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Minke Whale Collision with Boat in New Jersey, USA
On August 2, 2025, a collision between a cruise ship and a minke whale in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, U.S., resulted in the death of the 20-foot whale and a passenger on the ship being thrown into the water by the force of the impact. Eyewitness video showed the whale attempting to swim to deeper…
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Neurodestruction from Shipping Noise
The Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (NIMR) has found that 10,000 tons of cargo ship noise can cause Alzheimer’s-like brain lesions in cetaceans within 50 kilometers of the ship.2025 An autopsy of a mass stranding of four sperm whales in the Mediterranean Sea in July showed bursting damage to the inner ear tissue from the…
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The Deadly Shackle of Entanglement in Fishing Nets
80% of North Atlantic right whales that follow climate change-induced food migration routes and stray into snow crab fisheries experience at least one rope entanglement in their lifetime. A humpback whale in Southern California, USA, was strangled under the skin with dozens of meters of nylon rope, and it took rescuers 72 hours to complete…
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Bycatch and Entanglement in Fishing Gear in European Waters
The European Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) reports that more than 35,000 harbor porpoises die each year in European waters as a result of gillnet bycatch, and that bycatch of common dolphins has risen significantly since 2020. In addition, sperm whales in Scottish waters have been found unable to feed due to entanglement in discarded fishing…
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Humpback Whale Death in Brazilian Waters Raises Concerns
On July 21, 2025, a decomposing humpback whale carcass washed up on São Conrado Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the height of the Southern Hemisphere humpback whale migration. Although it is difficult to determine the immediate cause of death due to the high level of decomposition of the carcass, experts have suggested that…
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A New Era in Marine Ecological Governance
On July 20, 2025, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced the official launch of WhaleChain, the world’s first blockchain platform for cetacean sanctuaries. This groundbreaking project builds a global fishing gear tracking network and a digital archive of endangered cetaceans through blockchain technology, and the first 200 fishing vessels connected to the platform have already…
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Arctic Beluga Whales Face Double Survival Pressure
New research from Fisheries and Oceans Canada reveals that male beluga whales in the Eastern Beaufort Sea (EBS) are suffering from the double whammy of climate change and shipping expansion. Despite a year-on-year decline in Arctic sea ice cover, beluga whales stubbornly choose to feed at depths of 350-750 meters, a behavior that is closely…
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Bowhead Whales Face 75% Habitat Loss as Climate Change Reshapes Cetacean Habitat
New research shows that melting Arctic sea ice is causing bowhead whales’ summer feeding grounds to shrink dramatically. By 2100, their suitable habitat could be reduced by 65-75%, and the Sea of Okhotsk population could even disappear completely by 2060. This ancient species, which depends on its sea-ice environment, is facing its most serious existential…
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Deep-sea mining threatens cetacean sonar communications
New research has found that deep-sea mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the Pacific Ocean may be disrupting cetacean habitats through noise and sediment releases. Low-frequency noise from mining in the CCZ, which is home to endangered sperm whales and many species of dolphins, can travel hundreds of kilometers, disrupting cetaceans’ navigation, feeding, and…
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Gray Whale Deaths Escalate in San Francisco Bay
2025 The number of gray whale deaths in the San Francisco Bay area has reached 18, a nearly five-year high. Data from the California Academy of Sciences show that at least four gray whales have been killed by vessel collisions, with most carcasses unable to complete necropsies due to high levels of decomposition or geographic…