Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every week.

Let’s dive in 🐬

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Ocean news

🗞️ Big news of the week -

🌡️ Amazon lakes hit ‘unbearable’ temperatures amid mass die-offs of river dolphins

New research has revealed that shallow Amazonian lakes are reaching scorching temperatures of up to 41°C as heatwaves and droughts grip the region.

In one of the worst-hit areas, Lake Tefé, water became so hot it was “unbearable to touch”, researchers said, with the heat reaching all the way to the lakebed. The result was a mass die-off of fish and endangered pink river dolphins, with more than 200 carcasses surfacing across six weeks in September 2023.

Scientists say half the lakes studied exceeded 37°C at their peak which is a deadly threshold few aquatic species can survive.

🐬 West Coast mammal-eating killer whales are two distinct communities that rarely mix

A new study has confirmed that the mammal-eating killer whales of the North American West Coast aren’t one unified group, but two distinct communities that rarely interact.

Based on 2,200 encounters over 16 years, researchers identified clear differences between inner coast transients, who specialise in hunting inlets and bays, and outer coast transients, who navigate deeper offshore waters. The inner coast group are likened to city dwellers, skilled at weaving through complex waterways, while the outer group are adapted to life in the “backcountry” of the continental shelf.

The study, published in PLOS One, adds to growing evidence of orca social and ecological complexity, and suggests these two groups may be evolving along different paths.

🇮🇹 Dolphin seen near St Mark’s Square inspires Venetian rescue effort

A lone bottlenose dolphin, nicknamed Mimmo, has been drawing crowds in Venice’s busy lagoon.

First seen in June, Mimmo has become a regular near St Mark’s Square, leaping among the boat traffic but campaigners are now calling for the dolphin to be relocated, warning it risks injury or death from propellers in the heavily trafficked basin.

“This is not a tourist attraction,” said campaigner Cristina Romieri. “It is a wild animal that needs to be brought to a healthier environment.”

🇲🇽 Newly spotted Vaquita babies offer glimmer of hope for world’s rarest marine mammal

The world’s rarest marine mammal has shown signs of recovery, as between 7 and 10 vaquitas, including at least one or two calves , were spotted during a new survey in Mexico’s Gulf of California.

The critically endangered porpoise, once thought to be down to just 10 individuals, has been the focus of intense protection efforts. The sightings were made using acoustic detectors and long-range binoculars to avoid disturbing the shy animals.

It’s the first time calves have been seen since 2023 and is a small but encouraging step forward.

🫂 Rare footage shows fish gripping on to humpback whale – video

New footage captured by camera tags shows remora fish gripping, releasing and reattaching to a humpback whale.

The video offers a close look at the relationship between the suckerfish and their hosts, including how they feed on dead skin as the whales shed it.

Have a great weekend! 📸

Cover image by Gabrielle Therin-Weise/Getty Images.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every week.

Let’s dive in 🐬

Subscribe now

Ocean news

🗞️ Big news of the week -

🧠 Scientists find Alzheimer’s toxic protein in dolphin brains

Scientists studying stranded bottlenose dolphins along Florida’s east coast have discovered toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease in their brains. The decade-long study found dolphins stranded in warmer months had dramatically higher levels (up to 2,900 times more) of a neurotoxin produced by cyanobacteria, a microscopic organism that thrives in warming waters. The study was conducted to understand why the dolphins stranded but instead discovered how certain toxins might trigger dementia in the species.

🏹 Can bowhead whales with their 200-year lifespan help us to slow ageing?

With lifespans reaching 200 years, bowhead whales are the longest-living mammals on Earth and scientists may now be one step closer to understanding why. A new study has found that boweads are exceptionally good at repairing DNA damage, thanks to a protein called CIRBP, which is triggered by cold exposure. They produce 100 times more of it than humans, helping to maintain healthy cells over time. Researchers are looking into how this could potentially promote healthy ageing in people and protect organs during surgery and transplants.

