entanglements

  The most recent of the seven news items on this website concerning the Critically Endangered population of Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) in the Mekong River was posted almost exactly four years ago. Since that time, the information on this population in the Focal Taxa section...

By Megan Kuo and Amy Tian of Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association, Taiwan   [caption id="attachment_375489" align="alignright" width="339"] Photograph of Joker with his distinctive lip gash as well as an unpigmented (white) healed line scar on the front edge of the flipper. Photograph by: John Y....

[caption id="attachment_349871" align="aligncenter" width="975"] A vaquita being tracked within the Zero Tolerance Area and a panga with a buoy for a set gillnet in the background on 17th October 2019. Credit: Todd Pusser [/caption]   The results of a virtual workshop to use expert elicitation to better estimate...

Photo credit: Ada al Jabri, Oman Environment Authority   On the evening of January 18th, 2021, staff at the Environment Authority – Oman (EA) were notified that an Endangered Arabian Sea humpback whale was entangled in fishing gear inside the Port of Duqm. The whale apparently had...

[caption id="attachment_349755" align="alignright" width="311"] Searching for vaquitas through the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's newly purchased 'big eye' binoculars. This specialized scientific equipment is part of an increasing scientific conservation effort by SSCS.[/caption]   Despite the many challenges presented throughout an exceptionally difficult year, a few vaquitas continue...

  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...

  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...

  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...