Bird flu is decimating seal colonies. Scientists don’t know how to stop it

PORTLAND: Avian influenza is killing tens of thousands of seals and sea lions in different corners of the world, disrupting ecosystems and flummoxing scientists who don’t see a clear way to slow the devastating virus.The worldwide bird flu outbreak that began in 2020 has led to the deaths of millions of domesticated birds and spread … Read more

North Pacific humpback whale numbers fall by 20%, but some scientists aren’t worried yet

A sprawling international study of humpback whales in the northern Pacific has found their population has shrunk significantly since 2012 — despite the once-endangered species’ remarkable comeback from the brink of extinction.  The new research, published in Royal Society Open Science journal on Wednesday, estimated a roughly 20 per cent drop in the cetacean species’ numbers … Read more

‘Prolific’ killer whale matriarch Wake presumed dead after nearly a year without a sighting

An orca matriarch known as “one of the most prolific female killer whales” on record is presumed dead after nearly a year without a sighting on the West Coast, according to B.C. researchers. T46, also known as Wake, was a transient or Bigg’s killer whale thought to have been born in 1966. Jared Towers, a … Read more

Ships could capture energy from waves by imitating whales

In an effort to reduce the environmental impact of commercial ships, a group of U.K. researchers has scoured through the research into a unique technology that imitates the action of a whale’s tail to help propel ships and reduce fuel consumption. The findings of the review-study from Cranfield University, published in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews … Read more