💩 Baleen whales excrete nutrients that boost primary ocean productivity by up to 10%

A new study has found that baleen whales play a key role in ocean ecosystems by excreting nutrients that fuel phytoplankton growth. By recycling over 800 tons of nitrogen and 300 tons of phosphorus daily in the Nordic and Barents Seas, their waste can increase ocean primary productivity by up to 10%. Researchers say this fertilising effect strengthens the base of the marine food web and stresses just how interconnected nature truly is.

😔 Two-year-old humpback whale found dead in NSW shark net causes anger

A two year old humpback whale has died after becoming entangled in a shark net off the New South Wales coast. This is the first confirmed whale death among 15 entanglements along Australia’s east coast just this year alone.

The juvenile was discovered near Wollongong during a routine check, with netting wrapped around its tail and fin. Rescuers attempted to recover the body, but worsening sea conditions forced them to abandon the effort. The incident has reignited criticism of shark nets, with marine advocates calling their continued use “animal cruelty”.

Have a great weekend! 📸

Cover image by Kelvin Aitken/VWPics/Alamy.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every week.

Let’s dive in 🐬

Subscribe now

Ocean news

🗞️ Big news of the week -

🇨🇦 Canadian marine park threatens to euthanise 30 beluga whales

Marineland in Ontario has threatened to euthanise 30 beluga whales after the Canadian government blocked its plan to transfer them to a theme park in China. The move was denied over welfare concerns, with officials citing fears the whales would be used for public entertainment in substandard conditions. After a request for federal funding was also rejected, Marineland claimed it may be forced to put the animals down, a warning critics say highlights the urgent need for a long-term solution for animals in captivity. Freedom is off the cards, it seems.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Experts alarmed by huge drop in porpoise sightings off north Wales coast

Researchers have recorded a dramatic 97% decline in harbour porpoise sightings near Bardsey Island, off the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd despite the area being a protected national nature reserve. The long-running study, led by WDC and the Bardsey Marine Mammal Project, suggests climate change may be shifting fish populations and forcing porpoises to hunt elsewhere. The area has long been a key nursery and feeding ground but now shows worrying signs of ecological change.

💙 Nova Scotia’s would-be whale sanctuary is one step closer to reality

Plans to build North America’s first whale sanctuary have taken a major step forward, with the Nova Scotia government approving a lease for over 80 hectares of land and water on the province’s Eastern Shore. The Whale Sanctuary Project says the decision clears the way for construction and renewed fundraising. Federal permits and the eventual adoption of retired captive whales are still to come, but the group calls it “a great day” for the project and for the whales it hopes to welcome.

🎉 Scientists say North Atlantic right whale population slowly increasing

The North Atlantic right whale, once hunted to near-extinction, has grown to an estimated 384 individuals, up from 376 last year, according to new figures from the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium. The population has increased by more than 7% since 2020, offering cautious hope for one of the world’s rarest whale species. Scientists credit improved protections in Canada and the US for helping to curb deadly ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements, the two biggest threats still facing the species.

Have a great weekend! 📸

Cover image by Noaa via AP.

Welcome to another edition of Seascapes – a collection of incredible oceanic artwork and photography. 

Let’s dive in 🎨

The power of photography to inspire change is undeniable, especially when it comes to ocean conservation. A single photograph can simultaneously raise awareness, outline the growing impact humans have on the natural world, gather scientific data, document biodiversity, and forge connections between viewer and marine life worlds away. 

This is what the Oceanographic Magazine aims to celebrate in their annual Ocean Photographer of the Year awards. 

The competition invites photographers of all levels to submit their most impactful ocean imagery to then be judged by a panel of experts. The images rewarded are often those that tell a story, highlight environmental challenges, or move people to act.

The much-deserved 2025 winner was just announced but celebrations of all submissions are ongoing. 

Here are some of my favourites.

The winner

This year’s youngest Grindadráp victim

A powerful image by Hugo Bret, winner of the Conservation (Impact) Photographer of the Year, exposes even more depths to the brutality of the Faroese grindadráp. Once for necessity but now for sport, the hunts face growing local opposition.

