Update: Bob Barker Rammed by Illegal Whaler.

lauricedeephd writes "At 1209 PM Fremantle, Australia time, the Yushin Maru 3 intentionally rammed the Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker, penetrating it's hull and endangering the lives of its crew. The collision occurred at 65 degrees 21 South, 67 degrees 58 East, about 180 miles off Cape Darnley in the Australian Antarctic Territory.

The Bob Barker had been actively blocking the slipway of the Nisshin Maru, the Japanese whaling fleet’s factory ship when the collision occurred. Four harpoon ships, the Yushin Maru 1, 2, and 3 and Shonan Maru 2, were circling and making near passes to the stern and bow of the Sea Shepherd vessel. The Bob Barker did not move from its position. At which point, the Yushin Maru 3 intentionally rammed the Bob Barker, creating a 3-foot long 4-inch deep gash in the mid starboard side of the Sea Shepherd vessel above the waterline."

Update: Bob Barker Shuts Down Illegal Whaling.

lauricedeephd writes "The Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker has shut down illegal whaling operations in Antarctica. The ship with its volunteer crew has caught up with the Nisshin Maru factory ship and is actively blocking its slipway. The Nisshin Maru will be unable to process whales as a result of Sea Shepherd’s efforts.

The Bob Barker intends to stay in this position off the stern of the Nisshin Maru until the whalers return home or until they run out of fuel. Sea Shepherd’s other ship, the Steve Irwin, is racing to the area to join the action."

Update: Bob Barker Shuts Down Illegal Whaling.

lauricedeephd writes "The Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker has shut down illegal whaling operations in Antarctica. The ship with its volunteer crew has caught up with the Nisshin Maru factory ship and is actively blocking its slipway. The Nisshin Maru will be unable to process whales as a result of Sea Shepherd’s efforts.

The Bob Barker intends to stay in this position off the stern of the Nisshin Maru until the whalers return home or until they run out of fuel. Sea Shepherd’s other ship, the Steve Irwin, is racing to the area to join the action."

FOUND: Sea Shepherd in Pursuit of Illegal Whalers.

lauricedeephd writes "On February 6, 2010 at approximately 0430 hours (Melbourne time), the Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker reengaged the illegal Japanese whaling fleet at 67 degrees 10 minutes South and 67 Degrees 07 Minutes East. Sea Shepherd’s other vessel, the Steve Irwin, is en route to join the action.

The Bob Barker is currently on the tail of the Nisshin Maru and two harpoon ships, where it will attempt to block the slipway of the factory ship until the Steve Irwin arrives."

Mystic Aquarium needs volunteers to help with whale’s recovery. CT, USA

lauricedeephd writes "The Mystic Aquarium seeks volunteers to nurse its Beluga whale, Inuk, back to health. The whale has a kidney infection.

In order for the whale to receive its medication properly, 15 to 20 people are needed to hold him down in a pool so the whale remains calm and stationary. The volunteers must spend about 90 minutes in the water in a wet suit."

Save the salmon -- and us. USA

lauricedeephd writes "The Obama administration's plan for the Columbia Basin doesn't go nearly far enough.

Recently, a photograph made its way to me on the Internet: In a surging Alaskan stream, a grizzly bear stands with a salmon in its jaws, and in the shallows, a wolf -- keeping its distance -- also hoists a thrashing salmon. Your eye goes to the bear, then the wolf. But the salmon convened the meeting. Without the salmon, you'd see only water."

Informational: Dolphin Watch: A shiner on a dark day. FL, USA

lauricedeephd writes "By ANN WEAVER
It was one of those dark winter days when even high-speed digital cameras couldn’t get focused. In contrast, bottlenose dolphin JJ and her calf Jewel were completely focused. They were in the northern part of their home range, systematically searching a series of watery fingers for food.

Mother JJ is a seawall specialist. She pokes along the docks and seawalls until she finds something to eat, which she flips into the air with a swift kick with her peduncle. When it slams back down, the prey is sufficiently disoriented to be picked off with ease. Such “fish whacking” is a specialized hunting technique. Not all dolphins do it."

Baby gray whale 'putting on quite a show' off Malibu Pier. CA, USA

lauricedeephd writes "Sightseers are gathering on the Malibu Pier and TV helicopters are hovering overhead to catch a glimpse of a baby gray whale that's been swimming just off the coast for the last 24 hours.

The 20- to 30-foot-long whale showed up around 10 a.m. Tuesday, moving close to shore and within several feet of the beach near the Beachcomber restaurant. Although whales frequently travel through Malibu, they rarely make extended stopovers, said Joann Waugh, assistant manager at Malibu Outfitters on the pier."

Small Turnout for Beluga Whale Hearing. USA

lauricedeephd writes "Turnout was light for last night’s public hearing regarding the proposed critical habitat for the endangered Cook Inlet Beluga Whale. Many in attendance also chose not to testify.

Senator Mark Begich was represented at the hearing by Kim Howard. She read a portion of Senator Begich’s statement for the hearing. Begich, in his statement, said he was concerned that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lacks both a full understanding of where critical habitat is located and what the benefits and costs are to designating this habitat. "

Whales use 'Killer' technique for hunting fish. UK

lauricedeephd writes "Scientists on Shetland believe they may have discovered a previously-unobserved technique being used by killer whales to catch herring.

Researchers from Aberdeen and St Andrews Universities recorded the whales emitting a low-pitched noise which caused the fish to bunch up."

Whales get Support on Sonar Ban. USA

lauricedeephd writes "NOAA May Limit Sonar Tests, though Another Case Heads to Court

Whales and the U.S. Navy have tangled repeatedly over the past years over charges that the Navy’s sonar exercises disorient or injure whales and other marine mammals. Now, whales in the Pacific appear to have a new champion: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is considering limiting the Navy’s sonar tests in certain marine mammal “hot spots.”"

Whales, dolphins and porpoises suffer high death rate as bycatch in fishing nets

lauricedeephd writes "Large-scale fishing operations are seriously threatening the lives of the majority of toothed whale populations, which include dolphins and porpoises, warned a new United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report released today.

The report, launched on the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS) website, noted that some 86 per cent of all toothed whale species are at risk from entanglement and death in gillnets, traps, weirs, longlines and trawls."

Bid to make spying on anti-whaling vessels illegal. Australia

lauricedeephd writes "Helping a whaling operation could soon attract a two-year jail term, under draft laws introduced to Parliament today.

The Australian Greens legislation makes assisting a whaling venture, including providing surveillance information and financial and material support to it, illegal."

New life for old whale exhibit. MA, USA

lauricedeephd writes "Refurbished skeletons trade attic dust for lobby lights

Two whale skeletons last displayed in the 1930s at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) were given new prominence in January, after they were taken from the MCZ’s dusty attic, cleaned, and moved to the pristine lobby of the new Northwest Laboratory building next door."

The big migration: thousands of whales on the move. CA, USA

lauricedeephd writes "Every year, a migration of gigantic proportions takes place in San Diego’s own “backyard.”

Unnoticed by many, the Pacific gray whale population, estimated by the American Cetacean Society at more than 20,000, swims silently and slowly through our coastal waters."