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Spike In Whale Strandings Prompt NOAA Fisheries To Request Homeowners To Volunteer Waterfront Property For Whale Decomposition

Image Source: NOAA/Mario Rivera

Since the beginning of 2019, 30 gray whales have stranded in Washington and more than 70 along the West Coast. The high number of strandings has caused the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to declare an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) and prompted a scientific investigation.

With Washington seeing the most stranded whales they have in almost 20 years, NOAA fisheries are asking residents for help. The UME has caused so many strandings that the whales have nowhere left to decompose so they are asking waterfront property owners to volunteer their property for whale decomposition.

A dead 40-foot gray whale drifted ashore north of Port Ludlow, Washington, on May 28. Image Source: NOAA/Mario Rivera

Mario Rivera and Stefanie Worwag recently decided to volunteer and allowed marine mammal stranding responders to tow a dead 40-foot gray whale to their property. The couple thought it would be an interesting opportunity to see the whale decompose before being recycled back into the marine ecosystem.

The couple who volunteers for the Port Townsend Marine Science Center moved to the Pacific Northwest about three years ago and is hoping other residents will join them in volunteering. Rivera recently told KING5-TV that the smell “isn’t that bad.”

Kristin Wilkinson, the Northwest Coordinator for the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network said the organization was grateful to the couple for their support and is testing ways to help speed up decomposition. The stranding network is experimenting with hydrated lime to help cover the smell and see if it speeds up decomposition.

“The lime appears to be working,” Rivera said.

Having a place for the whale to decompose is important for researchers to understand the cause of death of the whales. Many of the whales that have shown up along the West Coast have been skinny and malnourished. Worwag, a veterinarian, helped with a necropsy on the decomposing whale and found that it was severely emaciated.

Landowners Stefanie Worwag and Mario Rivera volunteered their waterfront property south of Port Townsend, Washington, as a site where the whale can decompose. Stefanie Worwag, a veterinarian, assisted with the necropsy of the gray whale. Image Source: NOAA/Mario Rivera

While Rivera, Worwag and the stranding network understand the hesitancy by homeowners to volunteer their property, they’re hoping others begin to volunteer. The last UME which started in 1999 lasted two years and strandings continued throughout that entire period.

Read more and learn how landowners can volunteer their property here.

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Jellyfish Are Wreaking Havoc In The Ocean Around The World

Jellyfish are wreaking havoc around the world in a variety of ways. In some parts of the world, jellyfish are jamming the piping of nuclear facilities. In others, they are killing fish and destroying fishing industries. Around the world, coastal areas are struggling about what to do with these jellyfish swarms.

Although one or two jellyfish may not seem like a problem, swarms of jellyfish are.

According to Lucas Brotz, a researcher at the University of British Columbia, the jellyfish swarms have slowly been increasing since 1950. It’s not just inconvenient; these swarms are costing industries around the world millions of dollars. The global economy could be shaken by the tiny jellyfish.

Jellyfish of all kinds are spreading, even the Box jelly and the Irukandji which are extremely venomous. The dangerous jellyfish were once only found in SE Asia and the Australian coast. Now, both are being found around the world.

No one is quite sure why these jellyfish are spreading so quickly. However, from their evolutionary standpoint, these creatures are meant to swarm the oceans. Jellyfish have a few advantages over other sea creatures including few predators, an ability to eat both fish and their eggs to collapse endure populations, and their ability to reproduce quickly through polyps.

With humans altering the natural processes of the ocean, jellyfish seem to be able to explore their population levels and expand worldwide.

Learn more about the trouble jellyfish are creating around the world here.

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New Florida Regulation Bans Fishermen From Using Chum To Attract Sharks To Shore

Featured Image: USA Today

For decades fishermen have been attracting sharks closer to Floridian shorelines by dumping leftover fish guts into the water. The practice is known as “chumming” and is fairly common along Florida beaches for sport fishermen looking to get a large shark on the line.

A shark conservation advocate and shark bite survivor, Debbie Salamone, says, “Personally, I would strongly prefer to not be in the water where folks are ringing the dinner bell for the ocean’s ultimate predator. It’s really good to be clear that sharks do not want to eat people.”

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission imposed the regulation placing a statewide ban on chumming along Florida beaches. The rule goes into effect on July 1st and defines chum as “fish, fish parts or other animal products intended to attract marine wildlife”. Many fishermen are against the new rule, specifically those who don’t own or can’t afford to own a boat to fish for sharks, but after several rounds of hearings, the regulation was voted to go into effect.

Many scientists strongly support the rule because catching sharks from the shoreline can severely damage a shark. So-called “angling stress” has been attributed as the cause of death in many sharks days after their release.

Read more from our source Santa Rosa’s Press Gazette.

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Meet Megalodon: This Museum Has The Largest Shark That Ever Lived On Display

Featured Image: Smithsonian Mag/Ryan Donnell

Although the fear-inspiring Megalodon Shark is long extinct, you will have the chance to meet one face to face soon. The National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. recreated a life-sized sculpture of the fossilized king of the oceans and just recently opened the exhibition to the public.

In its prime, these sharks could grow to 60 feet long. As the largest sharks to ever live, these animals ruled the sea with their massive appetite. However, millions of years ago these sharks went extinct. Paleontologists are still not quite sure why they have vanished, but the fossilized remains have fascinated naturalists and casual observers for decades.

