Marine Mammals
Whales untangled? State contemplates opening closed areas to fishermen using ropeless gear
Because scientists have determined that the human impact on right whales needs to be limited to less than one fatality a year if the species is to avoid extinction, regulators have been unwilling to open closed areas to fishermen, even those using ropeless technology.
We are all Whalers: a reading and conversation
Join us for a virtual conversation and book reading with author and WHOI veterinarian and marine scientist, Dr. Michael Moore, to celebrate the publishing of his book, “We Are All Whalers.” Moore shares his experiences caring for endangered whales and how we can all aid in the salvation of these imperiled animals.
Read MoreWE ARE ALL WHALERS: SPECIAL VIRTUAL EVENT WITH AUTHOR MICHAEL MOORE!
Join us for a virtual conversation and book reading with author and WHOI veterinarian and marine scientist, Michael Moore, on…
Read MoreWe are all Whalers
We are all whalers Special event with author Dr. Michael Moore! Join us for a virtual conversation and book reading…
Read MoreNew book by WHOI marine scientist offers a grim look at an endangered whale species
A new book by Michael Moore, veterinarian, and marine scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), examines the plight and future of the North Atlantic right whale, one of the most critically endangered species on the planet, and draws on Moore’s 40 years of fieldwork to offer possible solutions.
Read MoreFor Mark Baumgartner, Whale Safe is the natural evolution of WHOI’s work with passive acoustics
Mark Baumgartner is a senior scientist and marine ecologist in the biology department at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who focuses…
Read MoreBiology Department Virtual Seminar: Effects of New Predator Regimes on Arctic Marine Mammal Ecology and Life History Evolution
Greg Breed, University of Alaska, Fairbanks Sponsored by: Biology Department This will be held virtually. Join Zoom Meeting: https://whoi-edu.zoom.us/j/91397884776 Meeting…
Read MoreThe Right Tools for Right Whales
Lonati’s methodology involves looking for whales, then hovering the university’s dual-gimbal DJI Matrice 210 V2 drone over a whale when it surfaces, capturing high-resolution images using an RGB camera at 20m above the ocean surface, then descending to 10m to capture a reading of the whale’s internal body temperature via its blowhole using an infrared camera. It is worth noting that drones have been deployed by researchers before to gather information about whales.
Large vessels failing to obey speed limits to protect endangered whales, report finds
‘The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52’ Review: An Enthusiastic, Anticlimactic Personal Quest to Find a One-of-a-Kind Whale Yields Mixed Results
Biology Department Virtual Seminar: Chasing the Mechanistic Bases of Stress Adaptation in Northern Elephant Seals
José Pablo Vazquez-Medina, University of California, Berkeley Sponsored by: Biology Department This will be held virtually. Join Zoom Meeting https://whoi-edu.zoom.us/j/95561978308…
Read MoreNew Ocean Buoy Monitors Whales Off MD.’s Atlantic Coast
The buoy is equipped with a hydrophone to record marine mammal calls, and thanks to an algorithm, researchers will be able to determine whether they belong to a humpback, fin, sei, or a critically-endangered North Atlantic Right whale.
Whales don’t spray water from their blowholes and other myths, debunked
We’re dispelling the most common misconceptions about these marine mammals—which is essential to keeping them safe and healthy.
Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales Getting Smaller, New Research Finds
A report out this week in Current Biology reveal that critically endangered North Atlantic right whales are up to three feet shorter than 40 years ago. This startling conclusion reinforces what scientists have suspected: even when entanglements do not lead directly to the death of North Atlantic right whales, they can have lasting effects on the imperiled population that may now number less than 400 animals. Further, females that are entangled while nursing produce smaller calves.
Read MoreOn the Verge of Extinction, These Whales Are Also Shrinking
Most of the 360 or so North Atlantic right whales alive today bear scars from entanglements in fishing gear and collisions with speeding ships and, according to new study, they are much smaller than they should be. According to the authors of the new study, the best way to ensure the continued survival of the species is to pressure fishery managers in the United States and Canada to significantly reduce the amount of rope-based fishing gear and implement ship speed limits in the North Atlantic. “We all consume goods moved by the sea, and many eat lobsters,” said Michael Moore, a senior scientist with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and co-author of the study. “If we all were to demand these management changes of our elected officials the situation would change drastically.”
NOAA Live! Webinar: Killer Whale Tales: Environmental Science through Storytelling
Lynne Barre, NOAA Fisheries West Coast Regional Office and Jeff Hogan, Killer Whale Tales, Seattle, WA Sponsored by: NOAA &…
Read MoreDrone Footage Captures Rare Moment of Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales ‘Hugging’
Researchers spotted the critically endangered North Atlantic right whales on a recent trip to Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts.
Whale of a hug: Drone video shows endangered mammals in apparent embrace
One of the few things rarer than North Atlantic right whales? Capturing a whale ‘hug’ on video. Scientists have done that for what might have been the first time from the air.
Collaborating to Save the Right Whale
Fishermen, engineers, and scientists are working together to test and develop fishing gear that has no buoy lines in the water column to save the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale. There are less than 400 North Atlantic Right Whales left in the world and many right whale deaths can be attributed to entanglement.
Read MoreRare drone video shows critically endangered North Atlantic right whale surface active group
During a joint research trip on February 28 in Cape Cod Bay, Mass., WHOI whale trauma specialist Michael Moore, National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry, and scientists from New England Aquarium, witnessed a remarkable biological event: North Atlantic right whales in a surface active group, also known as a SAG.
Read MoreRare Drone video shows critically endangered North Atlantic right whales
May 10, 2021 During a joint research trip on February 28 in Cape Cod Bay, Mass., WHOI whale trauma…
Read MoreWhales Seen Hugging Off Cape Cod
State waters remain closed to lobstermen
Also, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s Slocum underwater glider on Sunday acoustically detected the presence of North Atlantic right whales north of Cape Cod and NOAA Fisheries on Monday instituted a voluntary right whale slow zone north of Cape Cod until May 17.
With A Drone And Patience, Scientists Track Endangered Right Whale In Cape Cod Bay
“Right whales are beautifully equipped for drone work in terms of identification,” he said. “They wear their identity on their heads in the form of callosities,” which are massive calluses that are unique to each individual whale. “So every time we take a photograph, we know who it is.”
