Ocean Sentry
The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is the rarest sea turtle and is endangered to a severe degree. In the 1940s, more than 100,000 Kemp’s ridley turtles came ashore in a single day to nest. By the 1980s, numbers were down to a few hundred nesting females. Main threats are habitat …
January, 2018
-
27 January
Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) – Between 10,000 – 25,000 individuals remain
The blue whale is the largest animal on the planet, weighing as much as 200 tons (approximately 33 elephants). The blue whale has a heart the size of a Volkswagen Beetle (WWF). Like other large whales, blue whales are threatened by habitat loss and toxics. Blue whales can also be …
-
27 January
North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) – Only around 450 individuals remain
The North-Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered of all large whales, with a long history of human exploitation and no signs of recovery despite protection from whaling since the 1930s. Right Whales in the North Atlantic are no longer hunted, and the most serious current threat is …
-
27 January
Hawaiian Monk Seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi) – Fewer than 1,100 individuals left
The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world and their population is declining. Monk seals are endemic to Hawaii, meaning they are native and are not found anywhere else in the world. Moreover, a newborn monk seal has only a one-in-five chance of …
-
27 January
Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus) – Fewer than 600 individuals left
The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is one of the world’s most endangered marine mammals, with fewer than 600 individuals currently surviving. Mediterranean monk seals mostly seek refuge in inaccessible caves, often along remote, cliff-bound coasts. Such caves may have underwater entrances, not visible from the water line. Known to …
-
27 January
Vaquita (Phocoena sinus) – Only about 30 individuals left
The vaquita is the world’s smallest and endangered cetacean, is found only in Mexico’s Gulf of California. Only about 30 individuals remain. They get trapped in illegal gillnets, many set to catch another endangered species, the totoaba fish. The fish’s swim bladder commands extraordinarily high prices (sold for as much …
November, 2017
-
18 November
One dolphin’s story: A pilot whale’s plight
Resting, or “loafing” family pods are easily approached by boats. However, the boats that came near her family pod this day were not coming in for a closer look: their reasons were much, more sinister.
January, 2013
-
18 January
Turtle Bay Endangered Species, Suddenly More Endangered?
Last Spring I took a group of First Graders to Waimea Valley Park. The docent pointed out a Hawaiian Moorhen and said that there were only 400 of them left, in the world. I was amazed. There were at least four or five of the same birds in the water …
November, 2011
-
16 November
World’s oceans in peril
“From a climate change/fisheries/pollution/habitat destruction point of view, our nightmare is here, it”s the world we live in.” This bleak statement about the current status of the world”s oceans comes from Dr Wallace Nichols, a Research Associate at the California Academy of Sciences. Al Jazeera asked Dr Nichols, along with …
September, 2011
-
21 September
Facts about Killer Whales in Captivity
Background to the trial of SeaWorld Here are a few facts and figures about Tilikum and other orcas in captivity. * There are currently 42 orcas in captivity worldwide. More than half of them are owned by marine circuses in the U.S. * The largest male orca in captivity is …
December, 2010
-
6 December
Seafood stewardship in crisis
A growing number of consumers want to eat seafood without feeling guilty. Enter the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), which purports to certify sustainable fisheries and provides a label for sustainable products to “promote the best environmental choice in seafood”. The MSC is growing rap- idly; the organization is also rapidly …
September, 2010
-
7 September
The Last Wild Hunt: Deep-Sea Fisheries Scrape Bottom Of The Sea
“Industrial fisheries are now going thousands of miles, thousands of feet deep and catching things that live hundreds of years in the process – in the least protected place on Earth,” says Elliott Norse of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute. In international waters beyond the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic …