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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

A sperm whale has been found entangled in illegally placed fishing nets in the waters off the west coast of Italy. Divers and the coastguard mounted a rescue, but the whale’s movement was hampered by the fact that it was too frightened to allow humans to approach. The coast guard said it has stepped up…

In June 2025, a group of about 350 short-limbed pilot whales stranded on Nit Beach, Socotra Island, Yemen, in one of the largest cetacean die-offs in the region in recent years. Although local fishermen and residents mounted a rapid rescue effort and managed to push back 10 whales, the whales soon returned to the shallows…