Marine Mammals
NOAA Live! Webinar: It Takes a Village to Save the Hawaiian Monk Seal
Stacie Robinson, NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and Wendy Marks, the Marine Mammal Center, Kona Sponsored by: NOAA…
Read MoreNOAA Live! Webinar: Whale and Seek: The Underwater Lives of Whales
Dave Wiley, NOAA Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Sponsored by: NOAA and Woods Hole Sea Grant This will be held…
Read MoreHumpback whale songs provide insight to population changes
Following reports of unusually low whale numbers that began in 2015-16, researchers at the University of Hawaii in collaboration with the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Oceanwide Science Institute and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, examined song chorusing recorded through long-term passive acoustic monitoring at six sites off Maui.
In a major effort to protect endangered whales, state officials plan to ban lobster fishing for several months a year
Moving to ropeless fishing would have “a far more lasting impact in reducing mortality, and equally importantly, the health and hence reproductive success of live animals,” said Michael Moore, director of the Marine Mammal Center at WHOI.
NOAA Live! Webinar: Drones, Scat, and the Joys of Marine Mammal Fieldwork in Alaska
Katie Sweeney, NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center, WA Sponsored by: NOAA and Woods Hole Sea Grant This will be…
Read MoreUnicorns of the Arctic face a new potential threat
Narwhals and other marine mammals could be vulnerable to a new threat we’ve become all too familiar with: COVID-19
Read MoreEndangered right whale population down to 360 as they begin migration toward Florida coast
As the critically endangered North Atlantic right whales begin their southward migration from New England and Canada toward the coast of Florida, including Volusia and Flagler counties, researchers are marking the beginning of calving season with uncertainty and urgency.
Fishing gear confirmed as major cause of right whale deaths
A major study looking into the deaths of North Atlantic right whales has found that entanglement in fishing gear has become a leading cause of mortality.
Film explores path to right whale’s extinction
In May 2019, the United Nations released a report that said 1 million species on Earth were facing extinction, and that the rate of extinction was accelerating. Boston Globe reporter David Abel said it led him to make the film “Entangled” about the path to extinction for one species people on the Cape know well.
Ocean research group says right whale entanglements hurt animals’ reproductive health
A research group says the rise in the number of fishing-gear entanglements of North American right whales is hurting the animals’ ability to reproduce and care for their young.
Remembering one of history’s greatest whale explosions
Last week marked the 50th anniversary of the infamous Florence whale explosion. While methods for dealing with dead whales have improved since the ’70s, the giant mammals do explode from time to time—no pyrotechnics needed. “The risk of a spontaneous explosion is always there with a decomposing whale,” says Michael Moore, a senior scientist at WHOI.
WHOI working to help save critically endangered North Atlantic right whales
North Atlantic right whales are in crisis. There are approximately 356 individuals remaining, and with over 80% bearing scars of entanglements in fishing line, the race to save this species is more critical than ever.
Read MoreStudy Sheds Light on Critically Endangered Beluga Whale Population
A team of scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and NOAA Fisheries are collaborating to help stem the decline of a critically endangered population of beluga whales in the Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Read MorePandemic Quiet Is Helping Humans Eavesdrop on Rare Dolphins
According to WHOI’s Laela Sayigh, who was not involved in the Burrunan research, identifying which dolphin in a pod is vocalizing at a particular time is key to deciphering their communication systems.
As their population plummets, right whales verge on extinction
It’s unknown how many right whales are alive today, but Michael Moore, director of the Marine Mammal Center at WHOI, said there are likely to be fewer than 366.
Ropeless Fishing Systems Hold Promise for Fishermen—and Whales
To help advance the effort to find a feasible and cost-effective gear-marking solution, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, The Pew Charitable Trusts and others are engaged in conversations with industry, enforcement, and regulators in the U.S. and Canada—which will culminate in a virtual workshop on gear marking in the coming months.
AOP&E Department Virtual Seminar: Beluga Whales as Sentinels of Environmental Change in the Beaufort Sea Ecosystem
Emily Choy, McGill University Sponsored by: AOP&E Department This will be held virtually. Please Join: https://whoi-edu.zoom.us/j/94850236990?pwd=akJrTDFBeDJYakhOdVc2c1hDWVdYQT09 Meeting ID: 948 5023…
Read MoreFor Mark Baumgartner, Whale Safe is the natural evolution of WHOI’s work with passive acoustics
Mark Baumgartner is an expert ocean listener who’s research is providing the groundwork for a new system to reduce ship collisions with whales
Read MorePandemic Quiet Means We Can Eavesdrop on Rare Australian Dolphins
According to Laela Sayigh, from WHOI, who is not involved in the Burrunan research, identifying which dolphin in a pod is vocalizing at a particular time is key to deciphering their communication systems.
NOAA Live! Webinar: Dolphin Tales – Stories and Facts about Dolphins and Marine Mammal Strandings in the Southeast US
Blair Mase, NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center Sponsored by: NOAA and Woods Hole Sea Grant This will be held…
Read MoreNew Technology Can Save the Whales from Ship Collisions
In a bid to reduce the number of whale deaths, researchers Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and collaborators worked together to develop Whale Safe, a new detection system provides mariners with up to date information about whales present in shipping lanes.
TECHNOLOGY Whale ‘roadkill’ is on the rise off California. A new detection system could help
Launched on September 16, Whale Safe is the result of a collaboration between the Benioff Ocean Initiative and several U.S. universities and oceanographic organizations, including the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the University of California Santa Barbara, and the Unive
Whale watching and learning
Whales aren’t the only large creature in the ocean; there’s also cargo ships. When the two collide, it’s fatal to whales and barely noticeable to large ships cruising through the Santa Barbara Channel.
Want to Save the Whales? Eavesdrop on Their Calls
“Moorings are typically made from chain, so they clank a lot,” says Mark Baumgartner, whale ecologist and senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who helped develop the technology. “And that’s not really good when you’re trying to hear animals that are many miles away making sounds.”
