Americans have forgotten the importance of protecting our oceans and the magnificent mammals that live there.
It has been a very difficult year for marine mammals, especially the Atlantic Right Whales. Several have been spotted emaciated because it appears their normal habitat is not producing enough food them. There were several that got entangled in fishing gear off Canada. It is estimated they were looking for food and ran into the fishing nets and lines.
The habitat at least produced these two great new members of the species group. Everyone is very happy about the news.
One of the things the new administration will have to do is review all these laws including the Clean Air and Clean Water Act and straighten out the mess Trump's administration left in their wake. There are a lot of issues including lawsuits. If the new administration would meet with the environmental and conservation communities the lawsuits will be resolved and free up some of the burdens being carried by people that love animals and nature.
By Abigail Mercer
A critically endangered (click here) North Atlantic right whale mother and her calf were spotted Thursday off Volusia County's coastline — the first sighting off Volusia County this season.
The whales were spotted in the Ponce Inlet area, and the sighting was confirmed by Julie Albert, right whale coordinator for the Marine Resources Council. She said it's the third time this season that a mother and calf have been spotted. The other sightings were off the coast of Georgia, and off Vilano Beach near Jacksonville.
“We had a longtime volunteer within our spotter network call around 9:15, which kind of put into motion the response process to make a species identification, but also for photo ID and research," Albert said. "I had some locals up there who were willing to stay with the whales until we got there at 11:30.”
The calf and its mother, nicknamed Millipede for the propeller scars streaking down her back, were the same pair spotted in Vilano Beach. Albert said they both appear to be healthy, and with the photos they were able to take, researchers will be able to study the whales....
I am fairly confident some of the problems are changed in shipping and shipping lanes. Also, the mammals and fish that live in the ocean are running into warmer waters, confusion, and altered migration patterns. A lot of work lies ahead if we value our fisheries on all coasts.
December 11, 2020
By Brian Kahn
December 11, 2020
By Brian Kahn
There are many ways to remember President Donald Trump (click here) ’s environmental legacy, none of them good. But among his most destructive will be his utter disregard for the natural world, and there’s no clearer symbol of that than the Endangered Species Act.
Trump will leave office as the stingiest user of the Endangered Species Act in history, and it’s not even close. Though his administration could have some massive change of heart in the coming weeks, it seems more likely it will be doling out pardons for cronies or the president himself instead of species pushed to the brink of extinction....
Trump will leave office as the stingiest user of the Endangered Species Act in history, and it’s not even close. Though his administration could have some massive change of heart in the coming weeks, it seems more likely it will be doling out pardons for cronies or the president himself instead of species pushed to the brink of extinction....
