Ocean Sentry
(From guardian.co.uk)- This week the world welcomed news that humpback whales have made a remarkable recovery, following four decades of protection from commercial whaling. But is this really a turning of the tide in the battle to save the world”s magnificent whales from extinction?
August, 2008
-
15 August
County Has Exceeded Manatee Deaths
(From jaxdailyrecord.com) Florida – Over the past 12 months, six manatees have been killed by area boaters, a figure that exceeds an “acceptable level of mortality” according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. R. Kipp Frohlich — leader of the Imperiled Species Management Section of the FWC — …
-
15 August
Caretta Caretta in Belek Need Protection
(From turkishdailynews.com.tr) Turkey- Sea turtle nesting areas have created an alternative form of tourism in the Mediterranean region, but experts are concerned that the vulnerable creatures are still not being adequately protected. Out of eight species of sea turtles in the world, five exist in the Mediterranean, and two of …
-
15 August
“Eco-tourists” Love Penguins To Death
(From scoop.co.nz)- Monitoring shows even careful visitors to nest sites cause a doubling of the penguin’s heart rate with the birds needing up to half an hour to recover. As a result of disturbance, the birds are more likely to abandon their nests and chick feeding may be disrupted, leading …
-
15 August
Climate Change ‘Forcing Birds to Adapt or Die’
(From pressandjournal.co.uk) – The report, called the State of the UK’s Birds, showed birds were being forced to rapidly adapt their behaviour to survive, altering their nesting and migration patterns and forcing them farther afield to find food.
-
15 August
Sawfish Struggle to Survive
(From tcpalm.com)- Despite its lineage, the sawfish was once a more common sight in Florida’s shallow waters. Impacts from humans that include overfishing and habitat loss have depleted sawfish numbers over the past century.
-
15 August
PETA Donor Offers to Buy SeaWorld From New Owner To Set the Animals Free
(From peta.org)- Today, PETA sent a letter to Carlos Brito, CEO of Belgium-based beverage giant InBev, offering on behalf of a donor to buy one or more SeaWorld theme parks. If Brito accepts the offer, PETA”s donor plans to rehabilitate the orcas and other species in coastal sanctuaries and then …
-
15 August
Seal Pup Rescued From Car in Coupeville Has Died
(From pnwlocalnews.com)- It”s a tragic end for a baby harbor seal that lived a remarkable, 30-day life. She made headlines and was featured on TV news after a Coupeville deputy marshal rescued her from the back of a car. She also traveled in boats, a pickup and even an airplane. …
-
15 August
B.C. Man Who Barreled Through Pod of Killer Whales Fined $3,500
(From canadianpress.google.com) Vancouver – A British Columbia man who mowed over a pod of killer whales at full speed in his boat, either hitting or just missing one of the endangered animals, has been fined $3,500. Xi Change Gao, of Sidney, B.C., was convicted in April after video showed the …
-
14 August
Sea Eagles fly in for an east coast return
(From edinburghnews.scotsman.com)- Four sea eagles have been released into the wild as part of a programme to bring the birds back to Scotland”s east coast. Sea eagles were common in this part of the world before Victorian persecution hunted them to extinction. It is expected that about 75 per cent …
-
14 August
Newborn Orca Spotted in the San Juan Islands
(From seattletimes.nwsource.com)- Whale researchers discovered a new baby orca Tuesday afternoon in the San Juan Islands. The calf was only hours old when spotted by staff of the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor, who designated the newborn L111.
-
14 August
Ocean Dead Zones Become a Worldwide Problem
(From ap.google.com) Washington – Like a chronic disease spreading through the body, “dead zones” with too little oxygen for life are expanding in the world”s oceans. “We have to realize that hypoxia is not a local problem,” said Robert J. Diaz of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.