Ocean Sentry
A Navy helicopter was using controversial sonar equipment off the Cornish coast days before 26 dolphins died in a mass stranding. Officials at the Ministry of Defence admitted last night that the sonar “dipper”, designed to hunt submarines, had been used by a Merlin helicopter on training exercise. Four days …
June, 2008
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13 June
Whaling policy appears high and dry
(from theage.com.au) NOTHING has changed, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd repeatedly said, calming doubters over his Government”s whaling policy. But that”s the point. Rudd reassured Australians demanding international legal action against Japan that he had always wanted to try the diplomatic route first, and reserved the right to go to courts …
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13 June
Green group fears ocean terminal dolphin threat
A national conservation lobby group says Australia”s only native species of dolphin is at risk of extinction if plans for a north Queensland ocean terminal go ahead. The Townsville Ocean Terminal and luxury canal estate project was sold this week to an international marina development company. The manager of the …
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12 June
Fast fall of Mediterranean sharks
Sharks in the Mediterranean Sea have undergone a massive decline over the last two centuries, scientists have discovered from historical records.Some species shrunk by more than 99% over the period, mainly due to fishing. Researchers used fishermens” notes and archive records to plot population trends of five top predatory sharks.The …
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11 June
Legal challenge to whaling still option, Rudd tells Japan
(from theage.com.au) Australia is still considering taking Japan to court over its whaling in the Southern Ocean, with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd denying he has abandoned the plan. On the eve of his first meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in Tokyo, Mr Rudd told the Japan National Press …
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10 June
Whales stranded off Madagascar
A mission is under way to rescue more than 100 whales trapped in a bay in the north of Madagascar. About 30 whales have already died and experts are being flown in from across the world. The site is near an area where ExxonMobil is carrying out seismic surveys but …
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10 June
Why do dolphins beach en masse?
(BBC News Magazine) Twenty-six dolphins have been found dead, having stranded themselves in shallow waters on the Cornish coast. Why do they beach themselves together? A pod of 15 dolphins first became beached early on Monday morning, having swum up the river creek near Falmouth. Within a few hours, more …
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10 June
Navy in area before dolphins died
(from BBC News Channel) The Royal Navy was carrying out a survey off Cornwall around the time 26 dolphins died, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed. The admission came after the navy had previously denied having any vessels in the area. Post-mortem tests gave no clues to the cause …
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10 June
Aussies Want Tougher Whaling Stance
(from news.com.au) There is strong community support for getting tough on Japan over whaling, including risking the bilateral relationship by taking legal action, a survey indicates. The Essential Research online poll found 87 per cent of respondents believed the Federal Government should take international legal action to try to stop …
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10 June
Caribbean Monk Seal Becomes Extinct; Hawaiian and Mediterranean Monk Seals Could be Next
(from International Herald Tribune)The U.S. agency focused on the condition of the oceans says the Caribbean monk seal has gone extinct. The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration”s Fisheries Services says the only subtropical seal native to the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico is extinct. It also warns that the Hawaiian …
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9 June
Dolphins Die in Mass Stranding
(from BBC News) Twenty-three dolphins have died after becoming stranded on the Cornish coast. An RNLI lifeboatman described Porth Creek near Portscatho as a “scene of carnage” after 21 dolphins died there. One was believed to be pregnant. Rescuers helped seven at Porth Creek rejoin their pod out at sea …
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6 June
Creating A Safe Zone For Right Whales
(ScienceDailyJun. 6, 2008) It’s called the “area to be avoided,”— 1,000 square nautical miles located in the Roseway Basin region of the Scotian Shelf, just south of Barrington, N.S. And since June 1, ships have been asked to make a detour around the area, a crucial habitat for the endangered North …