Major shipping company shifts lanes to help save Sri Lankan blue whales
The world’s largest shipping and logistics conglomerate, MSC Group, is adjusting its shipping route south of Sri Lanka to reduce collision risk with endangered blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) after environmental NGOs OceanCare and IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) approached MSC Group to help protect these whales. The decision means that transiting MSC container ships […]
Scientists built a real-time sperm whale detection system to reduce vessel strikes
A deep-water acoustic observatory for real-time detection and localization of vocalizing sperm whales was developed, deployed and operated for two 3-month periods in summer 2020 and 2021, off south-west Crete in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, in the framework of the SAvEWhales project. Regular clicks, pulsed sounds produced by the diving animals, were detected and localized […]
IWC release workshop report on the socio-economic values of cetaceans
In April 2022, a Conservation Committee workshop on socio-economic values of the contribution of cetaceans to ecosystem function was hosted by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The workshop aimed to identify methods to assess the socio-economic value of the ecosystem services provided by whales to human well-being by, for example, combating climate change and increasing […]
Warming ocean temperatures may force New Zealand’s whales to shift south
A recent study used mathematical models to predict how whales may respond to warming ocean temperatures, with results showing a shift to the cooler southern waters. The research looked at sperm and blue whales, who play a key role in ocean health, and used a combination of mathematical models (known as correlative species distribution models) to predict […]
Slowing down to reduce strikes of North Pacific Right Whales: podcast & proposed rule
The North Atlantic right whale is a critically endangered species, resulting from threats posed by human interactions with the leading causes of mortality including entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes. To address vessel strikes, NOAA Fisheries, also known as the National Marine Fisheries Service, an office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is proposing […]
Stakeholders’ involvement: a win for marine mammals in the Canadian Arctic
In July 2022, the Government of Canada announced an investment of $7.46 million in the co-management of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in Canada’s western Arctic, in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. The investment will be allocated to the co-management of the Tarium Niryutait and Anguniaqvia niqiqyuam MPAs, in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. Both MPAs contribute to […]
Marine Mammals Management Toolkit at the UN Ocean Conference
On June 29th and 30th, the Twinning introduced the Marine Mammals Management Toolkit at two separate events during the United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon; highlighting the toolkit as possible solution for managing marine mammals to mitigate climate change as well as its importance for international policies. The first presentation, through a panel format, was […]
New e-book assessing approaches to support marine mammals’ bycatch management
A new e-book assessing approaches to support marine mammals’ bycatch management was published by members of the Marine Mammal Bycatch Working Group of the Lenfest Ocean Program. Members of the Ocean Modeling Forum’s Marine Mammal Bycatch Working Group edited an e-book titled “Assessment Approaches to Support Bycatch Management for Marine Mammals” that was recently published in […]
New CARI-MAM online training courses for marine mammals
New training courses by the Caribbean Marine Mammals Preservation Network (CARI-MAM) are now available online. These consist of a series of three technical courses and a project management course, covering the following themes: Photo-identification and Capture-Mark-Recapture (CMR) Acoustic identification of cetaceans Managing marine mammals during oil spills Project building and financing The courses are available […]
New factsheet spotlight: Marine Mammal Bycatch best practices
The Marine Mammal Bycatch Working Group of the Lenfest Ocean Program has released a new factsheet collating best practices for assessing and managing marine mammal bycatch. Bycatch in marine fisheries is the leading source of human-caused mortality of marine mammals globally. According to the Ocean Modelling Forum Marine Mammal Bycatch Working Group, developing quantitative assessments […]
