Post-mortem exams being performed on 2 dead whales seen floating off New York this week
June 2, 2023 GMTSOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Two dead humpback whales were spotted floating in the waters off New York this week, officials said, part of a troubling rise in whale deaths in the region.
Necropsies were being performed Friday to determine what killed the two whales that were first seen Wednesday, one off eastern Long Island and one in Raritan Bay between New Jersey and the New York City borough of Staten Island.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norwegian authorities said Tuesday that a beluga whale, which was first spotted in Arctic Norway four years ago with an apparent Russian-made harness and alleged to have come from a Russian military facility, has been seen off Sweden's coast nearly 2,000 kilometers (around 1,250 miles) to the south.
Panel: Climate change, not wind prep, is threat to whales
April 24, 2023 GMTLONG BRANCH, N.J. (AP) — Climate change, spurred by the burning of fossil fuels, is the biggest danger to marine life including whales, a panel of Democratic officials and environmental groups said Monday.
Landmark law saved whales through marine industries change
April 14, 2023 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — On a breezy spring day, scientists and conservationists methodically conducted experiments near 15 North Atlantic right whales that occasionally spouted and surfaced in a bay south of Boston.
NOAA: NJ wind farm may ‘adversely affect,’ not kill whales
April 4, 2023 GMTATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey's first offshore wind farm may “adversely affect” whales and other marine mammals, but its construction, operation and eventual dismantling will not seriously harm or kill them, a federal scientific agency said.
Report by feds, anglers cites offshore wind impacts on fish
March 31, 2023 GMTATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — A joint study by two federal government scientific agencies and the commercial fishing industry documents numerous impacts that offshore wind power projects have on fish and marine mammals, including noise, vibration, electromagnetic fields and heat transfer that could alter the marine environment.
Dem senators from 4 states ask NOAA to address whale deaths
March 29, 2023 GMTATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Senators from four states want federal environmental officials to address a spate of whale deaths on both coasts, urging “transparency and timeliness” in releasing information about whale deaths and their causes.
The big problem for endangered orcas? Inbreeding
March 20, 2023 GMTSEATTLE (AP) — People have taken many steps in recent decades to help the Pacific Northwest's endangered killer whales, which have long suffered from starvation, pollution and the legacy of having many of their number captured for display in marine parks.
GOP congressmen: Halt offshore wind, probe whale deaths
March 16, 2023 GMTWILDWOOD, N.J. (AP) — Republican congressmen called Thursday for a halt to all offshore wind power projects amid a spate of whale deaths on the U.S. East Coast in what was likely the beginning of an expected investigation by the GOP-controlled House into the Biden administration's clean energy plans.
Hawaii cites man for harassing humpback whale, dolphins
March 7, 2023 GMTHONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii officials on Monday cited a Maui man seen on video snorkeling for allegedly harassing a humpback whale and pod of dolphins.
The man actively pursued the adolescent whale inside Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park off the Big Island, according to a Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources statement.
Whale safety research planned near East Coast wind farms
March 2, 2023 GMTSEASIDE PARK, N.J. (AP) — As dead whales continue to wash ashore on the U.S. East Coast — and particularly the Jersey Shore — officials and academics are planning a wide array of monitoring and research aimed at preventing or minimizing harm to whales and other marine life during construction and operation of offshore wind farms.
Marine commission: Whale deaths not linked to wind prep work
February 22, 2023 GMTATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — An independent scientific agency that advises the federal government on policies that could impact marine mammals said there is no evidence linking site preparation work for offshore wind farms with a number of whale deaths along the U.S.
Another whale found dead in NY with signs of vessel strike
February 18, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — A 25-foot minke whale that washed ashore on a New York City beach had injuries that were consistent with being struck by a vessel, according to a conservation group.
The female whale was found on Rockaway Beach in Queens on Friday morning.
Lonely tunes: Humpback whales wail less as population grows
February 16, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Those melancholy tunes sung by humpback whales may really be a sign of loneliness.
Scientists who tracked humpback whales in Australia noticed that fewer whales wailed to find mates as their population grew.
Maine lawmakers target Whole Foods for blacklisting lobster
February 15, 2023 GMTAUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Maine are going after Whole Foods for its rebuke of the state's signature seafood — Maine lobster.
