http://www.mywhaleweb.com IFAW's Whale Program Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:40:39 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6105 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6105#comments Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:40:39 +0000 Jacob http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6105 For immediate release (Ipswich – 6 September 2010) – A unique, non-invasive whale research boat leaves port this week to carry out vital survey work around the coast of the UK and Ireland. The International Fund for Animal Welfare’s (IFAW) state-of-the-art vessel Song of the Whale (SOTW), berthed in Ipswich, (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=6105 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6142 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6142#comments Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:14:11 +0000 Zanzibar Research Team http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6142 Over the past two days we have been lucky enough to encounter some very lively whales. Yesterday after heading nearly all the way to Dar es Salaam, and having to admit defeat as the wind was very strong, we couldn’t see any whales so headed home. Suddenly we bumped into (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=6142 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6088 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6088#comments Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:22:24 +0000 Jacob http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6088 The following post is authored by Christina of IFAW’s South Africa Office It’s not often a celebrity puts their vacation on hold, even for a day, but that’s exactly what Kristin Bauer van Straten and husband Abri van Straten did last Friday. The recently wedded couple is in South Africa (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=6088 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6067 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6067#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:08:21 +0000 Zanzibar Research Team http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6067 Today we were lucky enough to come across a lively pair of humpbacks. We spotted them at first breaching, head slapping and pec slapping about 6km away. We headed straight for them, doubtful we would make it in time. However there seemed to be an air of excitement due to (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=6067 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6139 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6139#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 19:09:09 +0000 Zanzibar Research Team http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6139 Headed out this morning in high spirits having not seen any whales for about a week, and what a day! After less than an hour of surveying we came across a mother and newborn yoy (young of the year). The calf must have been weeks old at the most, only (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=6139 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6126 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6126#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:06:47 +0000 Zanzibar Research Team http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6126 We haven’t seen many whales recently, so thought we would take this opportunity to tell you about the people here in Zanzibar that help make this project work. Firstly, IMS. The Institute of Marine science (IMS) holds many members that allow this project to run as smoothly as it does. (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=6126 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6084 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6084#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:12:08 +0000 Jacob http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6084 I’ve mentioned in earlier posts how we’re working with folks from the University of Southern Mississippi to find out what happened to the Gulf of Mexico’s Whale Sharks as a result of the recent oil spill disaster. Well just now that work was featured on NBC Nightly News. Check out (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=6084 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6048 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6048#comments Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:28:49 +0000 Stefanie http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6048 Post written by Ian Paynter The Gulf of Mexico oil spill began with a bang. In terms of an ending, the capping of the leak was but a whimper. Ceasing the flow of oil was the first thing that had to happen, but it is only the first thing. Now (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=6048 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6081 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6081#comments Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:53:59 +0000 Jacob http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6081 On Friday a dead right whale was discovered on the shore near Digby, Nova Scotia.  If my memory serves me correctly this is the third right whale death in as many months. Not good at all, but especially bad considering how few animals remain.  One possibility is this animal died (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=6081 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6076 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6076#comments Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:00:22 +0000 Zanzibar Research Team http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6076 The past couple of days have really put things in perspective. Although we have not been snowed under by vast amounts of whales, the ones we have seen have been enormous! It is becoming clear how big these animals really are! Yesterday we saw four whales, which turned out to (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=6076 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6043 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6043#comments Sat, 14 Aug 2010 21:47:42 +0000 Stefanie http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6043 Post written by Ian Paynter The Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico was unusual in that holistic control of the management was largely superseded by localised efforts. Usually management begins centralised and expands its influence horizontally across an area and vertically from experts to willing volunteers. In (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=6043 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6063 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6063#comments Sat, 14 Aug 2010 20:01:19 +0000 Zanzibar Research Team http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6063 Our first encounter of the day was an unexpected surprise – our first young of the year (yoy). Compared to the mother the baby was tiny, although still 5m in length! The whale was probably a