General News Archive 2006

Iceland slaughter second whale
(Added:- 24 October 2006)
Icelandic whalers have caught a second fin whale since the North Atlantic nation resumed commercial whaling a week ago. The whale was harpooned yesterday (Oct 23) off Iceland's west coast. Hvalur operates the 10-man whaler Hvalur 9 that over the weekend landed the first fin whale caught in Icelandic waters since the country resumed commercial whaling.
For more information please click here

Another orca presumed dead
(Added:- 24 October 2006)
In mid August the Marine Connection reported about an orca calf that had disappeared off the Washington coast only to be found days later. However five adult orcas have disappeared in recent weeks, three from the K and L pods that live off the southern coast of B.C. and northern Washington state.
For further information please click here

Futo vows to continue drive hunts - 30 dolphins "ordered"
(Added:- 16 October 2006)
On October 11, the Ito City Fishing Cooperative held a meeting at its Futo branch, inviting media reporters. After explaining a brief history of the drive fishery in Futo they declared that they would continue the drive hunt this season. According to the Cooperative, aquariums have already ordered 30 bottlenose dolphins from the Ito City Fishing Cooperative. About 20 fishing boats with 40 fishermen will participate in the drive hunt this season, and if necessary, spotter boats will go out to sea and try to find pods of dolphins. The Japan Fisheries Agency permits Futo a quota of how many animals it can take during the drive hunts - this season (Oct 06 - Mar 07) their allowance is: 600 dolphins: 70 striped dolphins, 75 bottlenose dolphins and 455 spotted dolphins. According to the local people, they saw pods of dolphins off the shore of Futo three weeks ago.
Click for more information on the annual dolphin slaughter in Japan

Better protection for spinner dolphins
(Added:- 16 October 2006)
Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) has issued a statement in support of efforts to provide additional protection for spinner dolphins whose daytime rest periods are often disturbed by tour boats, kayakers, snorkelers and other ocean users.
Please click here for more information

Whale and calf spotted off New Zealand
(Added:- 13 October 2006)
There were cheers all around in New Zealand recently as a Southern right whale mother and calf, were spotted just 30 metres off Ashton Beach. Department of Conservation (DOC) senior technical support officer Helen McConnell, in Wellington, said the sighting was really exciting as the department is undertaking research on these whales on New Zealand's mainland coastline, to establish whether they mix with about 1000 Southern right whales around the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands. DOC suspects they don't and the mainland whales represent a unique population, having implications for the need to protect them in New Zealand waters. The whales may possibly remain in the area for a short while while they rest from their journey south to Antarctic waters to feed for the summer months. They spend their winter months in sheltered waters around New Zealand to breed, the calf off Ashton Beach was just two to three months old.

Charter Captain fined for shooting at dolphins
(Added:- 12 October 2006)
A charter boat captain from Panama City, Florida was sentenced on federal charges on 10 October 2006 for shooting at dolphins in U.S. waters in October 2005. The Marine Connection was appalled to hear about this violation but pleased to see that the authorities took the offence seriously.
Please click here for the full story

Whale population increasing
(Added: 09 October 2006)
The Southern Right Whale population off the Southern Cape coast is responding "optimally" to protection measures, researcher Pete Best said on Monday. He added "During this period, 900 individual adult females have been identified, and the birth of some 2700 calves has been recorded, and estimates of survival rate, age at maturity and calving interval obtained
Please click here for more information

Thames whale skeleton
(Added: 05 October 2006)
Members of the general public will get their first glimpse of the skeleton of the Thames whale on Friday 6 October at the Natural History Museum as images of the animal will accompany a talk by Richard Sabin, curator of the museum's mammal collection. Most people will remember the female, juvenile Northern bottlenose whale that was discovered swimming in the Thames in central London on 20 January. The talk is also to be broadcast online.
Please click here for more details

