Topic: Whales

The new items published under this topic are as follows.

Whales : Return to Commercial Whaling with Endangered Fin Whale Kill

Icelandic whalers have killed their first fin whale since the country announced last week it was resuming commercial whaling despite an international ban, media and whaling organizations said Sunday.

Icelandic daily Morgunbladid said a newly built whaling ship, Hvalur 9, had killed a large fin whale and brought it in to a landing station Sunday.

Read full article: 'Return to Commercial Whaling with Endangered Fin Whale Kill'

Posted by Lsdeep on Monday, October 23, 2006 (336 Reads)

Whales : Antique Whale Oil Provides Insights to Origin of Pre-Industrial Chemicals

Woods Hole, Massachusetts (Oct 12, 2006 18:57 EST) One of the last remaining New England whaling ships has provided unexpected insights into the origin of halogenated organic compounds (HOCs) that have chemical and physical properties similar to toxic PCBs and the pesticide DDT. HOCs are found everywhere and degrade slowly, but some are naturally produced and others are produced by humans.

Read full article: 'Antique Whale Oil Provides Insights to Origin of Pre-Industrial Chemicals'

Posted by Lsdeep on Thursday, October 12, 2006 (125 Reads)

Whales : Whale population responding to protection

The southern right whale population off the southern Cape coast is responding "optimally" to protection measures, Pete Best, a researcher, said.

In a statement announcing the start of the latest of a series of annual aerial surveys of the migrant whales, he said this year's survey would be the 28th.

Read full article: 'Whale population responding to protection'

Posted by Lsdeep on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 (140 Reads)

Whales : Tourists to fund anti-whaling fight

GOLD Coast tourists are being asked to help fund a new anti-whaling vessel to fight Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean.

The fledgling Gold Coast Whale Watch and Conservation Association has formed an alliance with the militant US-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which clashed fiercely with Japanese whalers last summer.

The association – an industry watchdog comprising the Gold Coast's leading whale watching operators – is organising a Whale Protection Day on September 30 to boost the society's coffers.

Read full article: ' Tourists to fund anti-whaling fight'

Posted by Lsdeep on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 (144 Reads)

Whales : The safest way to save entangled whales

By EMILY SAARMAN
SENTINEL CORRESPONDENT

How do you free a 40-ton whale with its tail wrapped up in fishing gear? Ed Lyman, a professional whale savior out of Hawaii, says, "Very carefully."

Each year about 300,000 whales and dolphins die from entanglement in fishing gear or buoy lines worldwide. The threats are everywhere — almost any rope or net in the ocean can trap a whale, Lyman said.

Whales and dolphins are naturally curious and have been seen playing with the brightly colored floats fishermen use to mark their traps. Once near the buoy, a simple flick of the tail is all it takes to get the whale hopelessly entangled. Once trapped the whale may drown or die of exhaustion.

Read full article: 'The safest way to save entangled whales'

Posted by Lsdeep on Monday, September 18, 2006 (165 Reads)

Whales : South Pacific States to Sign Whale, Dolphin Conservation Agreement

Wellington, New Zealand (Sep 14, 2006 19:48 EST) A Memorandum of Understanding on the protection of whales and dolphins in the South Pacific is expected to be signed tomorrow by up to 11 Pacific Island nations, New Zealand Conservation Minister Chris Carter said today.

The memorandum has been developed under the Convention on Migratory Species, and is due to be formally adopted at a Ministerial meeting of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme in Noumea, attended by New Zealand's Associate Minister of Conservation Mahara Okeroa.

Read full article: 'South Pacific States to Sign Whale, Dolphin Conservation Agreement'

Posted by Lsdeep on Friday, September 15, 2006 (187 Reads)

Whales : Whalers and opponents set for collision on the high seas

Simon Mann

ADVERSARIES in a decades-long battle over whaling are steeling themselves for a summer of renewed hostility with Japanese whalers and their opponents plotting tactics for their December showdown on the southern seas.

As the hardline activists the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society confirmed the acquisition of a faster chase vessel in a bid to thwart this year's hunt, a spokesman for Japan's whaling program warned that its fleet would be prepared for any fresh assault.

But he described as "nonsense" rumours that Japan intended dispatching a warship to protect its fleet.

Read full article: 'Whalers and opponents set for collision on the high seas'

Posted by Lsdeep on Saturday, August 26, 2006 (137 Reads)

Whales : Most Japanese whale kills in Aussie haven

Greg Roberts

NINE of every 10 whales killed by Japan last summer were in Australia's Antarctic whale sanctuary.

Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell said a report by the Japanese Whale Research Program confirmed 50 humpback whales would be killed next summer, as well as 850 Antarctic minkes and 50 fin whales. He said maps in the report showed 90 per cent of kills last summer were in the Australian sanctuary.

"The killing of whales by Japan in the Australian sanctuary is in clear breach of International Whaling Commission policy," said Senator Campbell.

Read full article: 'Most Japanese whale kills in Aussie haven'

Posted by Lsdeep on Tuesday, August 08, 2006 (219 Reads)

Whales : Sea Shepherd's 'Leviathan' to enforce law against whaling criminals

USA (4 August 2006) -- Confrontational anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd is preparing to bring a bigger, faster and more powerful boat to Australia next month ahead of the next Japanese whale hunting season in the Southern Ocean.

The new ship is called Leviathan and is being refitted in the Caribbean. It will depart for Australia late next month.

Read full article: 'Sea Shepherd's 'Leviathan' to enforce law against whaling criminals'

Posted by Lsdeep on Tuesday, August 08, 2006 (152 Reads)