Leatherback turtle sanctuary set up on West Coast

Federal regulators designated nearly 42,000 square miles of ocean along the West Coast as critical habitat for the Pacific leatherback turtle Friday, far less than originally proposed but still the largest protected area ever established in American waters.

The protected area is the first permanent safe haven in the waters of the continental United States for endangered leatherbacks, which swim 6,000 miles every year to eat jellyfish outside the Golden Gate.
The designation, by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, was a bittersweet victory for environmentalists, who have been fighting to protect the marine reptiles from extinction.

The 41,914 square miles that the NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service protected along the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington did not include the migration routes the turtles take to get to the feeding grounds. That means 28,686 square miles of habitat originally proposed for the designation was left unprotected.
"It's a big step in the right direction, but we want protections for migratory pathways," said Ben Enticknap, the Pacific project manager for Oceana, an international nonprofit dedicated to protecting the world's oceans. "I guess we've got a lot more work to do to get there."

Healing the Gulf

From: Ocean Conservancy

Bethany Kraft: Restoring an ecosystem and a way of life in the Gulf of Mexico

If you wander away from the funky New Orleans vibe and make your way to the more secluded areas along the Gulf coast, you may happen upon a lone figure tromping childlike through the muddy marsh. You may see her watching hopefully to catch a glimpse of crabs and other critters skittering in the shallow water. You may see her deeply inhaling the thick salty air. You may see her stand – face to the wind – and smile, feeling grateful and energized. This is how Bethany Kraft unwinds. And it’s just one of the many reasons why she cares so much about protecting the Gulf of Mexico. As Deputy Director for Ocean Conservancy’s Gulf of Mexico Program, Bethany spends her days fighting to protect one of the country’s greatest national treasures – from marine life to coastal habitat and communities that have called the Gulf of Mexico home for generations.

Winter's wildlife 'visitors' to California's Central Coast

Source: SFGate.com

Gray Whale

Appearing acts: Some 22,000 gray whales – virtually the world's entire population – will migrate within two miles of the Monterey coastline as they head to their winter breeding waters in Baja California, then pass by again in spring as the whales return to their summer smorgasbord in the Bering Sea.
Monterey Bay Whale Watch, which offers gray whale-watching cruises from mid-December through mid-April, notes that the whales' preference for shallow water brings them closer to the shore in Monterey than other sites along the coast. Their regular breathing pattern  –  blowing three to five times in brief intervals (15-30 seconds) before raising a fluke and submerging for three to five minutes, according to the American Cetacean Society (ACS)  –  is also helpful for spotting the at sea. And their enormous size doesn't hurt, either: Adult males can be 46 feet in length  –  females a bit longer  –  while both weigh between 30 and 40 tons.

Fun facts: Although most mating and calving takes place in the lagoons of Baja California, the ACS says both have been observed during migration. Size matters: Gray whales become sexually mature between ages 5 and 11, or when they've grown 36 to 39 feet. The ACS also describes their courting and mating behavior as "complex," noting it frequently involves "three or more whales of mixed sexes."
Sadly for the gray whales, their migration also causes a spike in sightings of killer whales, which hang out year round in the deeper waters of the bay, but love to munch on a gray whale when they get the chance.

Antarctica's Biggest Mysteries: Secrets of a Frozen World

Antarctica's Alexander Island mountain range, snapped during a NASA research flight in October 2011.  Credit: Michael Studinger, NASA.

Source: Our Amazing Planet

One hundred years ago this week, on a fine summer afternoon, Norwegian Roald Amundsen and four travel-weary companions plunged a bright flag atop a spindly pole into the Antarctic ice, marking their claim as the first humans to set foot at the bottom of the world. The South Pole was theirs.

"That moment will certainly be remembered by all of us who stood there," the Norwegian explorer wrote in his account of the arduous trek. On Dec. 14, 1911, two months after they set out from the continent's coast, the men had reached their goal — a frozen plain of endless white in the middle of the highest, windiest, coldest, driest and loneliest continent on Earth.

