Dear Dr. Doug,
I live next to a vacation rental home on a canal. The other day there were manatees in the canal. I took my daughter out to watch them. Several other neighbors also came out as well. The people renting the house next to me started squirting the manatees with a garden hose and eventually the manatees came over to drink the fresh water directly from the hose. Of course, the renters were taking tons of photographs. I politely told the man it was illegal to feed or water the manatee and he then proceeded to berate me in front of my daughter and neighbors, saying that I should mind my own business and âThanks for ruining his vacation!â Isnât it illegal to feed and water manatees? Who can I call if I see this happening again?
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On Sunday, Raina Ashley LaCroix took pictures of a Pygmy sperm whale that washed ashore along Padre Island National Seashore.Raina Ashley LaCroixShow MoreShow Less
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On Sunday, Raina Ashley LaCroix took pictures of a Pygmy sperm whale that washed ashore along Padre Island National Seashore.Raina Ashley LaCroixShow MoreShow Less
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On Sunday, Travis Marcee took pictures of a Pygmy sperm whale that washed ashore along Padre Island National Seashore.Travis MarceeShow MoreShow Less
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On Sunday, Travis Marcee took pictures of a Pygmy sperm whale that washed ashore along Padre Island National Seashore.Travis MarceeShow MoreShow Less
Fewer than 366 surviving North Atlantic right whales remain on Earth as extinction pressures mount on the critically endangered species, according to a new study.
Climate change, vessel strikes, entanglements in fishing gear, and underwater noise pollution have taken a toll on the species’ health and slowed its rate of reproduction, but there is still time to turn the numbers around, the report’s authors say.
“North Atlantic right whales face a serious risk of extinction, but there is hope if we can work together on solutions. Trauma reduction measures and applying new tools to assess their health are critically important to enhance the welfare of individual whales. If we can reduce the number of deaths, and successfully improve their health (and increase their) reproduction, the current decline in population can be reversed,” says lead study author Michael Moore, a whale trauma specialist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Lobstermen say NOAAâs proposed whale rule wonât work, and conservationists agree
ELLSWORTH â A Feb. 24 public hearing on a proposed National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) rule aimed at reducing the risk of North Atlantic right whale entanglements in fishing lines raised questions of relevant data used in drafting the rule and its outcome for lobstermen and right whales.
These conversations have been going on between conservationists, lobstermen, NOAA and the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) since 2019, when NOAA held its first public meetings on how lobstermen could adapt fishing methods to reduce the risks.
The Take Reduction Team, operating under NOAAA Fisheries, is tasked with upholding the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The North Atlantic right whale has been on the endangered species list since 1970, and the ESA determines a right whale mortality rate that will not further diminish their population
Scientists start deep sea research to assess marine mammal stocks
February 25, 2021
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In a major attempt that would pave the way for boosting India’s seafood trade, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, the Marine Products Export Development Authority and the Fishery Survey of India (FSI) have jointly launched a research cruise for assessing the marine mammal population of the EEZ.
The research initiative assumes significance in the wake of emerging seafood trade-related challenges faced by the fishermen targeting high-value resources and the export market players of India.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, USA, had issued import strictures of strict adherence to norms laid out in the Marine Mammal Protection Act of their country, stating that seafood exporting countries should not allow the intentional killing of marine mammals in commercial fisheries. For exporting fish and fish products, the US has given a five-year exemption period starting