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Clipper The Whale Killed By Boat Strike Off The Coast Of Canada

Featured Image: Andersen Cabot Center For Ocean Life

In 2016, Clipper the whale was spotted with her calf by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The healthy female had given birth to a calf but the pair was struggling to leave the shallow water. As they drifted closer to shore, everyone was worried that the calf would not survive. However, the pair eventually made it back out to sea and continued their journey.

Unfortunately, Clipper died in the Gulf of St. Lawrence earlier this year after being hit by a ship. Clipper is one of six North Atlantic Right Whales that have died in Canada this summer.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials, say, “given the vulnerability of the North Atlantic right whales to extinction, recent news from Canada on the deaths of six North Atlantic right whales along with two new entanglements has alarmed conservation leaders. With fewer than 100 breeding females left in the population, and only 7 right whale calves sighted during the 2019 calving season, preventing right whale deaths is of vital importance.”

The total population of North Atlantic right whales continues to dwindle each year, bringing the species perilously close to complete extinction. Their plight stems from decades of unrestrained whaling operations that left the population in shambles. Although Canada has speed regulations and fishing management strategies in place to protect the whales, researchers and activists hope that more stringent regulations will be put in place to further protect the endangered species.

Conservation

Exciting New Technology Being Tested To Combat Ocean Plastic Pollution

Featured Image: Business Insider

The Plastic Scourge

In recent years, it has become common knowledge that plastics, especially single use ones, are harming the world’s oceans. Right now, there are more pieces of plastic in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way. There are five massive “patches” in the world where plastic pollution has concentrated. The largest of these patches lies between California and Hawaii and is the size of Texas. It has gotten so bad that by 2050 scientists project that all the plastic in the ocean will outweigh all the fish.

Animals like turtles and whales cannot distinguish between food and plastic. As a result more and more animals are being found dead with huge amounts of plastic in their stomachs. In March, a dead whale was found to have 88 pounds of plastic in its belly. Ingestion isn’t the only way ocean plastics are harming marine life. Every year about 100,000 animals die from plastic entanglement. Luckily, some enterprising scientists are working on solutions to end, or at least mitigate, the amount of plastic currently wreaking havoc in the ocean.

FRED To The Rescue

Interns from the University of San Diego are currently testing a new invention called FRED, or the Floating Robot for Eliminating Debris. FRED is a solar powered robot with a conveyor belt that moves trash from the water into a collection bin. FRED features a camera on the inside of its roof which serves as the eyes for the operator controlling the robot from shore.

The version currently being tested is the second-phase of a four-phase project. If everything goes as planned, phase 4 will come online in 2023. The current prototype can run for 3 to 5 hours, but designers aim to create a version that can run 24/7.

BIG Problem, Nano Solution

On the other side of the world, researchers published a paper detailing a different solution to the same problem. A study recently published in Matter, details a new type of nanotechnology that might help break down the plastic in the ocean. Researchers created tiny “nano-coils” that create chemical reactions that can break down the microplastics in the ocean by converting plastic into carbon dioxide and water.

The nano-coils are microscopic tubes shaped like bed springs. The coils are made of carbon and coated with nitrogen and manganese. The latter two elements interact with the nano-coils to create reactive oxygen molecules. These molecules then attack and break down microplastics.

Researchers added the nano-coils to water samples and observed a 30-50% reduction in microplastics in an 8 hour period. The coils can then be removed from the water using magnets for reuse.

Like FRED, this technology is still at the proof of concept stage, but it is still an exciting step towards a healthier, less polluted ocean.

Conservation

Grey Whale Found Dead in Alaska May Hold Answers To String Of Whale Deaths

Image Source: Pexels.com

Over the course of the last several months, the number of grey whales washing ashore along the West Coast has been staggering. Grey whales typically make their spring to summer migration up and down the coast with minimal casualties, however something seems to have gone horribly wrong this year.

Unfortunately, researchers remain unsure of what is causing the whales’ increased mortality rates. 167 grey whales have been found dead onshore from Alaska to Mexico since January but scientists say that the whales onshore only reflect a small number of the animals that died. Up to 90% of deceased whales will either sink, float offshore, or otherwise go undocumented.

A research wildlife biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in La Jolla, CA, Dave Weller, says, “if we can access a dead whale in time, we can look for evidence of disease, viruses, malnutrition, or human causes such as collisions with ships.” Scientists up and down the coast have been performing as many autopsies as possible which have provided vital information.

Most of the whales show signs of malnutrition. Some whales appeared to have starved to death. Others had eelgrass in their stomach, indicating the desperate consumption of a substance that they normally do not ingest. The whales fill most of their nutritional needs in Alaska, so scientists are searching for clues there. They have noted that it’s possible the population has simply grown larger than their food source, but more information is needed to establish a definitive cause.

News

Two Beluga Whales Transported to Iceland Natural Sanctuary

Little Grey and Little White are two very lucky whales. The pair of 12 year old females have been living in a Shanghai aquarium for entertainment for years, but now they are headed towards retirement. Instead of slowly dying inside their enclosure, they are being transported to a marine sanctuary in Iceland to live out their days.

