The Twinning at the MedPAN Management Effectiveness Workshop
On October 27th and 28th, at the occasion of the MedPAN MPA Management Effectiveness Workshop, the Twinning presented the EU-funded Ocean Governance Project, Marine Mammal Twinning across two separate events. The first was within the context of MPA networks, drawing on inter-twinning activities and the importance of MPA networks for marine mammals and other mobile […]
The Marine Management Toolkit at the 7th Mediterranean Conference on Marine Turtles
On 18th October 2022, the Twinning hosted a workshop focusing on the Marine Mammals Management Toolkit and its respective adaptation to marine turtles at the occasion of the 7th Mediterranean Conference on marine Turtles, Tetouan (Morocco), highlighting the toolkit as a key tool for MPA managers, and its value for managing marine turtles within the […]
International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) praises stakeholder cooperation in efforts to protect whales
Shipping has long been identified as one of the major threats to cetaceans, not only through vessel strikes, but also through noise generated by ships, which can disrupt vital behaviours, like feeding, navigation and migration of cetaceans and other marine animals. Significant steps have already been taken by the industry to protect marine mammals, with […]
Chile launches “smart buoys” to protect migrating whales
The Ministry of the Environment of Chile, in partnership with the MERI Foundation, has deployed an artificial intelligence (AI) powered monitoring buoy in the Gulf of Corcovado (Chile), as part of the Blue BOAT Initiative (Buoy Oceanographic Alert Technology) in an effort to protect whales from ship collision. MERI Foundation The “smart buoys” are equipped […]
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 […]
Congo creates first Marine Protected Areas
The Republic of the Congo has created its first ever Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), supported by a research team including the University of Exeter and the Wildlife Conservation Society. The three new MPAs will protect more than 4,000 square km (1,500 square miles) off the West African coast—covering 12% of Congo’s Exclusive Economic Zone. The […]
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 […]