Whole Foods stopped selling Gulf of Maine lobster at hundreds of its stores last year after a pair of sustainability organizations suspended lobster certifications over concerns the fishing gear could hurt endangered whales.
Lobster fishers sue to block closure meant to aid whales
February 11, 2023 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A group of Massachusetts lobster fishers has sued the federal government over an emergency closure of fishing grounds that is designed to protect a vanishing species of whale.
Hawaii whale dies with fishing nets, plastic bags in stomach
February 2, 2023 GMTHONOLULU (AP) — A whale that washed ashore in Hawaii over the weekend likely died in part because it ate large volumes of fishing traps, fishing nets, plastic bags and other marine debris, scientists said Thursday, highlighting the threat to wildlife from the millions of tons of plastic that ends up in oceans every year.
Entangled humpback whale freed of gear off Island of Hawaii
February 2, 2023 GMTHONOLULU (AP) — A humpback whale was freed Tuesday after it was found in a life-threatening entanglement of rope, with a bundle of gear and two buoys attached.
The whale was freed off of Kona near the Kona Airport on the Big Island, in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration statement.
Vessel strike blamed for humpback whale’s death in New York
February 1, 2023 GMTLIDO BEACH, N.Y. (AP) — A humpback whale that washed ashore on a New York beach this week was likely killed by a vessel, federal authorities said Wednesday.
Stranded humpback whale dies on Long Island beach
January 31, 2023 GMTLIDO BEACH, N.Y. (AP) — A 35-foot (11-meter) humpback whale washed ashore and later died on a New York beach, one of several cetaceans discovered over the past two months along the shores of New York and New Jersey.
Japan firm opens whale meat vending machines to push sales
January 28, 2023 GMTYOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — A Japanese whaling operator, after struggling for years to promote its products amid protests from conservationists, has found a new way to cultivate clientele and bolster sales: whale meat vending machines.
Feds deny emergency call to slow ships, ease whale strikes
January 23, 2023 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The U.S. government has denied a request from a group of environmental organizations to immediately apply proposed ship-speed restrictions in an effort to save a vanishing species of whale.
Third dead whale in a week washes up on Oregon coast
January 19, 2023 GMTWARRENTON, Ore. (AP) — A baby gray whale washed up on the northern Oregon coast on Wednesday, making it the third dead whale to beach on the state's coastline over the past week.
The 12-foot-long calf washed ashore at Fort Stevens State Park, KGW reported, only 100 yards (91 meters) from the site where a dead sperm whale beached over the weekend.
Feds: Offshore wind not to blame for East Coast whale deaths
January 18, 2023 GMTATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Federal environmental and energy officials moved Wednesday to quell a growing controversy over whether work done by the offshore wind power industry is killing whales in the northeastern U.S., saying there is no evidence this is happening.
Groups: ‘No evidence’ offshore wind killing whales in NJ-NY
January 17, 2023 GMTATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Environmental and fishing groups said Tuesday there is “no evidence” that site preparation work for offshore wind farms in New Jersey and New York is responsible for a spate of whale deaths in the two states.
Sperm whale beached in Oregon killed by ship, feds find
January 17, 2023 GMTPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A 40-foot sperm whale that beached on Oregon's northwestern coast was killed after being struck by a ship, federal biologists conducting a post-mortem examination of the animal determined Monday.
Officials: Whale found dead in NJ likely struck by vessel
January 15, 2023 GMTBRIGANTINE, N.J. (AP) — Marine animal welfare officials say the most recent whale found dead on a New Jersey shoreline had apparently been struck by a vessel.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center said Sunday that preliminary results of a necropsy on the humpback whale that washed up Thursday on the North End Natural Area in Brigantine indicates that the animal had “blunt trauma injuries consistent with those from a vessel strike.”
NJ governor: No pause in wind farm prep after 7th dead whale
January 13, 2023 GMTBRIGANTINE, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey's governor said Friday he does not think undersea preparations for offshore wind farms should be halted in response to a recent spate of whale deaths in New Jersey and New York.
