unraveled the Secrets of Whale Song

Musician Unraveled the Secrets of Whale Song

How a Musician Unraveled the Secrets of Whale Song

Whale songs are some of the most hauntingly beautiful and bizarre noises in the world. These majestic marine mammals interact with each other to create songs of escalating length and complexity over the years, in what one might compare to jazz riffing or Indigenous Australian songlines, the cultural, social, and physical maps passed down through generations.

Research helped to improve our understanding of whales and the way they interact with each other. It also illustrated that activities we often consider exclusively human aren???t so unique after all; whales have a sense of aesthetics and they compose collaborative songs with meticulous care.

Listen to an example Whale Song at: https://www.npr.org/2015/08/06/427851306/it-took-a-musicians-ear-to-decode-the-complex-song-in-whale-calls

Whales sculpture is made of willow and 70,000 plastic bottles

Whales sculpture is made of willow and 70,000 plastic bottles to highlight threat of plastic pullution to world’s oceans

whales sculpture is made of willow and 70,000 plastic bottles
Made from willow harvested in Somerset, the six-tonne sculpture depicts a blue whale and a humpback whale swimming through an 'ocean' of 70,000 plastic bottles, collected from the Bristol Half Marathon and Bristol 10k race.
The artwork, named The Bristol Whales, aims to highlight the threat to the world's fragile oceans from plastic pollution, particularly plastic bags and food and drink packaging.
Globally, eight million tonnes of plastic ends up in oceans each year, equivalent to the body weight of 45,000 blue whales.

Sculpture of two life size whales made from willow and 70,000 plastic bottles, which has been unveiled to mark the city's status as the UK's first European Green Capital.The Bristol Whales sculpture at night
The willow will naturally biodegrade over time. Read More...

Whale News Events Currently on our Sonar 10

Whale News on Whales Without Borders SONAR vol 10

Humpback Whales’ recovery is national success story

HONOLULU ??? The humpback whale became the unofficial symbol for the conservation movement in the last century. The iconic mammal that can be found across the planet was on the verge of extinction. Their recovery after 45 years of protection and restoration efforts is a remarkable achievement.
Humpback Whales recovery is national success story

Rare up close footage captures sperm whale as it circles ROV 2000m below sea level

Staying in view of the camera for a number of minutes, the whale got so close to that a multitude of scars could be made out on the its nose. The Nautilus Live project streams live footage of its expeditions to create better understanding of deep sea life.
Rare up close footage captures sperm whale as it circles ROV 2000m below sea level

Can we finally stop worrying about the humpback whale? Not so fast, say experts

For more than 40 years, the humpback whale has been an icon of the wildlife conservation movement ??? majestic, globally beloved and always teetering on the edge of extinction. Until now, that is.
Can we finally stop worrying about the humpback whale? Not so fast, say experts

Federal agency, Alaska businesses partner on whale program

The program is intended to help reduce disturbances when whales are foraging. The Alaska participants include tour and charter fishing operations in southeast Alaska. Boats are asked to travel at slow speeds around whales and limiting the amount of time spent near feeding whales.
Federal agency, Alaska businesses partner on whale program

Online funding needed to track B.C. whales

Hydrophones help track whales through the sounds they make. A series of listening posts called hydrophones at strategic points along B.C.???s coastline ??? four networks designed to monitor fish, marine mammals and shipping tankers coming to and from shore.
Online funding needed to track B.C. whales

Killer whales are stealing fishermen’s catch to make extra calves

killer whales learned to snatch fish off of longlines. Because the groups that learned to eat those fish had a virtually endless supply of food that required no effort to catch, the individuals in those families, theoretically, should have been more reproductively successful than those who had to work for their dinner.
Killer whales are stealing fishermen's catch to make extra calves

Whale News Events for Whale Watchers

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Drone to Sample Humpback Whale Blow Hole Mucus

Drone to Sample Humpback Whale Blow Hole Mucus

Remote-controlled drone to capture whale DNA.