few weeks old. The yoy surfaced regularly and stayed close to the mother, sometimes (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=6063 1 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6051 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6051#comments Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:08:06 +0000 Cristina http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6051 So, about those reports that the oil is mostly gone from the Gulf of Mexico. Did you think it sounded a little too good to be true? A bit too much optimism in a situation that requires realism? If you questioned these overly upbeat reports, you were far from alone. (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=6051 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6016 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6016#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:22:27 +0000 Stefanie http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6016 Post written by Christina Ciarfella As a new assistant coming into the Cedar Key Dolphin Project, I knew I had big shoes to fill. Ian Paynter, as I have been told, was an amazing and integral part of the team. I knew I had to step up to the plate (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=6016 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5969 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5969#comments Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:03:16 +0000 Sigursteinn http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5969 Yesterday it was announced in the media that whalers who kill minke whales outside the south west coast of Iceland had found a new way of doing business. It does not surprise me that they are trying new things because minke whaling is a bloody bad business to tell you the truth. Now they (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5969 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6057 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6057#comments Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:31:26 +0000 Zanzibar Research Team http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6057 During our first sighting of the day, a local tourist boat phoned saying two whales had breached close to shore. Luckily we weren’t far away and already had good photos of our first pair. As we approached we noticed a few tourist boats and presumed dolphins were also in the (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=6057 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6041 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6041#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:28:55 +0000 Stefanie http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6041 Post written by Ian Paynter Whenever an unusual species of whale is spotted off the east or south costs of the United Kingdom (UK) the media gets very excited. Meanwhile those of us in the marine mammal community get very worried, whether we are involved in stranding rescue or scientific (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=6041 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5958 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5958#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:26:18 +0000 Jacob http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5958 It’s not often where inuit whale hunting coincides with our work on ocean noise, after all IFAW does’t campaign on what’s known as subsistence hunting.  That’s where ones very basic survival requires the taking of a handful of whales. (Don’t let this confuse you with Japan, Iceland and Norway, who (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5958 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6039 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6039#comments Mon, 09 Aug 2010 21:07:22 +0000 Stefanie http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=6039 Post written by Ian Paynter Scientific field research is unlike any other career. For a start most of us spend a significant portion of professional lives not even being paid, either volunteering or surviving on the meagre food and accommodation budget allowed by our research grants. It is a winding (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=6039 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5938 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5938#comments Sun, 08 Aug 2010 20:24:58 +0000 Zanzibar Research Team http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5938 A hectic morning! We were all feeling pretty tired. The early mornings are taking their toll. But there’s nothing like four groups of whales all at once to wake you up. A pair of whales was spotted within the first hour, though we’d seen breaches in the distance and both (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5938 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5933 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5933#comments Sat, 07 Aug 2010 20:09:30 +0000 Zanzibar Research Team http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5933 Words can’t really describe today, it was just incredible! It began with everyone in high spirits as the weather seemed to have calmed down, so we were all hoping for a full day at sea, with many whales… this we got! Leaving K. Dimbani we sighted a whale almost immediately, (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5933 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5902 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5902#comments Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:08:18 +0000 Zanzibar Research Team http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5902 Wow! What a day! Following terrible weather which prevented us from going out/shortened our trips, we finally experienced what we’d been waiting for. We first thought we saw five whales today, but checking the photos confirmed only three individuals with two resights. The whale of the third sighting surfaced a (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5902 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5898 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5898#comments Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:45:38 +0000 Zanzibar Research Team http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5898 After a wet and rough morning which caused Stef to fall overboard while we were sailing much to everyone’s amusement (Foum, one of the captains, managed to grab her hand and get her back on the boat), we headed for home. On our way a fisherman called who had spotted (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5898 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5928 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5928#comments Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:00:14 +0000 Jacob http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5928 IFAW and our partners at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Lab have switched into overdrive in response to the catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Our