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Long Island whale stranding: a warning for marine ecology
A young humpback whale tragically stranded at Roosevelt Beach in Long Beach, Long Island, NY.Such incidents have been frequent on Long Island in recent years. Experts speculate that water pollution, habitat changes, and channel disturbances are the main causes. Polluted water affects the environment and food, disrupting the whales’ sensory systems; habitat changes force them…
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Ocean Plastic Poisoning: The POPs Crisis in Cetaceans
Marine plastics are good surfaces for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) to attach to, and when ingested, these pollutants enter the bodies of whales and are sometimes stored in their blubber. Through bioaccumulation, species at the top of the food chain are most likely to accumulate the highest amounts of these chemicals, and POPs have been…
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Dominga copper and iron ore mine controversy down the drain? Chile’s final ruling based on environmental
On January 8, 2025, Chile denied environmental permits for Andes Iron’s controversial $2.5 billion Dominga iron and copper mining project, citing impacts on biodiversity and potential spills of fuel or iron ore concentrate in an area that is home to species such as the Humboldt penguin and cetaceans.
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Oil tanker spill kills 32 cetaceans
January 5, 2025 – A Russian dolphin rescue group says a fuel oil spill from two Russian oil tankers in distress near the Kerch Strait on December 15, 2024, may have killed 32 cetaceans, the vast majority of which were endangered Azov dolphins.
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Mom Orca’s Grief and Marine Ecology’s Alarm Bells
As reported by the National Geographic Society on January 4, 2025, famed orca mother tahlequah gave birth to her fourth child in late December 2024 and passed away just before the New Year in 2025. tahlequah had sparked global attention for orca conservation in 2018 by swimming on her back for 17 days with her…
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Japan’s resurgent whaling ambitions: a new crisis for fin whales
According to a January 3, 2025 news release, Japan’s major whaling company, Mutual Ship, plans to increase its whale meat supply by 30% in 2025, expected to reach more than 2,000 tons, and has issued a new fishing quota for large, resource-rich fin whales for the first time in half a century.
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The Scourge of Canadian Sperm Whale Fishing Gear
In 2024, a 13-meter-long adult male sperm whale stranded tragically on a beach in Nova Scotia, Canada, with 300 pounds of fishing gear stuffed in its stomach, which severely interfered with its ability to eat, causing it to lose weight and ultimately strand itself.
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North Atlantic right whale entangled in fishing gear
On December 16, 2024, a 3-year-old North Atlantic right whale was found trapped in fishing gear and wandering in the waters off the Outer Banks Islands in North Carolina, USA. With its head and mouth tightly entangled in several fishing lines and two buoys in tow, its fate was not promising. In the same week,…
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The Stranding of Longman’s Beaked Whale in Tai O
A globally rare Longman’s beaked whale was stranded in the waters of Tai O, Hong Kong. There were various bleeding wounds on its body, which were suspected to be caused by the friction between the whale’s body and sand and stones. Moreover, a large canvas bag was found in its digestive system. In the end,…
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Mass stranding of dolphins alarming in Novorossiysk
Recently, a mass dolphin stranding was reported in Novorossiysk, Russia. A large number of dolphins were stranded on the beach, and the local authorities and rescue organizations responded quickly and rushed to the scene at the first time to carry out rescue operations. At present, the cause of the incident is still under in-depth investigation,…