Tag Archives: “Unusual Mortality Event”
30-foot humpback whale found dead on Fire Island
A 30-foot humpback whale was found dead on the shores of Fire Island on Friday morning — at least the 18th doomed humpback discovered on the East Coast so far this year. The tragic majestic mammal was found belly-up on the eastern side of Smith Point County Park in Shirley, Long Island, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. The animal’s body has been collected for a necropsy, NOAA told Patch in a statement. The cause of death is unknown. NOAA has deemed the occurrences an “unusual mortality event.” Photos, short vid, >click to read< 18:24
2017-2018 Minke Whale Unusual Mortality Event along the Atlantic Coast
Since January 2017, elevated minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) mortalities have occurred along the Atlantic coast from Maine through South Carolina. A table of stranding numbers by state is below. While minke whales are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the species is not listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. This event has been declared an Unusual Mortality Event (UME). >click here to read< 13:22
Here’s why 12 right whales died in Canadian waters — and why more will die if nothing is done
A macabre joke in the field is that there are more North Atlantic right whale researchers than actual North Atlantic right whales. The scientific community is tight-knit: on top of the hours many of them spend sardined together on research boats and survey planes, a consortium dedicated to studying and conserving the species gathers every year for a meeting that tips further towards family reunion than your average academic conference. Still, as biologists, conservationists and policy-makers began filling an auditorium at St. Mary’s University very early on a Sunday morning in late October, the emotional register of the meeting felt unusually charged. Attendees greeted each other with bracing hugs. click here to read the story 12:27
Humpback whale washes up in Virginia Beach, aquarium officials conduct necropsy
A humpback whale washed up near the Lynnhaven Fishing Pier on Sunday, the first in the area since National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries declared an Unusual Mortality Event for humpback whale strandings along the Atlantic Coast. The juvenile female was at least 2 years old, measured 30 feet long and weighed about 6 tons, said Susan Barco, research coordinator for the Virginia Aquarium’s research and conservation division. click here to read the story 10:36
Conservationists plan to sue over right whale deaths
Animal conservation groups say they intend to sue the U.S. government unless North Atlantic right whales are better protected, following the deaths of 15 along U.S. and Canadian coasts. “We are literally facing the extinction of right whales due to human causes,” said Regina Asmutis-Silvia of Whale and Dolphin Conservation North America. In August, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, declared the deaths of North Atlantic right whales since June 7 an “unusual mortality event,” which triggered a focused and expert investigation into the causes. But the conservation groups want more. click here to read the story 10:01
41 humpback whale deaths in Atlantic force fed probe
An unusually high number of dead humpback whales washing ashore along the Atlantic coast has prompted marine mammal experts to open a federal investigation of the cause. But the cause may never be fully determined, according to experts. Since January 2016, 41 of the mammals have washed ashore from North Carolina to Maine. The only cause of death determined so far are cases in which the whales showed signs of being hit by a vessel. But ship strikes only account for a quarter of the deaths. The high number of deaths forced the country’s top marine agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to declare an “Unusual Mortality Event,” prompting the federal probe. click here to read the story 19:57
No Cause Identified for 2011 Northern Pinnipeds Unusual Mortality Event
(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska – NOAA Fisheries announced recently that no specific cause has yet been found for the elevated numbers of sick or dead seals with skin lesions discovered in the Arctic and Bering Strait regions of Alaska in mid-July of 2011. Read more@sitnews 13:41
NOAA – Dolphin deaths an “Unusual Mortality Event” in the Mid-Atlantic
Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (as amended), an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) has been declared for bottlenose dolphins in the Mid-Atlantic region from early July 2013 through the present. [email protected]