Each whale weighs around 2,000 pounds and will be flown to Iceland in special containers. The project has been spearheaded by the Sea Life Trust charity. The charity strives to “provide a more natural sub-Arctic environment and wilder habitat for these amazing whales to call home.”

Releasing animals in captivity into the wild is typically not a good idea. Usually captive animals have become dependent on humans for their food. Without the skills to hunt for themselves, they can starve to death in the wild. However, this new concept of marine sanctuaries may be the best possible solution.

The head of Sea Life Trust, Andy Bool, says, “we have been working with Little White and Little Grey for the last 18 months to make sure that they will be prepared and ready for the long journey.” Once in their new pen of 32,000 square meters, the belugas will be cared for to ensure their survival in the semi-wild.

Conservation

North Pacific Right Whale Song Recorded for First Time

Featured Image: us.whales.org

Like their counterparts in the Atlantic, North Pacific right whales are extremely close to extinction. The animals were hunted by whalers for decades, leaving the population permanently damaged. It is extremely rare for scientists to encounter these whales, but one group was able to record the song of the North Pacific right whale through moored acoustic recorders. According to NOAA fisheries marine biologist, Jessica Crance, this is the first time this whale’s song has ever been recorded.

Back in 2010, Crance and other scientists thought they had recorded a North Pacific right whale but were unable to confirm it. Crance says, “We thought it might be a right whale, but we didn’t get visual confirmation.” Seven years of recordings later, the crew was out at sea as a right whale sang over the moored recorders. At that point, the crew was able to get a confirmation of the right whale’s identity. Crance says, “it was great to finally get the confirmation when we were out at sea that yes, it is a right whale, and it’s a male that’s singing.”

The male sings to attract a mate, however with just 30 total whales remaining, it is likely difficult for these animals to find each other.

Conservation

The Maiden Voyage of Boaty McBoatface Leads To A Big Discovery

Featured Image: Cnet.com

Boaty McBoatface is a British research submarine that has recently started making scientific journeys into deep waters. Boaty McBoatface was named by a public competition, which led to its unusual name. On its very first voyage in April of 2017, it recorded temperatures in the ocean that have helped scientists understand the link between Antarctic winds and rising sea temperatures.

The unmanned research submarine collected the vital information on a 112 mile journey underwater through the mountainous, ocean floor region near Antarctica. Along the way, it measured temperature, salinity, and turbulence of the water.

The measurements were then analyzed in relation to surface wind measurements. The analysis led to a better understanding of how strong winds on the ocean surface can cause turbulence at greater depths. The turbulence leads to mixing of the warm and cold waters, which in turn leads to higher ocean water temperatures worldwide.

According to Povl Abrahamsen of the British Antarctic Survey, “This study is a great example of how exciting new technology such as the unmanned submarine ‘Boaty McBoatface’ can be used along with ship-based measurements and cutting-edge ocean models to discover and explain previously unknown processes affecting heat transport within the ocean.”

Conservation

Pacific Northwest Killer Whales Spotted in Monterey

Scientists are able to identify killer whales as individuals based on their markings, but a recent sighting of killer whales by whale watchers in Monterey Bay has everyone confused. Based on their markings, the whales are known to be from the Pacific Northwest. It is unclear what they are doing so far south.

Nancy Black from the Monterey Bay Whale Watch, says, “they’ve never been seen down here, even with all our efforts all these years.” As a marine biologist who has worked in the area for 32 years, she is surprised that these whales have appeared here.

Black says, “Those killer whales have been identified previously, but up in the Puget Sound area. It’s been many years since we’ve had new whales, new families to the catalog so they just showed up one day out of the blue.”

It is possible that these whales are simply traveling and will return to the Pacific Northwest soon, however, it is a rare trip. Possible reasons for their movement could be a social gathering, following food sources, or mating.

For now, scientists will just continue watching the whales to see what happens next.

Conservation

Image Source:https://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/deadzone/index.html

The Gulf Dead Zone Is Growing- Can The Animals Survive It?

Featured Image: serc.carleton.edu

For the past 35 years, the Gulf of Mexico has experienced a growing dead zone each summer. As the Mississippi River drains pollutants from upriver into the Gulf of Mexico, the fertilizers and nutrients in the waters leads to a dead zone that has been consistently growing. Scientists are predicting a larger dead zone than ever before this summer.

A dead zone is a large hypoxic zone in which the oxygen levels are extremely low at the bottom of the water column. Animals living in that level cannot survive the sustained decrease in oxygen levels. This leads to massive die offs that prolong the problem. With an estimated dead zone of around 8,000 square miles, everyone is worried about how the creatures of the Gulf will fare. The dead zone will start to grow in the summer and dissipate towards the fall season.

Of course, there is the chance that the predictions could be wrong. Steve Thur, the director of NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, said, “This year’s historic and sustained river flows will test the accuracy of these models in extreme conditions, which are likely to occur more frequently in the future according to the latest National Climate Assessment. The Assessment predicts an increase in the frequency of very heavy precipitation events in the Midwest, Great Plains, and Southeast regions, which would impact nutrient input to the northern Gulf of Mexico and the size of the hypoxic zone.”

Only time will tell if the models are right for this year.

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