goal is to learn everything we can about how the oil is affecting whale sharks and the marine ecosystem, in an (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5928 3 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5910 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5910#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:54:44 +0000 Jacob http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5910 The undersea geyser of oil that began with an explosion more than three months ago has stopped but that doesn’t mean the damage is done by any means. While the economic wounds and the oiled birds and sea turtles are easiest to observe and count, the damage to unseen wildlife (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5910 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5870 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5870#comments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:59:39 +0000 Stefanie http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5870 As we left it last week, we were going to be meeting with a vet and deciding an action plan for the dolphin in distress. This is a follow up to the story. We coordinated with a vet at the University of Florida who has extensive marine mammal experience to (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5870 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5906 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5906#comments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:19:08 +0000 Jacob http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5906 How much can the Gulf coast take? Southern Louisiana is still rebuilding from the devastation wrought by the  2005 Hurricane  Katrina and now this. The BP disaster may be the largest unintentional release of oil in history. I’m down in Louisiana for a few days, and everywhere I go I (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5906 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5858 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5858#comments Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:21:59 +0000 Jacob http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5858 Only a small fraction of the oil from the deepwater horizon disaster actually makes it to the surface. This makes it almost impossible to see the vast majority of the spill’s victims.  All the animal deaths we’ve seen are very troubling but what is especially troubling are the deaths we (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5858 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5883 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5883#comments Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:08:53 +0000 Cindy http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5883 Ten years ago on a summer vacation in Alaska, when I visited a small museum in Homer, I was mesmerized by live video footage of bears catching salmon just a few kilometers away.  While I’d seen my fair share of documentaries about bears and had of course seen them in (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5883 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5875 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5875#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:50:47 +0000 Cindy http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5875 Among the dozen or so folks at the Beluga camp on Solovetsky Island when I arrived are five graduate students.  Most apparently spend between two and seven weeks on site, and help with chores as well as the Beluga research itself. They bring a wonderful energy to the team, so (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5875 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5916 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5916#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:01:57 +0000 IFAW http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5916 In an unlikely collaboration, commercial fishermen, pleasure boaters, scientists and students could be spotted together on boats of diverse shapes and sizes off the coast of Tunisia and Morocco in July. Their mission? To observe, record and photograph dolphins and other marine mammals, as well as take plankton and water (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5916 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5833 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5833#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:57:20 +0000 Stefanie http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5833 As you might know, we are the stranding response team for the Big Bend area of Florida. This means that if a stranding (live or dead) of a marine mammal occurs, or if a marine mammal is found in distress, we are the ones that are called to the scene. (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5833 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5863 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5863#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 01:35:58 +0000 Cindy http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5863 I’d heard before arriving here quite a bit about Solovetsky Island’s small peninsula where the Beluga observatory tower now stands.  Jake Levenson at IFAW had told me about how this spot is unique as it is the only place in the world where Belugas can be observed so close to (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5863 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5824 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5824#comments Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:32:15 +0000 Jacob http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5824 Jamison and I spent today traveling to several fishing villages with Dr. Omar Amir from the Marine Conservation Unit of the Tanzania Department of Fisheries.  Our goal was to meet the fishermen that attended our bycatch workshop and see their gear first hand so we could help them implement weak (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5824 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5851 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5851#comments Sun, 18 Jul 2010 20:23:45 +0000 Cindy http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5851 By the time Don succeeded in getting an image on screen of the Belugas, it was past 3 p.m. Famished, we abandoned him at the tower in search of a hot meal. Don stoically stayed behind to ensure that the camera continued to operate with no kinks. The rest of (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5851 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5847 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5847#comments Sun, 18 Jul 2010 16:43:28 +0000 Cindy http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5847 I awoke at 7 a.m. and immediately wondered about the Beluga underwater camera.  