From Baja to the Arctic, scientists struggle to solve the mystery of gray whale deaths nationalgeographic.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nationalgeographic.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Gray whales here again as they take a detour in Arctic trek
Gray whales have returned to the Puget Sound for their annual feast of ghost shrimp before making the journey to the arctic.
Each year, a handful of whales return for some extra sustenance during their long swim from Mexico to Alaska. There are at least six swimming around Puget Sound currently.
This extra snack seems to be improving the health of the whales that stop in Washington state, called “Sounders.” Gray whales have been suffering from an “Unusual Mortality Event,” where more than the average number have been dying in recent years.
Agriculture
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January 15, 2021
Four advocacy groups have challenged the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) failure to act on two petitions they filed asking the agency to expand the scope of a rule intended to protect ships from striking North Atlantic Right Whales (Right Whales). Plaintiffs the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Defenders of Wildlife, Conservation Law Foundation, and Center for Biological Diversity contend that though the Right Whale is on the brink of extinction, the NMFS has been delinquent in deciding whether to adopt further protective measures in violation of Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
Right Whales primarily live and migrate along the eastern seaboard of North America, the complaint explains. Reportedly, the species is one of the most endangered large whales worldwide, despite Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) safeguards.