A century after Amundsen planted the flag — beating out Englishman Robert Falcon Scott's doomed expedition by a full month — an explosion of technological progress has transformed the scope of human knowledge of Antarctica.

CREDIT: NOAA/Department of Commerce, Steve Nicklas, NOS, NGS.

Amundsen and crew take an observation at the pole in an image from the Norwegian explorer's "The South Pole," an account of his historic trek. 

Ocean Voyagers 3D Trailer

"The heart of this film is really a relationship between our mother humpback and her calf," notes the director Feo Pitcairn, "we had unlimited access to these animals, filming them day after day, we have developed a real bond of trust. This allowed us to obtain rare and intimate images, like the calf and the mother's care rests on the sandy bottom of the ocean We're very excited to premiere the film in 3D at the Centre for Independent Theatre -. seeing this material for big screen in 3D is the closest thing to experience first hand what we experienced during filming underwater."

Jellyfish Lake In Palau Swarms With Complex Historical Wonders

Source: Huffington Post

Who knew the gelatinous bags of goo known as jellyfish could have such a complex history?

The video below shows millions of golden jellyfish thriving in the evolutionary wonderment that is Jellyfish Lake.
The lake is one of many in Palau, an island nation located about 500 miles east of the Philippines.

Pamela S. Turner writes in a National Wildlife Federation (NWF) article that five lakes each contain a jellyfish "varying from its neighbors and their common ancestor in a dramatic example of the origin of species ... If Darwin had stepped ashore in Palau instead of the Galapagos, the icon of evolution might be not Darwin's finches, but Darwin's jellyfishes."

Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin

Source: Monterey Bay Aquarium


Otterly Delightful! from Litton Weekend on Vimeo.
This week’s episode of “Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin” was filmed at the Aquarium! In it, Jeff goes behind the scenes to learn about our sea otter conservation work. Episode #112 - Go West - Otters Airdate: 11/19/2011
More Info Here

Researchers are getting to know a population of Spotted Eagle Rays in Florida in efforts to protect them.

Kayaker enjoys amazingly close encounter with humpback whales

A dauntingly close encounter this week involving a kayaker and two humpback whales in California's Monterey Bay is sure to fall under a believe-it-or-not type of scrutiny. But the encounter was captured by a reputable photographer and authenticated by several sources.

Paul Schraub, a freelance photographer hired as part of a marketing campaign by the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council, was shooting Tuesday from aboard a small boat when the humpbacks emerged vertically, surface lunge-feeding on small bait fish, directly next to the kayaker (see video report below).

Sad News: Death of a Great White Shark

Source: Monterey Bay Aquarium 

We’re saddened to announce that the young great white shark we released on October 25 off the coast of southern California has died. This is a very difficult day for all of us at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and for everyone who saw and cared about this animal.

Based on the shark’s behavior and overall condition prior to release, our white shark team had every confidence that he would do well back in the wild — as was the case with five other young great whites released from the aquarium.

Unfortunately, according to data from the tracking tag he carried, the shark died shortly after he was released.

Surfer has a close-call with lunging Humpback Whale

A woman on a surfboard and two people aboard a kayak were nearly engulfed by a humpback whale that charged out of the water, its mouth agape, just a few feet away. Barb Roettger's video of the amazing encounter, which occurred near Santa Cruz, Calif., was posted Wednesday. The incident is one of several recent close calls in the area, where a small pod of humpback whales has been surface lunge-feeding on anchovies unusually close to shore. They've become a major draw for kayakers and boaters and at least one kayaker has been capsized, and a sailboat was struck by a whale. This circus atmosphere has led to an enforcement presence in an attempt to keep people at a safe distance from the potentially dangerous leviathans.





Source: Grind TV

Saving the Franciscana Dolphin

from Sarasota Dolphin Research Program by Blair Irvine

 

Changing fishing techniques, or using gillnets that reflect dolphin sonar may be the best bets to saving the endangered Franciscana dolphin in coastal Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.

