IUCN – SSC Cetacean Specialist Group

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IUCN – SSC Cetacean Specialist Group / Articles posted by Admin (Page 3)
29 Sep 2020

New ‘Important Marine Mammal Areas’ Identified

A total of 158 Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) have now been identified by the IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force.  The process of identifying such sites has now been conducted for more than a third of the world’s ocean area, including the Indian...

27 Aug 2020

3 Updated Cetacean Red List Assessments Published in 2020 So Far

Assessments or reassessments of 3 cetacean species, subspecies or populations were published on the IUCN Red List in early 2020. This is in addition to the 6 published in December 2019, 2 published in July 2019, 5 published in March 2019, 35 published in November...

25 Aug 2020

Guidelines for safe handling and release of small cetaceans from fishing gear

Guidelines for safe handling and release of small cetaceans from fishing gear The Convention on Migratory Species has announced the publication of CMS Technical Series No. 43 Guidelines for the safe and humane handling and release of bycaught small cetaceans from fishing gear.  The Guidelines are available in English on the CMS...

24 Aug 2020

Evidence of a Singular Cause of the Vaquita’s Steep Decline: Bycatch

A recently published paper provides etiological analyses of eight vaquita deaths in March and April 2016–2018. Nutritional state, lesions, biotoxins and levels of contaminants in fat were considered. Injuries to the seven vaquitas found dead (the eighth animal was the healthy adult female that died...

10 Mar 2020

March 2020 – Another vaquita death

A video (see below) has come to light that was taken by a fisherman in the upper Gulf of California and which shows a dead vaquita entangled in a fishing net.  The video is determined to be authentic and was recorded in early March 2020. [video width="1920"...

04 Mar 2020

Cetacean conservation in the world’s rivers, lakes and oceans

A new article regarding the work and challenges facing the Cetacean Specialist Group, written by Dr Randall Reeves, the groups Chair, was recently published by IUCN. You can read it at the following link: https://www.iucncongress2020.org/newsroom/all-news/cetacean-conservation-worlds-rivers-lakes-and-oceans...

03 Mar 2020

December 2019 – February 2020 Vaquita Update

As a review, the 2018-2019 totoaba net-removal effort was greatly reduced due to violent attacks where net-removal vessels were forced to leave the area (Table 1).  Press releases including video of the attacks are available here for the January 9th attack and here for the...

14 Jan 2020

Cetacean Specialist Group Report on Activities and Progress for 2018

A report summarising the activities of the IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group in 2018, as well as targets for this quadrennium (2017-2020) has been produced  The report includes information  on the following: Mission of the Cetacean Specialist Group Project Impact and Targets for the 2017-2020 Quadrennium ...