Irrawaddy dolphin births
(Added: 05 October 2006)
At least 10 young Irrawaddy dolphins have been discovered in Cambodia, raising hopes the rare animal is being pulled back from the brink of extinction. The calves, observed by fisheries officials, were most likely born between May and July of this year in the Mekong river not far from the Lao border.
Click here for the full story

Whale and dolphin restrictions - the responsibility is ours
(Added: 04 October 2006)
As Tonga implements strict whale watching conditions, two men are alleged to have been harassing whales in a South African whale sanctuary. Not limited to foreign climes, a solitary dolphin has been injured for a second time off the coast of the UK - isn't it time we took responsibility for our marine life?
Click here for more information

South Pacific dolphin conservation agreement
(Added: 14 September 2006)
A group of South Pacific nations are to sign an agreement to help protect and conserve whale and dolphin species, New Zealand Conservation Minister Chris Carter said today - September 14. The memorandum, developed under the international Convention on Migratory Species, is due to be adopted tomorrow at a ministerial meeting of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme in the New Caledonian capital.
For more information click here

Born to be wild?
(Added: 6 September 2006)
Recently, there have been reports of a solitary dolphin named Jean Floch "running amok" in the port of Brezellec in Brittany. Accused of overturning boats, destroying rowboats and twisting mooring lines, it has been said by the media that Jean Floch is "psychotic". However, should we be blaming the dolphin for exhibiting its naturally curious and mischievous behaviour or should those who made Jean Floch into a tourist attraction and encouraged close contact between wild animal and human take the responsibility?
For the Marine Connection's view click here

Norway land less whales
(Added: 22 August 2006)
Norwegian whalers have finished their season and harpooned only half their quota of 1,052 minke whales for 2006, prompting hunt opponents to say that Norwegian demand for eating the meat had sunk. A total of 523 whales were killed.
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Great news for whale calf
(Added 22 August 2006)
Over a week ago the Marine Connection reported about a new born orca calf that disappeared a day after it was first sighted. The charity has now received the news we were hoping for - little K-41 has been seen! (see 17 August below)
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Newborn calf disappears
(Added:- 17 August 2006)
Researchers who spotted a new born baby whale in one of three endangered groups of orcas that frequent Puget Sound, Washington State are now wondering if the calf has died. The baby whale, with the distinct orange coloring of a newborn, was spotted swimming with K Pod in Haro Straight off the west side of San Juan Island on Sunday August 13.
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Croatian dolphin reserve
(Added :- 10 August 2006)
Colleagues in Croatia are celebrating after the Croatian authorities
established the first dolphin protection zone in the entire Mediterranean region. The State Secretary of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, Dr. Jadran Antolovic, declared the establishment of the Lošinj Dolphin Reserve on August 6.
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Whale ageing breakthrough
(Added :- 3 August 2006)
Australian scientists say they are developing a non-invasive way of
determining the age of a whale by looking at its dandruff. The researchers say the need for a new testing method is urgent, since Japan plans to increase its annual catch of whales for scientific research, including, for the first time, humpback and fin whales.
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Cleaner Thames challenge
(Added :- 2 August 2006)
The Cleaner Thames Challenge is a 5 day litter blitz challenge on one of the most littered stretches of the River Thames foreshore in the Isle of Dogs, London. It will take place in September. The combination of silt and mud on this foreshore has trapped thousands of plastic bags which pose a serious risk to wildlife including dolphins and whales. With the River Thames being tidal, these bags can end up back out in the ocean!
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Minke whales spotted off Dorset
(Added :- 1 August 2006)
Marine conservationists have been speaking of their excitement after two minke whales were spotted off the Dorset coast.
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Japanese slaughter pregnant whales
(Added :- 27 July 2006)
Hundreds of pregnant and nursing whales were slaughtered and their babies left to die by Japanese whalers, their Government has admitted in a gruesome report. The official Japanese Government report submitted to the International Whaling Commission reveals the true extent of the horrific slaughter, which Japan carries out under the guise of scientific research despite harvesting the whale meat for human and pet food.
For further information click here

