Tag: marine life

• Thursday, June 6th 2019 - 08:05 UTC

  Campaign to end “circus-style” shows with dolphins at theme parks

  

  After the documentary film Blackfish galvanized a movement to end SeaWorld's killer whale performances, animal rights activists on Wednesday called for an end to “circus-style” dolphin shows at the theme parks.

• Friday, May 17th 2019 - 09:33 UTC

  Some 58 grey whales stranded and dead off Alaska, mostly malnourished

  

  Dozens of grey whales have been found dead along the U.S. West Coast in recent weeks and some scientists believe the cause lies far to the north, in the heated-up Arctic waters off Alaska. Fifty-eight grey whales have been found stranded and dead so far this year in sites stretching from California to Alaska, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

• Friday, May 10th 2019 - 09:50 UTC

  Vital role of penguins and seals poo for Antarctica bio-diversity

  

  For more than half a century, biologists studying Antarctica focused their research on understanding how organisms cope with the continent's severe drought and the coldest conditions on the planet. One thing they didn't really factor in, however, was the role played by the nitrogen-rich droppings from colonies of cute penguins and seals - until now.

• Saturday, May 4th 2019 - 09:52 UTC

  Antarctic Tour Operators introduce mandatory measures to prevent whale strikes

  

  Members of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) have unanimously voted in mandatory measures to prevent whale strikes in cetacean-rich Antarctic waters during their annual meeting this year held in Cape Town, South Africa.

• Saturday, April 27th 2019 - 09:43 UTC

  Oceans teeming with viruses, from North to South Pole and down to 4000 meters deep

  

  The oceans contain almost 200,000 different viral populations, according to the latest count. Marine viruses were found from the surface down to 4,000m deep and from the North to the South Pole. Though most are harmless to humans, they can infect marine life, including whales and crustaceans.

• Thursday, April 25th 2019 - 10:38 UTC

  World Penguin Day: raise awareness with the hashtag #WorldPenguinDay

  

  World Penguin Day is observed annually on April 25 recognizing the aquatic birds. In the world, there are 17 species of penguins with Southern hemisphere as their natural habitat. April 25 was chosen as World Penguin Day as it marks the date when Adelie penguins begin their migration northward toward Antartica.

• Monday, April 15th 2019 - 17:23 UTC

  In a broadcast 124m below sea level, Seychelles president calls for better protection of oceans

  

  The Seychelles president has gone below the surface of the Indian Ocean to call for better protection for the world's seas. Danny Faure said that a healthy ocean was “crucial for the survival of humanity” in a broadcast made 124m (406ft) below sea level. He had joined a British-led expedition exploring the ocean's depths.

• Monday, April 15th 2019 - 09:21 UTC

  The endangered North Atlantic right whales seem to be recovering and calving

  

  One of the world's most endangered whale species is experiencing a mini baby boom off the US state of Massachusetts. Researchers at the Center for Coastal Studies have announced they have seen three North Atlantic right whale mother and calf pairs in Cape Cod Bay.

• Friday, April 5th 2019 - 08:58 UTC

  Pressure on Russia to release juvenile whales in small pens; apparently to be sold to Chinese marine parks

  

  International pressure is growing for the Russian government to release nearly 100 juvenile whales which have been kept in small pens in the far east for seven months. French marine scientist Jean-Michel Cousteau and other experts are meeting government officials in Moscow. They plan to visit the so-called “whale jail” near Nakhodka on Saturday.

• Tuesday, January 8th 2019 - 09:15 UTC

  Magellanic penguins: among the most faithful couples in animal kingdom

  

  Mark Waghorn, writing for The London Economic, and based on a paper on Magellanic penguins published in the January edition of Current Biology, gives us access to some fascinating facts about this breed which is most common along the Atlantic Patagonia coast and the Falkland Islands.