Earth Equity News

Mixed Fortunes Reported for World's Whales. By Mark Kinver, BBC, August 12, 2008. "The latest global assessment of cetaceans shows that the marine mammals throughout the world's oceans have experienced mixed fortunes. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species reveals that some large species, like humpbacks [and southern right whales], have seen numbers increase… Both animals had recorded increased numbers across much of their range, primarily because they had been protected from commercial whaling… The Red List [also] showed that nearly a quarter of the 86 species assessed were considered to be at risk of extinction, nine of which were listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered… Studies have shown that the distribution of many whales is changing as the oceans warm. Conservationists fear that the change in behaviour could result in the mammals being exposed to new diseases, and inter-species competition for food. Military sonar is also deemed as a particular threat for deep-diving beaked whales and melon-headed whales. Despite a growing awareness of the range of threats facing the marine mammals, increased shipping and fishing were still claiming a growing number of victims."