Drone to Sample Humpback Whale Blow Hole Mucus to measure their health


Press Play if you’d rather Listen…


Drones have been sent to hover metres above migrating humpback whales off south-east Queensland to help with a study into the giant mammals’ health.

Griffith University researcher Dr Jan-Olaf Meynecke used the remote-controlled aircraft to capture DNA from the blow holes of humpbacks.

He is trying to establish whether the increase in whale population is placing pressure on the species.

About 19,000 humpbacks leave Antarctica’s cold waters annually and migrate up Australia???s east coast.

But Dr Meynecke said research into the marine mammal had been limited.

In June, he launched a pilot study to examine humpback health.

Using a drone to hover above the whales, he collected mucus in a petri dish.

He said whales took a breath every three to four minutes, so timing was critical.

“We wait for their second breath and so they come up for a second time and that’s when I usually try to get the whale blow,” he said.

An estimated 40,000 humpbacks once migrated to Queensland’s warm waters but commercial hunting reduced the population to fewer than 500.

Whaling ended in the early 1960s and since then the population has steadily grown to almost 20,000.

Dr Meynecke said he suspected the increased numbers coupled with temperature changes and decreasing krill stocks were affecting the humpbacks’ immune system.

Drone to Sample Humpback Whale Blow Hole Mucus to measure their health


Play the very TV News video about the project Humpback Whale Blow Hole Mucus and Read More…

Four Story 10-31-2014 Playlist

Audio Podcasts of Whale News 10-31-2014

Audio Podcasts of Whale News 10-31-2014

Why Do Whales Breach?

Why Do Whales Breach?

Questions about “Why Do Whales Breach?” in this most spectacular of behaviors.


Why Do Whales Breach?

Breaching is perhaps the most sought-after behavior by whale watchers (and it is certainly the most common photo on any whale watch company???s brochure!

We have seen a lot of breaching recently, and that has prompted many questions from our passengers about “Why Do Whales Breach?” in this most spectacular of behaviors. Thus I figured I???d write a blog about breaching behavior in whales??? Humpback Whales in particular. It???s kind of long, but I hope you will find it fun, educational, and interesting.

In this spectacular display of athletic prowess, the whale will dive beneath the surface for a few seconds or minutes only to surface vertically with great speed. Often the animal will twist while in mid-air and then come crashing down with thunderous splash.

While all whales have the ability to breach, none do it as often as the Humpback Whale. But while breaching is quite common amongst Humpback Whales it is certainly not something that we see on every whale watching trip.

Another reason that predicting when whales will become active is that there is no time of the year or day that whales are more likely to breach! You simply need to be in the right place at the right time to see it when it does. Obviously the more time you spend watching whales the better the chances you will see one breach. Ultimately that???s really how ALL of nature watching works: The more time you spend watching, the more you will see.

Why Do Whales Breach? Some of the main theories include:

1. REMOVAL OF PARASITES
2. AID IN DIGESTION
3. JUST FOR FUN!
4. COMMUNICATION

In conclusion: No one knows why whales exhibit this spectacular behavior. They probably become breach for all these reasons listed above at one time or another??? and maybe for reasons that haven???t even occurred to us yet. All we as whale watchers can do is hope to be present when these behaviors occur??? and hopefully we???ll have our cameras ready too!

Read complete story and view some incredible photos

High Tech Effort To Prevent The US Navy From Running Over Whales

Inside The High Tech Effort To Prevent The US Navy From Running Over Whales


For instance, researchers were able to figure out a “lethal” and “safe” zone for whales relative to a given naval vessel, based on the size and position of both.
prevent US vessels from striking whales

Research to prevent US vessels from striking whales

New insights to prevent US vessels from striking whales. In 2009 he and his team used an artificial basin at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in West Bethesda, Maryland, to test the hydrodynamics of ???ship strikes??? ??? collisions between vessels and the massive yet highly vulnerable sea mammals.

Undertaken at a military facility and by a government organization ??? Silber works for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA ??? their resulting study had a purpose far beyond satisfying the researchers’ individual curiosity.