Had Don, who is IFAW’s underwater camera expert, and Volodiya, the Beluga whale project’s on-site scientist, succeeded in the middle of the night in getting a high-definition image of the Belugas? Volodiya, whose tent is nearest to (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5847 2 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5816 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5816#comments Sat, 17 Jul 2010 23:54:46 +0000 Stefanie http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5816 Post written by Emily T Griffiths When I first was offered this position as a research assistant for the Cedar Key Dolphin Project the only wildlife I was immediately concerned with were our research subjects, bottlenose dolphins [LC]. It did not occur to me the vast plethora of species that (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5816 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5845 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5845#comments Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:38:51 +0000 Cindy http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5845 Don Stark, IFAW’s volunteer underwater videographer, and I met down in Moscow’s Golden Ring Hotel lobby by 6 a.m. Our hired Toyota Land cruiser already was parked out front, ready to transport to the airport our five large cases of camera equipment, the two of us, and Mila Danilova, a (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5845 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5807 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5807#comments Sat, 17 Jul 2010 00:37:39 +0000 Jacob http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5807 To prevent a prolonged and painful death for entangled whales, a handful of trained responders are sprinkled in a few countries around the world. They are always on-call, and remain available 24 hours a day 7-days a week to disentangle large whales.  In the US and Canada, whales are fortunate (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5807 1 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5841 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5841#comments Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:28:32 +0000 Cindy http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5841 Dolphins have been my favorite animal for as long as I can remember.  Why?  Because they are playful, smart, and fun, and they stick together. So, when a buddy of mine who works at the New England Aquarium phoned less than a month ago to say she knew someone who (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5841 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5800 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5800#comments Fri, 16 Jul 2010 04:08:16 +0000 Jacob http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5800 Working with local fishing communities is a great way to make a significant difference in the lives of whales and fishermen. It’s honestly one of the best things about my job. Sure, it sometimes seems like we’re saving whales one weak link at a time. But, that’s how the deed (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5800 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5791 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5791#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:22:07 +0000 Jacob http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5791 If our plan to eliminate entanglement-related whales deaths in Zanzibar is to succeed, we must focus on two elements. And, these two elements must be implemented together. First, we are working with the local fishing community to modify their fishing gear, making it safer for whales.  To do this, we’ve (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5791 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5784 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5784#comments Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:23:00 +0000 Jacob http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5784 I’m here in Zanzibar with our partners from the University of Dar Es Salaam and Newcastle University to teach fishermen some tricks from around the world on how to rig fishing gear so that you don’t accidentally catch whales. It’s good for the whales but it’s good for fishermen as (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5784 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5786 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5786#comments Sat, 10 Jul 2010 19:46:30 +0000 Stefanie http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5786 The oil in the Gulf of Mexico is a massive, black elephant in the corner of our research season here in Cedar Key, Florida, studying the local population of bottlenose dolphins. It has become a new focal point in the Cedar Key Dolphin Project as we have adapted our schedules (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5786 1 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5779 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5779#comments Thu, 08 Jul 2010 01:26:19 +0000 Jacob http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5779 I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself when I saw the latest tool used to clean-up the oily mess that used to be the Gulf of Mexico.  The massive vessel brought in to clean up the surface oil in the Gulf is named A Whale.  I hope that’s not the (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5779 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5770 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5770#comments Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:33:25 +0000 Jacob http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5770 Today, PBS, Google and YouTube are sponsoring a live interview with Bob Dudley, Chief Executive for BP’s Response. The interview — which will be based on your questions — will be broadcast live at 3:30 pm EST TODAY. You can watch the interview on NewsHour.PBS.org or YouTube. Submit your questions (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5770 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5766 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5766#comments Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:17:12 +0000 Stefanie http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5766 In a previous blog, Ian had written about a torrential downpour and the resulting sinking of a boat at the marina. He had said “next time any of us awake to the sound of ceaseless rain we’ll all be down at the dock in our pajamas, whatever the unreasonable hour.” (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5766 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5764 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5764#comments Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:53:05 +0000 Sidney http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5764 I must apologise for the many typos and formatting errors in my piece of 25 June on Charisma. I was trying to catch participants at the IWC meeting in Agadir before they dispersed. A revised version will soon replace the original. But what has interested me is that it very (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5764 1 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5751 