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 […]
Considering the effects of maritime industries on marine mammals
A recent study by Hague et al. has investigated how marine mammals are considered in Cumulative Effects Assessments (CEAs), which are a mandatory step for businesses carrying Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). Reviewing 93 different CEAs in across 11 maritime industries, the research identified a knowledge gap in the accounting of marine mammals in CEAs, and […]
Using drones to detect pregnancy in dolphins
In bottlenose dolphins, a group of scientists have used unoccupied aerial systems (UAS, known as drones), to non-invasively measure body morphometrics of individuals, and have been able to successfully detect pregnancy. The research intended to compare drone imaging with usually used laser photogrammetry to see if it could be used as a substitute, and to […]
Estimating Bycatch Mortality for Marine Mammals
Fisheries bycatch is the greatest current source of human-caused deaths of marine mammals worldwide, with severe impacts on the health and viability of many populations. Recent regulations enacted in the United States under the Fish and Fish Product Import Provisions of its Marine Mammal Protection Act require nations with fisheries exporting fish and fish products […]
World-First Map Exposes Growing Dangers Along Whale Superhighways
A new report from WWF and partners provides the first truly comprehensive look at whale migrations and the threats they face across all oceans, highlighting how the cumulative impacts from industrial fishing, ship strikes, pollution, habitat loss, and climate change are creating a hazardous and sometimes fatal obstacle course for the marine species. Protecting Blue […]
Whales’ anatomy prevents them from choking
The lunge-feeding technique of whales requires engulfing a volume of prey-laden water as large as their own body, while swimming at high speeds, to allow for the capture of small fish and krill in their baleen. However, lunge-feeding baleen whales must also breath in the process – how do whales manage not to choke? A […]
Whales near cities consume microplastics daily
A new study by an international team of researchers led by the University of Auckland has found that whales in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf consume around 3 million microplastics every day. The researchers estimated microplastic exposure from prey and scats of whales using a stochastic simulation model, which led to the estimated daily ingestion rate of microplastics. […]
Baleen Whales’ Immense Influence on Ocean Ecosystems
A group of researchers from Stanford University has published a new paper on prey consumption of baleen whales. Previous studies on prey consumption of large marine animals have used metabolic models. Here, the research group used tags deployed on seven baleen whale species in conjunction with acoustic measurements of prey density to calculate prey consumption at daily to annual […]
Insights into humpback whale use of entire ocean basins
A new webinar, hosted by National Marine Sanctuaries (NOAA), will be held on 3rd November 2021 and will focus on the findings of two international studies highlighting Humpback whales’ use of the Ocean basin. Date/Time: November 03, 2021 at 12pm Hawai`i | 3pm Pacific | 6pm Eastern Presented by: David Mattila, Secretariat to the International Whaling Commission […]
New Paper Estimates the Abundance of Marine Mammal Populations
A new paper from the Ocean Modeling Forum’s Working Group on Marine Mammal Bycatch provides a summary on the various methods available for assessing the abundance of pinnipeds, cetaceans, and sirenians. Authors discuss key issues, including: General principles in estimating abundance Methods for estimating abundance and their strengths and weaknesses in relation to practical issues […]