Rare whales may outlive humans
(Added :- 19 July 2006)
Scientists are now claiming that rare bowhead whales can outlive humans by generations. According to Jeffrey Bada, a marine chemist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California about 5 percent of the population is over a hundred years old and in some cases 160 to 180 years old.
For further information click here

Whale visits the Forth
(Added :- 19 July 2006)
It may be the the world's second largest creature and normally lives in the deep waters but a rare fin whale has been spotted off the coast of North Berwick. The animal, which measures more than 50ft long and is likely to weigh around 40 to 50 tonnes, was noticed by North Berwick harbour master Dougie Ferguson. It is believed to be the first time a fin whale has been seen off Scotland's east coast and are more commonly found in the south Atlantic or off Canada's east coast, although they are occasionally seen off the south coast of Ireland. It was one of the most aggressively hunted species of the 20th century, leaving only around 100,000 in the world today.

Whalers can be sued
(Added :- 17 July 2006)
An animal welfare group has won the right to sue a Japanese whaling company for allegedly killing hundreds of whales. Humane Society International were denied permission last year to sue Kyodo Senpaku for slaughtering around 400 minke whales in Antarctic waters that the Australian government has declared a whale sanctuary. The full court overturned that decision on Friday July 14. In the original ruling, Judge James Allsop held that Australia could not stop Japanese hunting in international waters protected by Australia as Tokyo did not recognize Australia's jurisdiction. Spokeswoman Nicola Beynon said the society would file an injunction against Kyodo Senpaku next week and hopes to resolve the matter before the whale-hunting season begins in December.

Italian dolphin virus
(Added :- 14 July 2006)
Ten young dolphins have been found washed up on the shores of the Gulf of Venice over the last ten days between Basso Veneto and the Marche, prompting fears of a lethal virus. The dolphins were washed up already in an advanced state of decomposition. Experts are making use of a helicopter provided by the forestry authority to try to find a dolphin that has recently died in order to carry out tests. A virus that struck the dolphin population in 1991 resulted in over 500 specimens being washed up on the beaches of the Mediterranean.

Migaloo the famous whale is back
(Added :- 13 July 2006)
Migaloo the famous white humpback whale is about to enter Queensland waters on his 2006 migration.
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Annual seal cull in Southern Africa underway
(Added :- 05 July 2006)
On 1st July 2006 Namibia started its annual "cull" of 60,000 baby Cape Fur seals - mostly males, still nursing on their mother's milk.
Read more, and how you can help the campaign

Whale shot in front of tourists
(Added :- 04 July 2006)
Eager Norwegian whalers didn't do much to boost their country's image as they slaughtered a whale in front of a boat load of whale watchers, out on an expedition.
Full article here

Humpback whale sighting in Finland
(Added :- 04 July 2006)
There has been the first sighting of a humpback whale, possibly juvenile in Finland since 1978. The animal was spotted in the northern part of the Gulf of Bothnia, only 3 days ago. Sightings of these particular cetaceans are unusual in this area and in 1978, a humpback, christened Valpuri criss crossed the Baltic Sea for more than six months before dying, supposedly of hunger.

Possible whale birth increase
(Added :- 29 June 2006)
The number of baby gray whales born along the US Pacific Coast has rebounded from record low levels, suggesting that pregnant females are thriving despite a warming Arctic feeding environment.
For more information please click here

New UK Marine Bill - Marine Connection response
(Added :- 27 June 2006)
The UK marine environment is an extraordinary place, providing habitat for more than 44,000 animal and plant species, including the many whales, dolphins and porpoises which we know are either resident here or passing visitors throughout the year. On 29 March this year, the Government opened a 12-week public consultation on the Marine Bill, ending on 23 June - (see news article dated 2 June below). The commitment to a Marine Bill was a groundbreaking event, representing more than five years' work by environmental and conservation groups alike.
Read the Marine Connection response to Defra here

