Posts Tagged ‘Pollution’
30,725g of litter cleaned up – good job!
By Sarah Sheldon, WDC Scottish Dolphin Centre‘s Guide and Events intern. Plastic has recently been a hot topic, even more than usual here at the Scottish Dolphin Centre. Myself and the other interns have recently attempted to reduce our plastic consumption after watching the incredible eye opening film “A Plastic Ocean”. So when I was…
Read MoreThe best solution? Less plastic for pollution
Saturday, September 16th was designated as the International Coastal Cleanup Day, and shortly some colleagues from our other offices will share updates and photos from their events. Here in the North American office, we were unable to host a coastal cleanup due to our annual fundraising event Expedition: White Sharks and Whales which took place on the…
Read MoreA message from the deep
This blog was written by WDC interns at the Scottish Dolphin Centre; Emily, Sadie, Emma and Anna to highlight the problem of plastic pollution. They set themselves a challenge to go plastic free and here they share their experience, struggles and successes. In December 2015 a Cuvier’s Beaked Whale stranded on the Isle of Skye…
Read MoreShips Slow to Help Orcas
Large ships are being asked to slow down this summer and fall while traversing an area of critical habitat for the endangered Southern Resident orca community. The Port of Vancouver’s initiative known as “Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation,” or the ECHO Program, is dedicated to mitigating threats to endangered whales from shipping activities. They are…
Read MoreNew solution to plastic pollution
Academics from the University of Bath have come up with a biodegradable alternative for microbeads. Microbeads are tiny plastic particles used in beauty and skincare products and, despite the fact that bans on their use are coming into force they will continue to be washed out into the oceans, consumed by marine life which humans…
Read MoreShocking news on the UK's only resident pod of orcas
In the first few days of 2016 came the depressing news that a female orca had been found washed ashore dead on the Hebridean island of Tiree off the west coast of Scotland. She was identified as Lulu, a member of the dwindling West Coast Community orca pod. Her death must have been excruciating as…
Read MoreSmall caterpillar may be plastic pollution solution
Researchers at Cambridge University may have discovered a solution to the huge plastic pollution problem that the world faces, and it comes in the form of a small caterpillar. Experiments involving small moth larvae (Galleria mellonella), which eat wax in bee hives, have revealed that they can also eat their way through plastic bags! The…
Read MoreStand up and help remove plastic from our oceans
WDC are proud to announce our new partnership with The Whale Company, a long term supporter of WDC based in Bedfordshire, but currently in Brazil! We were delighted to hear from Carolyn, founder of The Whale Company and their new challenge to tackle plastic pollution. As we walked onto Prainha Beach, in Caraguatatuba, Brazil with our…
Read MoreOil pipeline leaks into home of endangered beluga whales
An oil pipeline has leaked into the home waters of one of the most endangered populations of beluga whales. Alaska’s Cook Inlet population, near Anchorage, is thought to number around 340 individuals. They were listed as endangered by the US federal government in 2008 and over 3,000 square miles of their home was protected as…
Read MoreScientist films plankton ingesting plastic waste
A scientist has recorded a species of plankton consuming plastic microfibre, showing how the lives of even the smallest creatures in the oceans are being impacted by human waste. Plankton are a prey of several species of large baleen whales as well as many other creatures. While the impact of larger pieces of plastic on…
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