Did BP Spill Kill Hundreds More Dolphins?

lauricedeephd writes "A new paper in Conservation Letters calculates that the numbers of whales and dolphins killed in BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster could be 50 times higher than the number of carcasses found."

Oil platform must be halted to save critically endangered whale.

lauricedeephd writes "The Russian government must oppose the development of a proposed oil and gas platform off Russia’s Sakhalin Island because the project has not been subject to appropriate environmental risk assessments, according to an international coalition of leading NGOs.

The coalition, which includes WWF, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Pacific Environment and Sakhalin Environment Watch, will submit a Statement of Concern to the Russian Inter-departmental Working Group on the Conservation of Western Gray Whales, a group of oil industry representatives and Russian government officials meeting Friday to discuss off-shore oil exploration near the feeding grounds of the critically endangered Western gray whale."

Right whales spending winter in the Gulf of Maine. USA

lauricedeephd writes "Dr. Moira Brown has spent the last 27 years following whales-our mammalian kin that long ago returned to the sea-as they travel throughout the North Atlantic Ocean. But the whale's carefully evolved adaptation to ocean life makes them difficult for humans to comprehend. What we do know is that many of the less than 475 remaining right whales visit the northern Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy every summer, and emerging research data suggest that right whales may stay in the Gulf after their feeding season to breed.

Right whales are now the world's most endangered whale; marine mammal biologists estimate that American whaling ships killed a total of 5,500 to 11,000 of the species during the centuries when the oil-rich whale was a primary target. By identifying areas where whales congregate, scientists hope to reduce mortalities from entanglement and ship strikes."

Dolphins stranded. India

lauricedeephd writes "One of a small pod of Ganges River dolphins that was stranded in the Arial Khan river allegedly died of starvation although the Department of Fisheries (DoF) and locals took initiative to save them.

The death of the dolphin came as a shock to the locals, especially to the school-goers. Hundreds of locals including children came to see it."

Pink Dolphins Play Nice. Brazil

lauricedeephd writes "Two Pink River Dolphins seen in the water of Acajatuba Lake, a tributary of Rio Negro in the Amazon of Brazil on Wednesday (March 30).

These fisherman are fed up with competing for fish with their pink dolphin neighbours — and have decided to share their catch instead."