Decision taken to protect Monkey Mia dolphins
(Added :- 27 June 2006)
The Monkey Mia dolphin population will be given a lifeline, following a decision by Australian Environment Minister Mark McGowan to reduce the number of commercial boat tour licences in the area. Mr McGowan recently announced that he would reduce the number of licences issued to marine-based wildlife interaction tour operators in the Monkey Mia Bay from two to one, in the interests of the dolphin populations in the area.
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Greenland seeks to extend whale hunts
(Added :- 19 June 2006)
Greenland asked the IWC recently to examine whether it could extend whaling by its Inuit hunters to humpbacks and bowheads. Anti-whaling nations attending the commission meeting in the Caribbean fortunately said they were opposed to the proposal given the fragile state of most whale species.
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Marine Connection trustee receives an OBE
(Added :- 17 June 2006)
The Marine Connection are delighted to announce that Alan Knight, one of our valued trustees, has been awarded an OBE in recognition of his contribution towards work in animal welfare.
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Whale ivory trafficking
(Added :- 12 June 2006)
A Maui businessman has been charged with trafficking ivory from the
endangered white sperm whale.
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Japan plans to slaughter humpbacks
(Added :- 9 June 2006)
Japan is poised to take advantage of a historic slim majority of pro-whaling countries at next week's International Whaling Commission meeting to push through changes in how the commission operates, to the dismay of the Australian Environment Minister, Ian Campbell. Decisions by Cambodia, the Marshall Islands and Guatemala to join the 69-nation commission appear to have tilted the balance of power towards Japan.
For more information click here

Crystal whale exhibition
(Added :- 6 June 2006)
A Crystal encrusted whale skeleton is the centrepiece of a new and unique art exhibition which analyses possibly the greatest threat facing humanity - climate change. The Art of Climate Change, at the Natural History Museum, is being held in conjunction with Cape Farewell, a project which has taken renowned artists to the Arctic to create works inspired by climate change.
For more information click here

Finland and Sweden join forces
(Added :- 6 June 2006)
Environment ministers of Finland and Sweden have urged Norway to retract its decision to raise whaling quota for this year, a statement from the Finnish government said Friday June 2. Norway has authorised its whalers to harpoon 1,052 minke whales in 2006, up from 796 in 2005.
For more information click here

UK Marine Bill Campaign
(Added :- 2 June 2006)
Marine Connection is calling for comprehensive legislation to achieve better protection for marine wildlife and effective management of our seas. This paper sets down what Marine Connection believes are the key elements that the Marine Bill must contain, in order to meet our existing European and international obligations regarding cetacean bycatch.
For more information click here
Read the Marine Connection report here

Brazil leads another bid for a South Atlantic whale sanctuary
(Added :- 31 May 2006)
Scientific consultations have begun in advance of this year's International Whaling Commission and so has the political manoeuvring both for and against whale conservation.
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Japan launches new hunt
(Added :- 23 May 2006)
Japan has launched a new whale hunt ahead of an international meeting which Tokyo hopes will end a ban on commercial whaling. Five government ships have left for northwestern Pacific waters to kill 260 whales.
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'Big Blue Event' is just the ticket
(Added :- 19 May 2006)
The Marine Connection 2006 annual fundraising evening held on 18 May at the prestigious Chinawhite club in London was a huge success.
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Save the gray whales!
(Added :- 15 May 2006)
On May 22nd, campaigners are holding a protest outside of the European Bank's Annual General Meeting in London. The critically endangered western Pacific gray whales face extinction if the Bank backs oil giant Shell's plans to drill for oil and gas in their feeding grounds off Sakhalin Island.
Click here for more information and details of the protest

Dolphin catchers apprehended
(Added :- 10 May 2006)
The coast guard yesterday caught a Vietnamese fishing boat that was fishing illegally for dolphins in Taiwanese waters. They stopped the boat in waters off Yunlin County. According to the coast guard, they found a whole dolphin carcass weighing around 280kg on the boat as well as 20kg of dolphin meat. Several of the Vietnamese fishermen who were arrested claimed they had been fishing in Chinese waters, and said they were unaware they had strayed into Taiwanese waters. They told Coast Guard officials that the meat was being used as bait to catch sharks. As dolphins are a protected species, the Coast Guard charged them with violating laws governing wildlife conservation.