Groups seek probe of NY-NJ whale deaths amid wind power prep
January 9, 2023 GMTATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — As the stench of a dead whale hung in the air, environmentalists and opponents of offshore wind stood on a beach where the marine mammal lay buried Monday and called for a federal probe into a spate of whale deaths in New Jersey and New York.
Dead endangered whale washes up on Mississippi Gulf Coast
January 9, 2023 GMTPASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. (AP) — Scientists are examining the corpse of an endangered whale that washed up on a Mississippi Gulf Coast beach.
The rare discovery Saturday marks the first time a fin whale stranding has been reported in Mississippi and just the fourth time since 2002 a fin whale stranding has been reported in the Gulf of Mexico, WLOX-TV reported.
US gets 1 bid for oil and gas lease in Alaska’s Cook Inlet
December 31, 2022 GMTThe U.S. government on Friday said it received one bid for the right to drill offshore for oil and gas in Alaska's Cook Inlet near habitat for bears, salmon, humpback whales and endangered beluga whales.
Whale Watch Week returns in-person in Oregon after pandemic
December 29, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Whale Watch Week in Oregon returned in-person for the first time since the pandemic on Wednesday, drawing visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of the annual gray whale migration to the state's coastline.
Feds: Vanishing right whale must remain on endangered list
December 27, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The fading North Atlantic right whale will remain protected under the Endangered Species Act, and the species requires a series of protective steps to stave off extinction, federal authorities said Tuesday.
Lawmakers using spending bill to delay lobster restrictions
December 20, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s congressional delegation is using the $1.7 trillion federal spending bill to try to delay for six years new protections for endangered whales to protect Maine’s lobster industry.
Ken Balcomb, researcher who championed orcas, dies at 82
December 16, 2022 GMTSEATTLE (AP) — Ken Balcomb, a researcher who spent nearly five decades studying the Pacific Northwest's charismatic and endangered killer whales — and whose findings helped end their capture for display at marine parks in the 1970s — died Thursday following an illness.
Lawmakers: End tax breaks for companies that pull lobster
December 7, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Two lawmakers in Maine want to change laws to prevent the state from offering tax breaks or contracts to companies that stop selling lobster after sustainability organizations raised concerns.
Whole Foods decision to pull lobster divides enviros, pols
November 26, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Environmental groups are once again at odds with politicians and fishermen in New England in the wake of a decision by high-end retail giant Whole Foods to stop selling Maine lobster.
Whales off California coast delay commercial crab season
November 22, 2022 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — For the fourth year in a row, the start of the commercial Dungeness crab season in California will be delayed to protect humpback whales from becoming entangled in trap and buoy lines, it was announced Monday.
Lobster rules to protect whale will wait 2 years, judge says
November 18, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that new lobster fishing restrictions designed to conserve rare whales will be delayed until 2024 to give the government time to design them.
Sustainability group pulls lobster certification over whales
November 16, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — An international nonprofit organization that sets sustainability standards for commercial fishing management has suspended a certification it awarded Maine's lobster industry over concerns about harm to whales.
Greek PM: Gas exploration to start off Crete in coming days
November 7, 2022 GMTATHENS, Greece (AP) — Exxon Mobil is poised to start a delayed gas prospecting project off southwestern Greece, the country's leader said Monday amid tensions between Greece and Turkey over offshore rights and as Europe seeks alternative energy sources due to the war in Ukraine.
Whales off California coast delay commercial crab season
October 29, 2022 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The start of the commercial Dungeness crab season in California will be delayed to protect whales from becoming entangled in trap and buoy lines.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said Friday it was delaying the start of the commercial season, which traditionally begins Nov.
Feds unveil plan to grow wind power while sparing rare whale
October 29, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The federal government has outlined a strategy to try to protect an endangered species of whale while also developing offshore wind power off the East Coast.
President Joe Biden's administration has made a priority of encouraging offshore wind along the Atlantic coast as the U.S.
Endangered whale’s decline slows, but population falls again
October 24, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The decline of an endangered species of whale slowed last year, as it lost about 2% of its population, but scientists warn the animal still faces existential threats and is losing breeding females too fast.
Court agrees to expedite fishermen’s case against whale rule
October 19, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A federal appeals court agreed to expedite a lawsuit by fishermen over new rules intended to protect rare whales.
