IFAW Blue Speeds: Slower Shipping to Save Whales
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has recently launched a campaign to tackle shipping threats faced by marine mammals in Europe, through an enterprising scheme called Blue Speeds. They are calling on ships travelling to and from European ports to slow their speeds in order to reduce noise pollution, reduce the risk of collisions […]
As sea ice declines in the Arctic bowhead whales are adjusting their migration patterns
The Arctic has warmed 4 times faster than the rest of the globe since 1979, with sea ice extent decreasing 13% per decade. Increased warming and the continued loss of sea ice will have significant negative impacts on marine mammals that rely heavily on sea-ice for survival. Amongst these species, the bowhead whale, the only […]
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 […]
Effects of climate change on marine mammals: a US review
Scientists from the Marine Mammal Commission have published a review of the effects of climate change on marine mammals in US waters. The fundamental driver of climate change in the global oceans is increasing atmospheric carbon, which results in increased air and ocean temperatures, ocean acidification, loss of sea ice, and increased fresh-water discharge from […]
Ocean Regime Shift is Driving Collapse of the North Atlantic Right Whale Population
Warming oceans have driven the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale population from its traditional and protected habitat, exposing the animals to more lethal ship strikes, disastrous commercial fishing entanglements and greatly reduced calving rates. Without improving its management, the right whale populations will decline and potentially become extinct in the coming decades, according to […]
