5 February 2018 (Murdoch University) – Scientists are warning that microplastics in our oceans are posing a significant risk to filter-feeding marine animals like manta rays and whale sharks.A new analysis for the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, led by Murdoch University PhD student Elitza Germanov, warns that microplastics could be hazardous because they […]
By Patrick Whittle 10 December 2017 PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Officials with the federal government say it’s time to consider the possibility that endangered right whales could become extinct unless new steps are taken to protect them. North Atlantic right whales are among the rarest marine mammals in the world, and they have endured a […]
By Mark Stevenson 5 November 2017 MEXICO CITY (AP) – Researchers were thrilled to have captured one of the few remaining vaquita porpoises, but announced Sunday that the adult female died after a few hours in captivity in a floating pen, raising questions about the last-ditch effort to enclose the world’s smallest porpoises to save […]
By Lynda V. Mapes 27 October 2017 (The Seattle Times) – Orca whales are on a path to extinction within a century unless they get a big increase of chinook salmon to eat, and significantly quieter seas in which to find their food, a new study has found.The research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, […]
19 October 2017 (The Siberian Times) – Around 20 beasts have surrounded Ryrkaypiy, with one bear cub trying to get into a house through the window.The polar bears were attracted by 5,000 walruses that appeared this year at a special protection zone in Chukotka.Many of the frightened flippered marine mammals fell off cliffs at Kozhevnikova […]
SAN FELIPE, Mexico, 5 October 2017 (Center for Biological Diversity) – Wildlife officials in Mexico next week will attempt to capture and protect some of the last vaquita on Earth in a desperate effort to save these small porpoises from extinction. The operation in the Gulf of California, scheduled to begin 12 October 2017, will […]
By Lynda V. Mapes 9 October 2017 (The Seattle Times) – Scientists have been hauling survey nets through the ocean off the coasts of Washington and Oregon for 20 years. But this is the first time some have come up empty.“We were really worrying if there was something wrong with our equipment,” said David Huff, […]
By Karen Weintraub 2 October 2017MOUNT DESERT ROCK, Maine (The New York Times) – From the top of the six-story lighthouse, water stretches beyond the horizon in every direction. A foghorn bleats twice at 22-second intervals, interrupting the endless chatter of herring gulls. At least twice a day, beginning shortly after dawn, researchers climb steps […]
By Doyle Rice 5 October 2017 (USA Today) – From walruses to turtles and woodpeckers to toads, the Trump administration Wednesday declined to list 25 species as endangered, noting that extra protection “is not warranted at this time.” Of particular concern to environmental groups is the Pacific walrus, which had been considered a candidate for […]
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida, 10 September 2017 (Associated Press) – Two manatees were stranded after Hurricane Irma sucked the water out of Sarasota Bay, in Florida’s Manatee County. Several people posted photos of the mammals on Facebook Sunday, hoping rescue workers or wildlife officials would respond. Michael Sechler posted that the animals were far too massive […]
