After two North Atlantic right whales were found dead in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL) on June 4 (“Wolverine“) and June 20 (“Punctuation“), two additional dead right whales were reported in the region on June 25, 2019, bringing the total known mortalities to four.
June, 2019
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25 June
Cayman’s diminishing mangroves
In 1976, the western end of Grand Cayman was comprised largely of wetlands. From Prospect to West Bay, researchers recorded 5,330 acres of mangrove and sedge marsh wetlands that year. By 2013, that number had dropped 69% to around 1,633 acres.
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25 June
A depressing new type of pollution has started showing up on shoreline rocks
Researchers have identified a crust of plastic particles building up on shoreline rocks.
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24 June
Faroese whalers have struck again, this time killing 30 pilot whales
For the ninth time this year, 25-30 pilot whales have been slaughtered in the Danish Faroe Islands.
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22 June
86 per cent of Great Barrier Reef contaminated with microfibres
The presence of microplastics in our oceans is considered an emerging issue of international concern and this is the first study to examine the interaction between microplastic exposure and intake by marine organisms on the Great Barrier Reef.
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22 June
Dead female North Atlantic right whale found in Gulf of St. Lawrence
A scientist says the death of a female North Atlantic right whale found drifting in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Wednesday is a major concern because healthy females are needed to restore the endangered population.
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20 June
The transfer of the 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales from the “whale jail” in Russia has begun
Russia will also clamp down on the capture of whales for “educational and cultural purposes” – a loophole used to capture these whales. This is a most important decision in that it signifies the end of the capture and sale of orcas and beluga whales from Russia to entertainment parks, …
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19 June
This exhausted polar bear wandering a Siberian suburb is the latest face of the climate crisis
More polar bears have gone on land to search for food as the climate crisis has been shrinking the sea ice they depend upon.
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19 June
“Tourists” caught in US with endangered fish bladders worth $3.7 million
No criminal charges have yet been filed against the two men. A judge signed off on the search warrant on June 4, which will give investigators the chance to more closely examine the men’s phones. This could shed light on any larger operation that might exist, including names of suppliers …
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18 June
Fifty sea turtle nests destroyed by construction equipment
Fifty nests of endangered loggerhead sea turtles, also known as Caretta caretta, have been destroyed by construction equipment in the district of Serik in the Mediterranean province of Antalya.
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18 June
Study finds remote climate ‘events’ can drive marine heatwaves
A new international study involving The University of Western Australia has found marine heatwaves can be influenced by climate ‘events’ that take place thousands of kilometers away.
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18 June
The complex fate of Antarctic species in the face of a changing climate
Writing in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, scientists present support for the theory that marine invertebrates with larger body size are generally more sensitive to reductions in oxygen than smaller animals, and so will be more sensitive to future global climate change.