Habitats Directive consultation launched
(Added :- 9 May 2006)
Two Government consultations announced yesterday will look at amending the transposition of the Habitats Directive in England and Wales, and the transposition of the Wild Birds Directive and Habitats Directive beyond UK territorial waters. The proposed changes would protect marine species and wild birds listed by the Directives, and require Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas to be identified and protected in the offshore marine area, as well as in territorial waters. The Regulations are expected to come into force by October of this year.
For further information click here

Humpback whale threats
(Added :- 28 April 2006)
Humpback whales leaving the Cook Islands waters after the annual breeding season could end up being slaughtered by Japanese whalers. That's likely to be the bloody result if anti-whaling nations can't drum up the numbers to block Japan from winning support at an International Whaling Commission meeting this year.
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Right whale visitor
(Added :- 26 April 2006)
Divers near Tutukaka, New Zealand were treated to a sensational audience with a rare visitor, a Southern right whale. On Friday, April 21 the gentle and extremely friendly giant of the deep surfaced to thrill those on board.
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Scotland's coastal and marine national parks
(Added :- 21 April 2006)
In June 2005 the Scottish Executive announced their intention to create Scotland's first coastal & marine national park during 2008. This follows the Government's consideration of the responses received from the consultation on "Strategic Framework for Scotland's Marine Environment" in 2004.
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A whale of a time in Wales
(Added :- 21 April 2006)
Young children frequently get confused between Wales and whales when it comes to spelling, but the connection between the great mammal and the Valleys is more significant than one might think. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Ray Bradbury's consummate film adaptation of Herman Melville's classic novel, Moby Dick. What few people realise is that this epic story of one man's fight to hunt for an elusive white whale was filmed off the coast of Pembrokeshire
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Northern bottlenose whale receives protection
(Added :- 11 April 2006)
The Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, has announced that two aquatic species will be added to the list of species protected under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). One is the the Northern bottlenose whale - bringing the total number of species protected under the Act to 347.
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Western gray whale
(Added :- 11 April 2006)
The report from the recent meeting in Vancouver of the Interim Independent Scientists Group, with regards to mitigation measures for the Western gray whale in Sakhalin has now now been released. The report from the recent meeting in Vancouver of the Interim Independent Scientists Group, with regards to mitigation measures for the Western gray whale in Sakhalin has now now been released.
Download here

New UK Marine Bill
(Added :- 6 April 2006)
The Government has set out plans for its Marine Bill, a new framework for the seas that will work towards delivering clean, healthy, safe, productive, and biologically diverse oceans and seas. It is asking people and organisations like the Marine Connection what they think of the proposals.
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Study launched to monitor dolphins' health
(Added :- 6 April 2006)
The Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department recently began a two-year study to monitor the number of Chinese white dolphins in Hong Kong. They will take tissue samples from live dolphins to investigate the long-term impacts of environmental contaminants on the health of the mammals.
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Sad end for Luna
(Added :- 13 March 2006)
An orca whale that captured the hearts of thousands has died. Officials said the orca, nicknamed Luna, appeared to have been hit by the propellers of an ocean tugboat in Nootka Sound, off Vancouver Island, where it had lived since 2001 after getting separated from his family pod.
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Dolphins in danger from chemicals
(Added :- 13 March 2006)
Scientists have discovered chemicals used to fireproof plastics and other products in the blood and blubber of bottlenose dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon.
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Why the Endangered Species Act must stand
(Added :- 9 March 2006)
Ralph Munro explains why, after witnessing the last capture of Orcas in Puget Sound for the captivity industry 30 years ago, he still fears for their future.
Read full feature

