Saturday, August 19, 2017

A catastrophic year for North Atlantic right whales

This has been a terrible year for one of the most endangered marine mammals on Earth, the North Atlantic right whale, which has a surviving population of just 500. As I reported in Wednesday's Portland Press Herald, at least a dozen of the rare whales had been found dead off New England and Atlantic Canada, most of them in waters they had not previously been known to frequent.

Another whale carcass has since been reported off Massachusetts.

Why is this happening? Scientists aren't certain, but food -- and therefore climate change -- is believed to be a driving factor. Read on to learn more.

I've reported extensively on the right whales in the past, when it appeared they had finally turned a corner. For more on this, start here.

1 comment:

  1. RE: North Atlantic Right Whales Deaths
    Those responsible may actually be the wealthiest people on the planet: Bill & Melinda Gates; Wellcome Trust; Australian, Queensland, UK & Brazilian gov'ts; USAID, Tahija and Gillespie Family Foundations.
    Are backroom deals being made? Will they be held accountable?
    Because it will take decades and a lot money to restore the ecological balance in many regions of the world (if it isn't too late).
    These whales deserve the most reliable tests available to determine their true cause of death: Zika, West Nile, St. Louis encephalitis viruses, and Wolbachia. Numerous wildlife, whale and marine groups (and scientists) are open to what I've uncovered — except the organizations with the most power.
    Here is part II of the NOAA responds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJRTESsfsGU

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