Posts Tagged ‘Whale watching’
West Coast Humpback Whales Face “Perfect Storm” as Risk of Accidental Entanglements Increase
Accidental entanglement in fishing gear is one of the biggest global threats to whales and dolphins. Off all coasts of the U.S., entanglement is growing issue, especially for endangered populations of whales. In the Pacific Ocean off the West Coast, entanglements have increased significantly since 2013 and reached record levels compared to the historic average. …
Read MoreMeet the 2021 WDC Interns!
Every spring and summer, we get to open up our office to interns from all over the world. These interns bring enthusiasm, passion, personal perspectives and hard work as they help us with many different aspects of whale conservation. Unfortunately in 2020, we weren’t able to have interns, but the year off gave us the…
Read MoreThree new companies join the Whale SENSE community
I grew up in New Jersey, close enough to the coast that I could look forward to seeing dolphins in the waves during weekend beach days. It was here where my interest in whales and dolphins began. What I didn’t know (until I moved to Massachusetts) is that it wasn’t just dolphins that could often…
Read MoreStunning new whale watching venue to be built in Norway
New plans to open a land-based whale watching attraction in Norway will promote the amazing opportunities to see whales in Norway. As a bonus, this could also help change the opinions of some Norwegians who still support whaling in the region. The stunning looking building will sit right on the shore around 300km (~185…
Read MoreThe Summer of Scylla
You know how every once in awhile, you meet someone and you just click? You become friends immediately and it seems like you have known them your entire life? Every once in awhile, this happens with a whale as well! I swear I’m not crazy, let me explain. From the year I did my internship…
Read MoreThink twice before booking a luxury ‘snorkel with whales’ safari
Daydreaming about escaping the British winter for sunshine and adventure? If so, you are far from alone! Inevitably, as the nights draw in, many of us start to plan either an escape to the sun, or at the very least, a winter adventure. Often the ocean, like a talisman, beckons. Whale watching is, of course,…
Read MoreSOS alert for whales off Norway!
I have to admit to bitter disappointment when I arrived in Tromsø, northern Norway, a few weeks ago, hoping to see orcas, only to find that I had missed them by a few days. Since 2013, the orcas have been seen really close to shore in the waters around Tromsø and neighbouring Kvaløya islands, towering…
Read MoreIceland: A new dawn for whales and dolphins?
Will 2018 be the year that I can finally visit beautiful Iceland purely as a tourist, rather than a campaigner? Maybe it’s not surprising that this fabled ‘land of fire and ice’ should offer visitors a host of contradictions, but the juxtaposition of whale watching and whale hunting in the same waters is surely one…
Read MoreSwiss tour operator to end promotion of captive dolphin facilities
A Swiss tour operator has announced that it is going to cease the promotion of dolphinariums and swim-with facilities in the next 18 months. Hotelplan Switzerland is working with the local NGO, Oceancare to implement six measures across its travel brands that will also include producing a brochure for its clients with information on the…
Read MoreVessel Regulations not harming whale watching, but benefit to orcas is uncertain
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has released a new Technical Memorandum reviewing whether vessel regulations put into effect in 2011 reduced vessel noise and harassment of endangered Southern Resident orcas. This unique community of orcas resides off the west coast of the United States and Canada, and the top three threats to the population…
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