Blue whale population increasing
(Added :- 2 February 2006)
The slow but steady comeback of the blue whale - the biggest creature to have lived on Earth that was driven nearly to extinction by commercial whalers - is continuing, the latest whale research cruise has confirmed.
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Killer whales return
(Added :- 24 February 2006)
Residents of Kodiak, Alaska are seeing some familiar faces in local harbours. A transient pod of killer whales is back for their annual visit, searching for Steller sea lions to feast on.
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London acts to save gray whales under threat
(Added :- 24 February 2006)
With only a few Western Pacific gray whales left in the world, this species clearly need protecting but Royal Dutch Shell don't seem to agree.
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Fewer migrating whales arrive in Mexican lagoons
(Added :-13 February 2006)
The number of gray whales making a yearly migration from the icy North Pacific to breed in Mexico's warm lagoons has dropped this year, scientists say, possibly because of changing weather patterns.
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Singing whales learn a new song
(Added :- 9 February 2006)
It's long been thought that singing is used by whales to attract mates or repel rivals, but new Australian research indicates the serenades may be the basis on which the females select their sexual partners.
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Tracking large whales
(Added :- 3 February 2006)
NOAA researchers and their partners have developed passive listening devices designed to record the calls of the Earth's great whales.
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Downlist threat to Floridas' manatees
(Added :- 30 January 2006)
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWCC) Biological Review Panel has issued a report recommending that manatees be downlisted from endangered to threatened status on the state level.
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Doing the right thing
(Added :- 30 January 2006)
Seventy years after whaling was banned, the North Atlantic right whale population has not recovered. Only 300 to 350 remain, and the species is headed toward extinction. An interesting three-part series on this species has been published at Oceanus magazine.
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Whale vomit worth millions
(Added :- 25 January 2006)
Whale vomit could make an Australian family up to $1 million richer.
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Thames whale - initial post mortem comments
(Added :- 25 January 2006)
Dr Paul Jepson, pathologist and head of the Marine Mammal Stranding Project based at ZSL Institute of Zoology in London, today revealed initial thoughts and findings on the health of the young female whale which died on Saturday.
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Sad end to whale tale
(Added :- 22 January 2006)
The Northern Bottlenose whale whose plight captured the hearts of the nation lost its' struggle for survival last night.
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Rare bottlenose whale appears in the River Thames
(Added :- 20 January 2006)
The Marine Connection received a call from British Divers Marine Life Rescue yesterday evening regarding the sighting of a whale in the Thames. Liz Sandeman, Director of Operations, immediately arranged to accompany the Thames River Marine Officers to ascertain the species of mammal and also if there was any concern for its state of health.
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Whale tooth mystery
(Added :- 19 January 2006)
The eight foot long tooth emerging from the head of the narwhal whale is actually a type of sensor, researchers at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine have found. The tooth has hydrodynamic sensor capabilities and can detect changes in water temperature, pressure, and particle gradients.
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Panama - dolphin capture plans stopped
(Added :- 18 January 2006)
This morning the Marine Connection was made aware of a possible dolphin capture in the Central American country of Panama. Robin Friday of Ocean Embassy, Panama, had applied to the government for a permit to capture 80 bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) for 'scientific purposes'.
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Solitary dolphin causes excitement and concern
(Added :- 16 January 2006)
The lone bottlenose dolphin that has been frequenting the marina at Maryport, Cumbria for some time now is attracting a huge amount of public and media attention however animal welfare organisations, like the Marine Connection, have concerns for its future.
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Orca Pods on the move
(Added :- 11 January 2006)
K and L pods, the two groups of orcas that leave Puget Sound each winter, may be timing their travels in a more traditional way this year. That is, they may have departed from inland waters in December rather than waiting for the new year, as they have for the past five years. Prior to 1999, they were almost always gone before January.
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