Latest Whales News
Police say a Russian 'spy whale' in Norway wasn't shot to death
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — There's no evidence that a well-known beluga whale that lived off Norway's coast and whose harness ignited speculation it was a Russian spy was shot to death last month as claimed by animal rights groups, Norwegian police said Monday. The tame beluga,...
A celebrity 'Russian spy' whale spotted with harness found dead in Norwegian waters
HELSINKI (AP) — A white beluga whale named “Hvaldimir,” first spotted in Norway not far from Russian waters with a harness that ignited rumors he may be a Moscow spy, has been found dead. The Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported that the whale carcass was found floating...
Young humpback whale freed from fishing tackle that had entangled its tail in Sydney Harbor
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A young humpback whale was freed from fishing tackle that had entangled its tail during an almost 24-hour rescue operation in Sydney Harbor. The juvenile whale immediately began swimming toward the Sydney Heads and the open Pacific Ocean after government...
A humpback whale in Washington state is missing its tail. One expert calls the sight 'heartbreaking'
A humpback whale that is missing its tail and was spotted in Washington state's inland waters likely lost its iconic flukes after becoming entangled, possibly in some kind of line or fishing gear, experts say. That loss of the flukes, used for propulsion, would appear to be a death sentence for the...
Japan asks Denmark to extradite activist Paul Watson, accused of obstructing a whaling research ship
TOKYO (AP) — Japan has asked Denmark to extradite anti-whaling activist Paul Watson, who has been in custody in Greenland since his arrest last month under a Japanese warrant, officials said Friday. Watson, a 73-year-old Canadian American citizen, is a former head of the Sea...
US judge suspends Alaska Cook Inlet lease, pending additional environmental review
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — An environmental review underpinning a 2022 oil and gas lease sale in Alaska failed to properly analyze the potential impacts on endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales, a federal judge has ruled in suspending the lone lease stemming from that sale. U.S. District...
World’s rarest whale may have washed up on New Zealand beach, possibly shedding clues on species
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Spade-toothed whales are the world’s rarest, with no live sightings ever recorded. No one knows how many there are, what they eat, or even where they live in the vast expanse of the southern Pacific Ocean. However, scientists in New Zealand may have finally caught...
Environmental groups decry attempt to delay shipping rules intended to save whales
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Georgia congressman has proposed a yearslong delay in changes to federal rules meant to protect vanishing whales, prompting a rebuke from environmental groups who say the animals need protection now. The delay proposed by Republican Rep. Buddy Carter...
Beneath offshore wind turbines, researchers grow seafood and seaweed
KRIEGERS FLAK OFFSHORE WIND FARM, Denmark (AP) — In a small boat bobbing in the waves between towering offshore wind turbines, researchers in Europe’s Baltic Sea reach into the frigid water and remove long lines stretched between the pylons onto which mussels and seaweed are growing. ...