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5751#comments Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:51:59 +0000 Jacob http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5751 The Gulf of Mexico isn’t the only place with an oil rig problem. Oil rigs dominate horizons around the world, including just offshore of Russia’s Sakhalin Island. The area is wealthy with oil deposits. The area is also wealthy with whales. And, that’s the problem. The critically endangered Western grey (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5751 5 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5752 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5752#comments Fri, 25 Jun 2010 15:17:55 +0000 Sidney http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5752 In my blogs on this site before and during the IWC meeting in Agadir I have made frequent mention of the fin whale, especially the population or populations in the Southern Hemisphere. I am sad that the species gets little recognition from any of those concerned about the future of (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5752 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5748 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5748#comments Fri, 25 Jun 2010 09:44:04 +0000 Sidney http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5748 So what is there better to do during the fading hours of the 62nd meeting of the IWC than compose yet another “last” blog? I’ve already castigated Greenpeace, WWF and the Pew Environment Group for carelessly proposing to throw away the Protection Stock category of whale populations by deleting 10(c) (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5748 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5745 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5745#comments Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:18:10 +0000 Sidney http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5745 So the IWC has reached a consensus, as desired, it is said, by many: a virtual consensus to reject the Chairmens’ draft “consensus proposal” to save the whales and the IWC in one fell swoop. Now that the “deal” cobbled together by a couple of IWC Commissioners and assorted other (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5745 3 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5739 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5739#comments Wed, 23 Jun 2010 10:20:46 +0000 IFAW http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5739 (Agadir, Morocco – 23 June 2010) – The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW – www.ifaw.org) announced today that a controversial proposal to legalize whaling has failed at the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Agadir, Morocco. “Under a cloud of corruption allegations the IWC is taking (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5739 90 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5736 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5736#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:16:05 +0000 Stefanie http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5736 Post by Ian Paynter We’ve been so busy watching the water for oil here at the Cedar Key Dolphin Project that we neglected to watch the sky for water. It rained a little the other night. Ok, a lot. Around five inches, in fact. All of us were awoken at (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5736 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5731 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5731#comments Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:01:44 +0000 IFAW http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5731 For Immediate Release: (Yarmouth Port, Mass. – 21 June 2010) – The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW – www.ifaw.org) announced today that the worldwide whaling ban – in place since 1986 – may be overturned this week. The most important International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in decades begins today (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5731 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5734 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5734#comments Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:51:32 +0000 Sidney http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5734 One good thing about being sick and so not subject to the cut and thrust (and distresses) of IWC-meeting-life is the opportunity to read some papers carefully twice. Andrew Darby’s article today in The Age “Greenpeace softens line on whaling” led me to read again the joint WWF-GP-Pew policy statement (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5734 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5726 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5726#comments Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:53:06 +0000 Sidney http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5726 While recovering oh so slowly – like a scientifically shot fin whale among the Antarctic ice floes – from the unseasonable and extraordinarily virulent ‘flu virus that has prevented me from sampling the vicarious delights of Agadir and the IWC, I have been playing Sudoku, my favorite solitaire. I like (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5726 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5724 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5724#comments Sun, 20 Jun 2010 04:59:46 +0000 Sidney http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5724 Presenter: Good morning ladies and gentlemen- We are just taking you over to New York where, in the United Nations headquarters the Chairman of the Security Council is about to present a new proposal for keeping global peace for the rest of this century, at least. Chairman: Heads of Delegations, (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5724 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5722 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5722#comments Sat, 19 Jun 2010 15:58:13 +0000 Sidney http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5722 There’s been a lot of it about this week. The US Authorities, civil and military, released information about a huge new discovery of metallic minerals all over Afghanistan, just as the Administration was about to engage in a review of the American future in the country. Alert internet-surfers and a (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5722 0 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5683 http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5683#comments Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:08:26 +0000 Stefanie http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?p=5683 Blog post by Ian Paynter North America may soon have its very own Dead Sea. The Gulf of Mexico could be left inhospitable to life; poisoned by the oil that continues to leak beneath its surface. It is vital to remember that the leak is beneath the surface — from (more...)]]> http://www.mywhaleweb.com/?feed=rss2&p=5683 0