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Something big has found a new home @SmithsonianNMNH. Starting TOMORROW (5/24), a giant—and very toothy—C. megalodon shark will welcome visitors to our fully renovated Atrium Café and our new Ocean Terrace Café. This ancient shark lived roughly 16 to 2.6 million years ago in nearly every corner of the ocean, including in the ancient oceans that once covered the Chesapeake Bay region. Roughly up to 3 times the length of a modern-day great white shark, it is the largest shark to have ever lived. The name Carcharocles megalodon means “big toothed glorious shark.” The model was built by artist Gary Staab, with scientific direction from Smithsonian curator of vertebrate paleontology, Hans Sues and University of Maryland faculty member Bretton Kent. #shark #jaws #ocean #megalodon #sciart

A post shared by Smithsonian's NMNH (@smithsoniannmnh) on May 23, 2019 at 9:00am PDT

Gary Stabb is the artist who created the 52 foot long model of the shark using a combination of fiberglass, clay, and foam pieces. Stabb says, “my job is not to have a style but rather to be the animal- to make that thing as believable as possible.”

If you have ever wanted the chance to come face to face with megalodon, then your opportunity is here. Visit The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and head to their new exhibit, Hall of Fossils – Deep Time this summer.

Heartbreaking Video Shows Dolphin Mourning The Death Of Her Calf

Featured Image: Orlando Weekly

Earlier this month, a mother dolphin was spotted pushing her dead calf around near the Indian Shores in Pinellas County.

The heartbreaking video was captured by See Through Canoe and shared on their social channels. The video shows the grieving mother visibly upset by the death of her calf.

Mother #dolphin not ready to let go of her dead calf and pushing it through the intracoastal waterway.
It’s hard to say for sure without examination, but the calf may have been hit by a boat. Please don’t assume that because #dolphins are fast that you won’t hit them. #sad pic.twitter.com/Le2MAwvPIB

— See Through Canoe (@SeeThroughCanoe) June 3, 2019

According See Through Canoe, a company that provides canoe tours in the area, the calf may have been hit by a boat. However, the cause of death is still uncertain.

It is a difficult sight to see, but it does provide insight into the emotions of dolphins. Last summer, a killer whale of the southern resident pod was spotted carrying around her own dead calf for over two weeks. A 2018 study showed that dolphins typically surround their dead for hours or days after death on a regular basis, so this behavior is not necessarily uncommon.

It is hoped that the mother can recover emotionally from this experience and rejoin her pod without any problems. Sometimes, these grieving mothers refuse to eat and end up passing away as well. Researchers in the area will continue to monitor the situation for days to come.

Actor Jason Momoa Reacts To Horrendous Video Of Two Fishermen Cutting The Tail Off A Shark

Featured Image Source: IndieWire

A recent video of two Icelandic fishermen cutting the tail of a shark before throwing it back into the ocean has sparked massive controversy around the globe and actor Jason Momoa is the latest to speak out on the disturbing video. In a recent Instagram post, Momoa blasts the two fishermen saying what they did was “pure evil” and asked for people to repost the video to catch the guys. The video already has almost 4 million views!

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Follow @savethereef WTF. Fuck these assholes I’m so fucking upset What is wrong with humans I would give anything to catch these idiots FUCK. Please repost to get these fuckers.

A post shared by Jason Momoa (@prideofgypsies) on Jun 2, 2019 at 9:42am PDT

The original video was screen recorded by Christel Yr Johansen who posted the video to Facebook and shows the two fishermen cutting the tail off, throwing the shark back in the ocean while laughing and joking about what they had done. The two fishermen are crew members at Bildsey SH 65 in Iceland who has since released a statement apologizing and stating that the two crew members have resigned, reported Rúv.

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Officials Warn New Jersey Beachgoers Of Toxic Jellyfish Ahead Of Summer

Late last month, officials put out a warning to anyone in the Jersey Shore area to watch out for toxic jellyfish if they were heading to the beach.

Wildlife officials say there are invasive toxic jellyfish in the area and where there is one, there is many. And, unfortunately these jellyfish can be extremely difficult to spot since they resemble small clinging spiders.

Since 2016, these invasive jellyfish have been spreading from the Shrewsbury River to the Mantoloking Bridge. Montclair State University staff are working with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to learn more about the species. Elias Chalet, a biology major, had this to say, “we just pulled algae and what we’re trying to look for in something called clinging jellyfish. The reason we’re trying to look for it is because they have a very lethal toxin.” His professor, Paul Bologna, says, “ they carry these paralysis toxins that cause your muscles to tense up. They use those to catch fish so the fish don’t run away, but it also causes intense pain.”

Officials are concerned about possible interactions with beachgoers. A Brick councilmember, Paul Mummolo, said, “A lot of our beaches, our bay beaches, it is important to educate the people on these clinging jellyfish about where they are so that something doesn’t happen.”

If you are in the New Jersey area, then please be careful with your next dip at the beach.

Dolphins

Recent Study Reveals Dolphins In U.S. Aquariums And Zoos Live As Long As Or Longer Than Dolphins In The Wild

A recent study published in the journal Marine Mammal Science revealed that bottlenose dolphins living in U.S. aquariums and zoos live just as long as, or longer than, dolphins in the wild.

Researchers analyzed close to 40 years of data from the Marine Mammal Inventory Report (MMIR), a U.S. government source, along with previous studies of three different wild populations of dolphins to compare the current median life expectancy of bottlenose dolphins with that of dolphins in the wild.

According to the MMIR data, the median life expectancy of bottlenose dolphins in U.S. facilities is 29.2 years which is equal to or greater than wild dolphins.

Dr. Kelly Jaakkola of Dolphin Research Center and Kevin Willis of The Minnesota Zoo co-authored the peer-reviewed study. “Survival rates and life expectancies are indicators of overall health and well-being,” explained Dr. Jaakkola. “Critics of zoos and aquariums will frequently claim that dolphins in facilities don’t live as long as dolphins in the wild, in an attempt to influence public opinion and even proposed legislation. This study shows that that claim is just not true.”

Watch the video below for more information:

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