The Maine Lobstermen’s Association is appealing a judge's rejection of the lawsuit to the U.S.
477 whales die in ‘heartbreaking’ New Zealand strandings
October 12, 2022 GMTWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Some 477 pilot whales have died after stranding themselves on two remote New Zealand beaches over recent days, officials say.
None of the stranded whales could be refloated and all either died naturally or were euthanized in a “heartbreaking” loss, said Daren Grover, the general manager of Project Jonah, a nonprofit group which helps rescue whales.
Fishermen hire Bush-era official in challenge to whale laws
October 11, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine lobster fishermen have hired a former high-ranking U.S. Department of Justice official to represent them in their case against new laws intended to protect whales.
The Maine Lobstermen's Association is appealing its case against the new rules to the U.S.
Gray whale population off western U.S. continues to decline
October 7, 2022 GMTSEATTLE (AP) — U.S. researchers say the number of gray whales off western North America has continued to fall over the last two years, a decline that resembles previous population swings over the past several decades.
Congressman wants to halt aquarium money after lobster spat
October 5, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A congressman from Maine said Wednesday he will file a proposal to withhold federal money from a California aquarium and conservation group that has recommended seafood consumers avoid buying lobster.
Steamed about lobster: House candidates snippy over donation
September 27, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Congressional candidates in a hotly contested Maine race snipped at each other on Tuesday about a contribution from the leader of a conservation group that has discouraged consumers from buying lobster.
2 more whales die in Australia as stranding deaths reach 200
September 23, 2022 GMTHOBART, Australia (AP) — Two more whales died Friday in Australia after a handful that had been refloated a day earlier stranded themselves again.
About 200 pilot whales have now died from a group of about 230 that stranded themselves this week on the wild and remote west coast of Tasmania.
32 pilot whales rescued out of 230 stranded in Australia
September 22, 2022 GMTHOBART, Australia (AP) — Wildlife experts on Thursday rescued 32 of the 230 whales that were found stranded on the wild and remote west coast of Australia’s island state of Tasmania a day earlier.
Half the pod of pilot whales found stranded in Macquarie Harbour were presumed to still be alive on Wednesday, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania said.
Around 200 stranded whales die in pounding surf in Australia
September 22, 2022 GMTHOBART, Australia (AP) — A day after 230 whales were found stranded on the wild and remote west coast of Australia’s island state of Tasmania, only 35 were still alive despite rescue efforts that were to continue Thursday.
Fishermen appeal judge ruling that protects endangered whale
September 21, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The state of Maine and a fishing group are appealing a federal judge's decision that new rules intended to protect endangered whales must stand.
The judge earlier this month denied a request from fishermen to stop federal regulators from placing the new restrictions on lobster fishing.
14 dead sperm whales found beached on Australian island
September 20, 2022 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian wildlife authorities are investigating the deaths of 14 young sperm whales that were found beached on an island off of the southeastern coast, officials said Tuesday.
Retailers pull lobster from menus after ‘red list’ warning
September 8, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Some retailers are taking lobster off the menu after an assessment from an influential conservation group that the harvest of the seafood poses too much of a risk to rare whales and should be avoided.
Ship strike probably killed whale off California coast
August 30, 2022 GMTSAUSALITO, Calif. (AP) — A humpback whale that washed ashore in the San Francisco Bay Area over the weekend probably was killed by a collision with a ship, researchers said.
A necropsy determined that the female adult whale had “injuries consistent with a ship strike," including extensive bruising to the chest area along with a fractured vertebra, and her skull was dislocated from her spinal column, according to a statement from The Marine Mammal Center.
Some ships push back at rules requiring slowdown for whales
August 13, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Federal regulators who want to enforce new vessel speed rules to help protect rare whales can expect some pushback from ship operators.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the new proposed rules, which are designed to protect the last remaining North Atlantic right whales, last month.
Beluga whale lost in French river euthanized during rescue
August 10, 2022 GMTPARIS (AP) — A beluga whale that became a French celebrity after a wrong turn took it up the Seine River had to be euthanized Wednesday after experiencing health complications during an urgent rescue operation, authorities said.