Japan plans to commercially hunt vulnerable fin whales, enraging conservationists

Japan’s commercial whaling activities could soon expand to include fin whales, government officials announced last week. Read more here.

Most dangerous areas for whale shark shipping vessel collisions revealed

Researchers have found that heavily used shipping lanes pass through crucial whale shark feeding grounds, posing a threat to this endangered species. Read more here.

Oregon State scientists, collaborators say ocean biodiversity work needs improvement

An international collaboration that includes two Oregon State University scientists says the world’s largest marine protected areas aren’t collectively delivering the biodiversity benefits they could be because of slow implementation of management strategies and a failure to restrict the most impactful human activities. Read more here.

Equity must be considered in ocean governance to achieve global targets by 2030

As the world presses forward with urgency towards reaching global biodiversity and climate targets by 2030, there must be increased attention to center equity in dialogue and practice when designing ocean conservation, adaptation and development interventions. Read more here.

Young whale’s journey highlights threats facing ocean animals

Scientists from Greenpeace and the universities of Exeter and Haifa studied whales and dolphins in the Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Israel. Read more here.