Jon Corsiglia (he/him/el) | Eco-Economy Insider
Karen E. Lund 💙💛North Atlantic right whales are perilously close to extinction. The loss of even a single whale has profound consequences for the survival of the species. Human-caused mortality at this stage is not sustainable. Yet, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), directed by Under Secretary Neil Jacobs, is moving to weaken and potentially eliminate vessel speed rules designed to protect them.
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The 2024-25 North Atlantic right whale calving season: 23 mother-calf pairs.
Most since 2009. Fourth-highest ever. Total population: ~380.
Scientists are cautiously optimistic. Every calf matters when you have 380 left.
🐋🍼
#RightWhales #OceanHope #WorldOceanDay
S. E. WiggetThis petition via the Center for Biological Diversity reminds me of the environmental thriller Storm Warning by Alice Henderson @authorhenderson.bsky.social
https://act.biologicaldiversity.org/uP_iR0BWwkKBNRDIK3EQzg2?gad_campaignid=23351724719
#savethewhales #whales #animalconservation #SavethePlanet #environment #RightWhales #centerforbiologicaldiversity #whalepetition #petition #animalrights
Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻💻🧬#NOAA issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that questions the need to continue the North #Atlantic #RightWhale Vessel Speed Rule which has been in place since 2008. The rule requires vessels 65 feet or longer to slow to 10 knots in seasonal management areas along the #US east coast where, and when, critically #endangered North Atlantic #rightwhales are known to aggregate.
NOAA confirmed the rule reduced risk to right #whales by up to 90%
https://us.whales.org/2026/03/04/noaa-questions-the-ongoing-need-to-protect-endangered-whales-from-vessel-strikes/
NOAA confirmed the rule reduced risk to right #whales by up to 90%
https://us.whales.org/2026/03/04/noaa-questions-the-ongoing-need-to-protect-endangered-whales-from-vessel-strikes/
#Whale #feeding zone discovery triggers call for protection
Satellite tracking of New Zealand southern #rightwhales, or #tohorā, has revealed a key feeding location about 500kms south of #Australia that needs to be protected, #scientists say.
"It turned out that one destination was by far the most popular," says Dr. Leena Riekkola, a Rutherford Postdoctoral Fellow. "90% of the whales traveled to a zone south of Australia, rich in prey, where different waters converge."
https://phys.org/news/2025-08-whale-zone-discovery-triggers.html
Satellite tracking of New Zealand southern #rightwhales, or #tohorā, has revealed a key feeding location about 500kms south of #Australia that needs to be protected, #scientists say.
"It turned out that one destination was by far the most popular," says Dr. Leena Riekkola, a Rutherford Postdoctoral Fellow. "90% of the whales traveled to a zone south of Australia, rich in prey, where different waters converge."
https://phys.org/news/2025-08-whale-zone-discovery-triggers.html
Lukas VFN 🇪🇺#Whales move nutrients from Alaska to Hawaii in their urine, supporting tropical ecosystems https://phys.org/news/2025-03-whales-nutrients-alaska-hawaii-urine.html
Migrating #BaleenWhales transport high-latitude nutrients to tropical and subtropical ecosystems https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56123-2
"in oceans across the globe, great whales—including #RightWhales, #GrayWhales, and #humpbacks—transport about 4,000 tons of nitrogen each year to low-nutrient coastal areas in the tropics and subtropics. They also bring more than 45,000 tons of biomass"
Whales move nutrients from Alaska to Hawaii in their urine, supporting tropical ecosystems
Whales are not just big, they're a big deal for healthy oceans. When they poop, whales move tons of nutrients from deep water to the surface. Now new research shows that whales also move tons of nutrients thousands of miles—in their urine.
Good News CommunityA federal appeals court reinstated seasonal lobster fishing bans in a 200-nautical-mile area off New England’s coast to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. This decision aims to prevent deadly entanglements in fishing gear, which threatens the fewer than 380 remaining right whales. Environmental groups welcome this ruling as a crucial step toward conservation.
#GoodNews #RightWhales #Conservation #MarineLife #LobsterFishing
https://apnews.com/article/lobster-fishing-right-whales-seafood-court-949dd5ac80a571baf923895b96bde6ad
A federal court restored protections for endangered whales that become entangled in fishing gear
A federal appeals court is reinstating rules designed to protect a vanishing whale species from entanglement in fishing gear. The ruling is a setback for commercial fishermen hoping for a loosening of fishing regulations during President Donald Trump’s administration. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s decision Thursday to reinstate the protections. The lower court had ruled against a federal law banning lobster fishing in a 200-nautical-mile area off the New England coast from Feb. 1 to April 30 annually. Lethal entanglement in lobster fishing gear is one of the biggest threats to the North Atlantic right whale.
#Whales can live way longer than scientists had thought, with potential #lifespans as much as double previous estimates
Southern #rightwhales have lifespans that reach well past 100yr, and 10% may live past 130 years. Some of these whales may live to 150. This #lifespan is almost double the 70-80 years they are conventionally believed to live.
North Atlantic right whales thought to have lifespan of about 70yr. But average only 22 years, and they rarely live past 50.
https://theconversation.com/whales-can-live-way-longer-than-scientists-had-thought-with-potential-lifespans-as-much-as-double-previous-estimates-245826
Southern #rightwhales have lifespans that reach well past 100yr, and 10% may live past 130 years. Some of these whales may live to 150. This #lifespan is almost double the 70-80 years they are conventionally believed to live.
North Atlantic right whales thought to have lifespan of about 70yr. But average only 22 years, and they rarely live past 50.
https://theconversation.com/whales-can-live-way-longer-than-scientists-had-thought-with-potential-lifespans-as-much-as-double-previous-estimates-245826
Whales can live way longer than scientists had thought, with potential lifespans as much as double previous estimates
These marine mammals are still feeling the effects of whaling. For most species, it may be another 100 years before there are enough old whales for scientists to confirm their lifespans.
JWCurl Curl + Whale and Whale...that special time of year along the east coast of Australia when the whales migrate back south to the antarctic. Mother Southern Right Whale and calf via drone...
#whales #whalewatching #rightwhales #wildlifephotography #wildlife #ocean #dronephotography #australia #sydney #northernbeaches
#whales #whalewatching #rightwhales #wildlifephotography #wildlife #ocean #dronephotography #australia #sydney #northernbeaches
#Biden Administration Withdraws Protections for #Endangered #Whales
Proposed rules would have slowed more #ships to prevent collisions with rare #NorthAtlantic #rightwhales
In Aug 2022, #NMFS proposed rules to lower the risk of #whale strikes by expanding existing slow zones and regulating more types of ships. But after bristling public debate over the rules and with just days left in President Biden’s term, the agency canned the suggested change.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/us/biden-administration-slow-ships-whales-proposal-withdraw.html
https://archive.ph/VozSC
Proposed rules would have slowed more #ships to prevent collisions with rare #NorthAtlantic #rightwhales
In Aug 2022, #NMFS proposed rules to lower the risk of #whale strikes by expanding existing slow zones and regulating more types of ships. But after bristling public debate over the rules and with just days left in President Biden’s term, the agency canned the suggested change.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/us/biden-administration-slow-ships-whales-proposal-withdraw.html
https://archive.ph/VozSC
