I have made several posts recently about whales, turtles and Hawaii, so my attention was caught by a report in TimesOnline. It tells of two kayakers who got more than they bargained for on a trip to spot sea turtles off the Hawaiian island of Maui, apparantly they inadvertently disturbed an anxious female humpback whale, who breached out of the water to warn them off and protect her young.
The report has some good information about the humpback whale breeding grounds between the Hawaiian islands and some nice pictures of the close encounter between the kayakers and the whale. It reminded me of a short video that I posted a couple of years ago, Interesting Kayaking Experience.
I came across this incredible video of whales, dolphins and other marine creatures, such as sea horses. The footage was taken by Dieter Paulmann who was inspired by a chance encounter with a huge white whale, which seemed to be Moby Dick; the encounter left him impressed and deeply touched.
You can see the result when you view the video on whalefootage.org. I am sure that it will also leave you feeling impressed and deeply touched, and with a strong desire to protect the environment, the sea and the whales.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is again sailing to the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary to save Humpback, Fin and Minke whales from Japanese whalers.
It appears that some of the recent media coverage has been misleading. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society reports that it does not use violence and never has used violence and is not threatening violence. Apparently, in a ramming incident last year, it was a Japanese whaling ship that rammed the Sea Shepherd ship.
The Japanese will only be stopped by economic and social pressure. Copy this post and send it to a few friends, telling them what you think of the Japanese whalers. Let's use the power of bloggers to let the Japanese know what the world thinks about a country that allows its countrymen to engage in whaling.
A Japanese whaling fleet has set off on an expedition targeting humpback, fin and minke whales, in the Antarctic. The fleet aims to catch over 1,000 whales before returning to port early next year.
In defiance of world agreements and opinion, the whalers are expected to kill about 50 fin whales, which environmentalists say are a critically endangered species and also about 50 humpback whales, well known for their picturesque silhouette and acrobatic breaching.
Greenpeace said its Esperanza campaign ship was in waters off Japan, waiting to intersect the fleet in the coming days to demand that the expedition returns home. The endangered animals are currently migrating south along the Australian coast and The Australian government and people, are being pro-active in attempting to bring both political and social pressure on Japan. More.
There is growing concern about the effect of tourism on whale and dolphin ecology; research in Western Australia and New Zealand has indicated that exposure to human activity can have a negative impact.
Next April, some of the world's leading scientists meet in Bunbury, Australia, for a convention on whales and dolphins, where it is hoped to launch an international research project into the impacts of human activities on dolphin ecology throughout the world and thereby develop sustainable dolphin and whale tourism. More.
The Dolphin Discovery Centre at Bunbury, is a non-profit organisation committed to dolphin research, education, conservation and also tourism. Located about 180 km south of Perth in Western Australia, the centre enables people to interact with dolphins, which can often be seen in the shallow waters in front of the Centre.
An area off southwest Nova Scotia, Canada, that teems with the endangered North Atlantic right whales, has been given special protections against container traffic. The area, Roseway Basin, about 80 kilometres off the coast is a key conservation ground for the North Atlantic right whale, attracting about 10 per cent of the population.
In recent years the population of right whales has plunged to about 350 worldwide. More.
