WHALES AHOY - DARWIN DAILY

Japan, West clash over 'cultural' whale hunts

Oct 26, 2016 (AFP)

Japan pleaded with the world's whaling watchdog Wednesday to allow small hunts by coastal communities, arguing that for three decades these groups had been unju...

Whaling nations sink bid for South Atlantic sanctuary

Oct 25, 2016 (AFP)

Whaling nations defeated a renewed bid Tuesday by southern hemisphere states to create an Atlantic sanctuary for the marine mammals hunted to near extinction in...

Save the vaquita: Plea at world whale assembly

Oct 25, 2016 (AFP)

The vaquita, a diminutive Mexican porpoise feared near-extinct, made a big splash at a world whaling meeting Tuesday with pleas to arrest illegal fishing to pre...

Battle lines harden at global whaling meeting

Oct 24, 2016 (AFP)

Pro- and anti-whaling nations clashed at a key meeting Monday where Japan sought to ease a 30-year-old moratorium on commercial hunts while others pushed for an...

Whalers in crosshairs at international huddle

Oct 22, 2016 (AFP)

More than 80 nations square off in Slovenia next week over the fate of the world's remaining whales, facing a multitude of perils from meat hunters and ship str...

Study finds local fidelity key to ocean-wide recovery of humpback whales

Oct 19, 2016 (SPX)

Humpback whales can migrate thousands of miles to reach feeding grounds each year, but a new study concludes that their fidelity to certain local habitats - as ...

Ocean warriors unveil new high-speed ship against Japan whalers

Oct 02, 2016 (AFP)

With its distinctive pirate-like flag flying from the mast, the sleek, high-speed concrete grey Ocean Warrior is the latest weapon in a bitter war between marin...

Dead whales beached in Chile, climate change suspected

Sep 28, 2016 (AFP)

Several huge whales have washed up dead over recent months on beaches in northern Chile, where scientists suspect they are moving in increasing numbers due to c...

Season's first dolphins killed in annual Japan hunt

Sep 09, 2016 (AFP)

Japanese fishermen on Friday killed the first dolphins of the season in a controversial annual hunt that attracted global attention after it was featured in the...

Drones give rare glimpse into Australian whales

Sep 06, 2016 (AFP)

Scientists studying whales in Australia have gained rare images of a white calf swimming with its mother as part of a project they hope will help conservation e...

Endangered right whale population threatened by entanglements and declining birth rate

Sep 06, 2016 (SPX)

The most endangered large whale species in the Atlantic is threatened by increasing rates of lethal and debilitating entanglements and a dramatic 40% decline in...

Most humpback whales taken off US endangered species list

Sep 06, 2016 (AFP)

Most populations of humpback whales are no longer on the United States endangered species list thanks to international conservation efforts, the National Oceani...

Anti-whalers enlist fast ship to fight off Japanese

Aug 30, 2016 (AFP)

Marine conservationists announced Tuesday they will for the first time be able to outrun the Japanese whaling fleet in the upcoming annual battle to protect the...

Activists to battle on after Japan whaling court victory

Aug 23, 2016 (AFP)

Japanese whalers on Tuesday celebrated what they described as a court victory in the US to end years of high seas clashes with anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd, ...

Scientists discover new species of extinct river dolphin

Aug 16, 2016 (UPI)

A fossil collection from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History has yielded a new genus and species of extinct river dolphin. Arktocara yakataga s...

When ships pass, whales eat less: study

Aug 10, 2016 (AFP)

Noise from ships impedes humpback whales from foraging for food, and could have long-term impacts on the health of these majestic creatures, according to a stud...

Researchers name new fossil whale with high frequency hearing

Aug 08, 2016 (SPX)

A newly-named fossil whale species had superior high-frequency hearing ability, helped in part by the unique shape of inner ear features that have given scienti...

Researchers identify new rare whale species

Jul 28, 2016 (UPI)

Scientists have identified a rare new species of whale in the North Pacific Ocean. The whale looks similar to the common Baird's beaked whale, but is slightly s...

Mexico bans gillnets to protect endangered porpoise

Jul 21, 2016 (AFP)

Mexico said it will ban the use of gillnets for shrimp fishing in an area of the northern Gulf of California that is the habitat for the endangered vaquita mari...

70 whale corpses discovered in Chile

Jul 20, 2016 (AFP)

Some 70 dead whales have been found in southern Chile less than a year after more than 330 whales washed up in a remote Patagonian inlet. The animals are not of...