The greatest threat to the Franciscana dolphin is accidentally getting entangled and drowned in fishing nets.

Research has shown that long-lining for fish is actually more profitable than using traditional gillnets in Argentina, but more work is needed in other areas.
Another solution involves use of a new type of gillnet that is more likely to reflect dolphin sonar. This net may help reduce the mortality, by warning the dolphins of the net’s presence (assuming the dolphins are using their sonar at the right time).
But funding is scarce, and efforts to change the traditional ways of fishing are time and labor intensive. Change is not easy.

Brazil Tagging Trip A Success

from Sarasota Dolphin Research Program by Blair Irvine

 5 endangered Franciscana dolphins were captured, tagged and released, by a tri-national team of veterinarians and conservation scientists in Babitonga Bay, Brazil.

The dolphins are being tracked with satellite-linked transmitters to learn about their activities, dive patterns, and range in Southern Brazil.

This is important new information because Franciscana dolphins are threatened by coastal development, pollution, and gillnets, but little is known about their movements. Learning about their movements will allow conservationists and policy makers make plans for their protection.

SDRP Researchers Assist with Oil Spill-Health Assessment

from Sarasota Dolphin Research Program by Blair Irvine

 

NOAA recently completed a dolphin health assessment project in Barataria Bay, LA, examining and sampling dolphins for possible sub-lethal effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill on bottlenose dolphins.

A team of about 50 veterinarians, biologists and wildlife epidemiologists worked together to conduct the comprehensive health evaluations.
SDRP Director Randy Wells is a co-investigator on the project. SDRP staff members Brian Balmer, Jason Allen and Aaron Barleycorn were also part of the team, as were a number of medical and veterinary researchers who collaborate with the SDRP in our Sarasota Bay research.

Pledge to do your part to reduce ocean trash and save marine life.

Sponsored by: The Marine Mammal Center

Since 1975, The Marine Mammal Center, based in Sausalito, CA, has rescued countless patients suffering from human-caused problems and injuries — many trapped in trash that you and I throw away every day.

We can treat their injuries but we can't treat the cause of their problems without your help! Sign below and pledge to Stop Trashing Our Oceans!

Click Here to sign the pledge, it takes 10 seconds to make a huge difference.

http://www.pacificmmc.org/

Red Tides Influence Juvenile Dolphin Behavior

from Sarasota Dolphin Research Program by Blair Irvine

 Social behavior, activity budgets and ranging behavior of juvenile bottlenose dolphins change during red tides.

They spend less time alone, and they associate in larger, less stable groups, that include a greater diversity of companions.

Harmful algae blooms, called red tides in Florida contain neurotoxins which impact prey fish abundance  and potentially dolphin health.
New research by the SDRP’s Dr. Katherine McHugh and other SDRP staff documents the impact of red tide on juvenile dolphin behavior.

Marine mammal conservation studied

PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Preserving a key 4 percent of the world's oceans could protect vital habitat for most of Earth's marine mammals, U.S. and Mexican researchers say.

Researchers from Stanford University and the National Autonomous University of Mexico say setting aside just nine critical ocean conservation sites would save crucial habitat for most species.

To identify such sites, the researchers overlaid maps of where each marine mammal species is found to reveal locations with the highest "species richness," the highest number of different species, a Stanford release said Monday.

Mekong Dolphins in Danger of Extinction

A group of dolphins is on the brink of extinction in part because their calves are not surviving, the World Wildlife Fund reported.

There are 85 Irrawaddy dolphins left in Southeast Asia’s Mekong River, according to the conservation organization.

Open Sea Web Cam

Open Sea Exhibit @ Monterey Bay Aquarium

Click Here to watch the open sea web cam at the Monterey Bay Aquarium from 7 am to 7 pm Pacific time.  The open sea exhibit contains a diverse group of animals found in the Pacific ocean including sharks, sea turtles, sunfish and blue-fin tuna.