Saving Seafood

The Oozing Whale Skeleton of New Bedford

April 8, 2016 — In New Bedford, Massachusetts, the setting of Herman Melville’s story of the Great White Whale, there is a suspended whale skeleton that has been oozing oil for over 15 years.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is filled with cannibal forks, the world’s largest scrimshaw collection, canned whale meat, and 2,500 handwritten accounts of whaling voyages. Here the unusual is usual, including its collection of four whale skeletons hanging over the entrance. These giant marine mobiles include a humpback named Quasimodo, a fetal right whale and its mother Reyna, and the biggest — a blue whale called KOBO.

Read the full story at Slate

Wildlife secrets revealed with advanced tracking devices

February 29, 2016 — BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Solar-powered trackers on wings have recorded California condors soaring to 15,000 feet, while locators attached to humpback whales have revealed 1,000-foot dives to underwater mountains. And GPS collars on Yellowstone grizzly bears are giving new insights into one of the most studied large carnivore populations in the world.

Technological advances in recent years have allowed what could be the most inquisitive Earth dweller of them all, humans, to invent ever more ingenious tracking devices to find out what their fellow inhabitants are up to.

“It’s a large field that’s developing very fast,” said Alex Zerbini, a research biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration‘s National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle. “There are many types of tags being developed for many species of marine animals.”

Scientists say the trove of information thanks to ever smaller, tougher and more powerful tracking devices is leading to discoveries that could be used to make better wildlife and habitat management decisions.

The devices are also revealing the secret lives of hard-to-study animals.

For example, Zerbini said, scientists recently discovered humpback whales diving to underwater mountains on a regular basis, and also making the dives during migrations.

In Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding area, more sophisticated tracking devices on grizzly bears are providing information, notably on their ability to find food, that could be a factor in whether Endangered Species Act protections are lifted.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at San Francisco Chronicle

NJ/NY Boaters: Watch for Whales Close to Shore

July 17, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Stay safe, stay alert, and keep your distance

On Monday, an adult female humpback whale and her calf were seen close to the shore, off Sandy Hook, NJ, reportedly feeding on menhaden. 

 Asbury Park Press posted a story, with photographs of the whales against a backdrop of people on the nearby beach.

It is not unusual for humpback whales to come close to shore when they are following their food.

NOAA Fisheries asks boaters off New Jersey and in New York Harbor to keep a close eye out for these feeding whales, and to remember to follow safe viewing guidelines, which include staying 100 feet away from the whales for your safety and theirs. Humpback whales can reach lengths of 60 feet, and can weigh around 40 tons. 

In addition to the potential risk of a collision, the close proximity of a boat may cause a whale to stop feeding. All whales in U.S. waters are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes it illegal for people to harm, injure, kill, chase, or harass whales or any other marine mammal. Harassment includes any activity that results in changes to the whales’ natural behaviors, such as feeding. Penalties for Marine Mammal Protection Act violations are fines of up to $20,000 and up to one year in prison. In addition, some whales, including humpback whales, are also protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Get more information on safe boating near whales.