???What we did was build a whale model that was completely to scale,??? Silber told Business Insider. ???The same density, the same weight, the same size, relative to the size of the vessel model. And then we ran the ship model at the whale.??? Researchers hoped that studying the dynamics of a simulated collision could help develops methods for avoiding ship strikes.

Granted, there were limits to what the study could achieve. Living whales are likely to move as a collision unfolds, and organic tissue don’t have the same properties as the plastic resin and fiberglass model the researchers used. But the simulations still gave a glimpse into what happens in the “near field,” Silber’s term for the few dozen yards that are closed before a ship and a whale collide.
Much more…

New wave of Bundaberg Junior Whale Whisperers

FIFTY students from St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School will soon become accredited Junior Whale Whisperers, after a special visit from a Hervey Bay Whale Expert and lovable mascot, Harvey the Humpback Whale.

Bundaberg Junior Whale Whisperers

WHALE WATCHING: Harvey the Humpback visited year 5 students at St Patrick’s Catholic School as part of the Junior Whale Whisperers initiative. Photo: Max Fleet / NewsMail


Following the success of the inaugural Junior Whale Whisperers Program last year, more than 350 young marine life enthusiasts from eight schools across the state were selected to take part in the 2014 program, a joint education initiative by Tourism and Events Queensland and Fraser Coast Opportunities to coincide with the prime whale watching season of July to November.

Students were treated to a fun and informative session on the Southern Hemisphere’s growing whale population, learning about the migration process, as well as how to identify different whales and distinguish unique traits from cheeky spy hopping to the signature whale song produced by the male humpbacks.

Hervey Bay whale expert Andrew Ellis from Fraser Coast Opportunities said the program was a fantastic way to educate and excite Queensland children about the incredible marine life on their doorstep.

“The Fraser Coast is one of the few places in the world where the migrating humpbacks stop and play in the protected waters of the Bay with new research suggesting these majestic mammals stay for an average of 10 days or more – much longer than the two or three days previously believed,” he said.

“At any one time there could be hundreds of whales frolicking in the Bay, with mums and calves dominating the latter half of the season as newborns are taught essential survival skills ahead of the journey to Antarctica.”

St Patrick’s Assistant Principal Cathy Wilson said the students were thrilled to be involved in the Junior Whale Whisperer Program.

“Children are fascinated by whales – the sheer size and mystery of these magnificent mammals, it’s no surprise they were keen to learn more about the humpbacks,” she said.

“They are very enthusiastic about applying their newly acquired whale knowledge and earning their Junior Whale Whisperer stripes.”

Humpback whales snack at Santa Cruz wharf

Humpback whales snack at Santa Cruz wharf.


Humpback whales snack by the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf on Tuesday afternoon, snacking on schools of small fish about 50 yards from the wooden pilings off Cowell Beach.
Humpback whales snack at Santa Cruz wharf

A paddle boarder gets an up-close view of a breaching whale Tuesday near the Santa Cruz


Up on the wharf at restaurants such as Firefish Grill, diners got a free show with lunch as they watched the gigantic mammals burst out of the water at times.

“The waitress told us as soon as we sat down that there were whales out there,” said Cricket West, a 68-year-old woman from Boulder Creek.

“I’d never seen a whale before and I’ve lived here for 40 years. It was exciting,” she said.

A small group of people gathered in the restaurant and watched three humpbacks and a man on a stand-up paddleboard and kayakers near them. Authorities have reminded viewers in the water to keep their distance from whales, in part because the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act requires it.

“He was right beside it (the whale) when it came up,” said Zoe West, Cricket West’s 11-year-old granddaughter. “The whale’s whole head popped up and it was huge.”

Read More at: Humpback whales snack at Santa Cruz wharf

Fort Bragg Whale Festival Chowder Tasting Event

Fort Bragg Whale Festival Chowder Tasting Event – Brown Paper Tickets

Restaurants that will be represented; Cafe One, Cliff House, Harvest Market, Living Light,The Restaurant,Laurel Deli,Angelina’s,North Coast Brewing Company, and JJ’s Family Restaurant. In addition there will be beer sampling provided by North Coast Brewing Company. You must be 21 years of age or older and show your ID at the event.