Ships asked to avoid whale route


The endangered North Atlantic Right Whale is to get extra protection after a safe haven from shipping was set aside off Nova Scotia in Canada.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) ratified a Canadian proposal to designate the 1,800-sq-km zone an "Area to Be Avoided" at a meeting in Denmark.

The voluntary restriction asks ship captains to steer around the area.

Collisions with container ships are seen as a key threat to right whales, thought to number just 400.

The new zone is in the Roseway Basin, south of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.

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A great initiative, let's hope the rest of the world follows the lead, and make these zones compulsory under International law.

We've had problems with Blue Whale deaths off the Southern California coast this year. Three dead whales have washed up on the coast.

Quote:

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Scientists determined that this whale and two others were victims of ship strikes in recent weeks, prompting a call from marine environmentalists to implement a temporary speed limit in shipping lanes until the hundred or more blues now in the channel area have moved on.
A special whale alert has been issued to all seafaring vessels, but no official action has been taken on the issue of ship speeds.

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Environmental News Service report.

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History report with many links.

Hill -

I there no way that mariners can inform whales that they are there? Do whales respond to "toots" or horns or sirens or any noise? Can they be alerted and affected by underwater sounds? How about sonar?

If there is no way we can alert whales then it should be the responsibility of the ships to avoid collisions - as the skippers supposedly have more brains than whales! Are there good ways for ships to detect the presence of whales in their paths? With such detection devices, ships could slow when whales are detected. This alone will not eliminate all ship-whale collisions, but it would help!

hale

My understanding is that it is so noisy out there with all of the ship traffic, that the whales wouldn't respond and you can't exactly train them like dolphins.

Sophisticated sonar could probably hear them, but active sonar may harm the whales' hearing, and you have to be quiet like a sub to be able to hear whales with passive sonar. Large bulk carriers have arrived in port with whales draped over their bulbous bows. The crew was not even aware of the whales until they floated free after the ship came to a stop in port.

Speaking of sonar and whales, there is strong evidence that new powerful sonar used by the navy in training exercises causes whale and dolphin fatalities. There was recently an order from court to cease this practice, but the order was overturned by a higher court.

The navy claims sensitivity to the problem, but is going ahead with training in places where cetaceans are active. Another perspective from National Geographic. Also here is the NRDC site.

Dolphin with severed tail found

"It is a big concern of the Wildlife Trust and the Marine Strandings Network that if every now and again one of them gets caught in gill nets the group will really not be able to survive in Cornwall,"




A dead bottlenose dolphin which has had its tail cut off has been discovered floating in a harbour.

Wildlife experts in Cornwall have voiced concerns after its carcass was found in St Ives Harbour on Thursday.

Marine scientist Dr Nick Tregenza said the dolphin was probably from a small pod of about 12 that can often be seen around the coast.

Dr Tregenza said he could not rule out the theory that the dolphin had been caught in a gill net.

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Yes Hill is very noisy out there.
I�ve updated this post about this issue regarding with radars and whales (added a video in placemark). It shows placemarks of Navy radars that cause many problems of this kind.

Hi Hill, Hi Everybody -

I was thinking more along the lines of active sonar on all ships (civilian and military) with ability to ping (search) with reduced power (to avoid harming whales). If there is no way to alarm the whales and force them out of the way then let's make avoiding whales the responsibility of the ship's skippers! I know they will - as they say - groan and moan, but they will become accustomed to it in short order,

This would require sonar (with frequencies which can detect and track whales) on every ship. So be it!

hale

Down here in the South Pacific, we have Japanese Whaling vessels, who, encouraged by their government, have resumed whale catching. Last week there was a news item on our local TV that the Australian navy are going to intercept these vessels and stop this butchery.

In New Zealand, the Greens have a big presence, they even have a few MP seats in the NZ parliament. Their ships, a few sonar equipped vessels of 2000 tonnage each, are also out there looking for these whale catchers.

geveN

Please read this POST by Hill for an Update