Latest Whales News
First right whale of the season spotted off Massachusetts
BOURNE, Mass. (AP) — Marine researchers have spotted a species of rare whale in Cape Cod Bay for the first time this season. North Atlantic right whales arrive in the bay every year. The whales number less than 340 and their population has declined in recent years. ...
Maine intervenes over lobstering rules to protect whales
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Maine Department of Marine Resources has been granted intervenor status in a federal lawsuit brought over new lobstering restrictions intended to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released...
Hearings set for new electronic lobster boat tracking rules
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) — Interstate fishing managers are holding a series of public hearings next month about a plan to implement electronic tracking for lobster boats. An arm of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is considering implementing the tracking requirements...
Crab for New Year's: California opens up commercial fishing
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — There will be more Dungeness crab on the market just in time for New Year’s menus. California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Wednesday that the long-delayed commercial crab fishing season in coastal areas near San Francisco will begin Dec. 29,...
Greenpeace: Greek gas hunt an 'unbearable' threat to whales
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greenpeace on Wednesday renewed calls against proposed deep-sea oil and gas exploration off southwest Greece, warning of “unbearable” consequences to endangered Mediterranean whales and dolphins. Greenpeace Greece official Kostis Grimanis said the project...
Marineland in Canada charged for using whales in shows
TORONTO (AP) — Marineland has been charged for allegedly using dolphins and whales for entertainment purposes, an accusation the tourist attraction in southern Ontario denies. Niagara regional police said they began an investigation in October over the park’s use of cetaceans in...
Lobster fishers to weigh in on plan for monitoring of boats
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Federal fishing managers are looking for feedback from lobster harvesters about a plan to require electronic tracking. An arm of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, an interstate regulatory authority, is considering implementing the tracking...
Endangered whale gives birth while entangled in fishing rope
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Scientists spotted an endangered right whale dragging a length of fishing rope caught in its mouth as it swam with a newborn calf off the Georgia coast, a rare confirmation of a birth by an entangled whale that experts determined they can't safely attempt to help. ...
High court keeps limits on lobster fishing to protect whales
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday against Maine lobster fishermen who sought to block new fishing restrictions that are designed to protect rare whales. The new rules make an approximately 950-square-mile area of the Gulf of Maine essentially...
Dead humpback on Cape Cod showed signs of entanglement
PROVINCETOWN, Mass. (AP) — A dead humpback whale found on a beach at the tip of Cape Cod showed signs of "chronic entanglement," according to marine mammal experts. The whale, described as a 30-foot long sub-adult of undetermined gender, was first spotted opposite Long...