Ultimately, none of this needs to be said. The photograph very much speaks for itself.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Fine Art Photographer of the Year

Adventure Photographer of the Year

Conservation (Hope) Photographer of the Year (winner)

Conservation (Impact) Photographer of the Year

Human Connection Award: People & Planet Ocean

Young Photographer of the Year

Here at Beached we are building a community that can put our brains and resources together to highlight and fund solutions to the problems facing the ocean and all of the life it harbours. I hope you’ll join our humble community and click subscribe for free or support our work by purchasing the paid subscription.

All Beached posts are free to read but if you can we ask you to support our work through a paid subscription. These directly support the work of Beached and allow us to engage in more conversations with experts in the field of marine conservation and spend more time researching a wider breadth of topics for the newsletters. Paid subscriptions allow us to dedicate more time and effort to creating a community and provide the space for stakeholders to come together, stay abreast of each other’s work and foster improved collaboration and coordination.

One day Beached hope to donate a large percentage of the revenue from paid subscriptions to marine conservation organisations and charities to support their work too. Working together, we can reverse the degradation of our oceans. 

Amie 🐋

This photo is an entry into the 2025 Oceanographic Photographer of the Year awards. Taken by Hugo Bret, it’s nominated in the Conservation (Impact) category. It comes from a recent grindadráp on the Faroe Islands, and whether or not it wins the award, it is certainly among the most harrowing images I’ve ever seen.

To me, this photo personifies everything wrong with the Faroese grind. It is the killing of innocent animals, of social beings, of members of a close-knit family, not for necessity but for sport.

Hugo (the photographer) wrote: “Usually, the foetuses are ripped from their mother’s womb far from the public gaze, but this pregnant female was undetected and eviscerated among the others, revealing this deeply moving scene. While these hunts were once an existential necessity, they are no longer subsistence practices. I hope this image drives global attention to end the grindadráp and, at a broader scale, advocates for a reconsideration of what the human relationship with others living beings should be.”

The ninth grind of the year took place only days ago. Though recent statistics show that a growing number of Faroese people are against the hunts, many are afraid to speak out against what is falsely defended as 'tradition'.

Ultimately, none of this needs to be explained: the photo speaks for itself, but here is a reminder of what the grindadráp is, and why it can no longer be excused.

Pilot whales, despite their name, are one of the largest oceanic dolphin species, second only to the orca. They are easily distinguished by their polished dark-grey, verging on black, skin, and for their bulbous head. Referred to as a melon, this bulbous feature is found in all toothed cetaceans. It focuses their vocalisations, acting as a sound lens, and is a key organ for both communication and echolocation helping them to locate prey and other animals around them.

The gregarious nature of these dolphins means they are often found in the company of other smaller cetaceans, and they have been known to congregate in their hundreds. Their highly social nature and pod cohesion creates particularly strong familial bonds and they stay with one another for life. As wholesome and devoted as that sounds, unfortunately it leaves them vulnerable to one of the most egregious acts of human-on-animal violence still being committed today.

The act of whaling stands as one of the ocean’s greatest tragedies. How can these highly intelligent, gentle creatures roaming free in the wild, be a direct target for such cruel behaviour? The same pertains here for the pilot whales. Cornered together in a bay. To be slaughtered. By man.

Such is my shock at this behaviour that when I first heard of the Grindadráp1 I thought it was a one off event, an isolated attack, a singular crime against marine-kind. I did not expect to hear that it is actually an annual atrocity.

The Faroe Islands are an archipelago situated between Norway and Iceland2 in the North Atlantic Ocean. Despite being 230 miles north-west from mainland Scotland they’re an autonomous territory of Denmark. This medley of cultures is perhaps why the Faroese are so dedicated to such an archaic part of their heritage. To have something which is theirs and has been for centuries.3

Unfortunately, this heritage is particularly gruesome and cruel. 800 cetaceans, primarily long-finned pilot whales and some Atlantic white-sided dolphins, are massacred on the shores of the Faroe Islands every year.

Usually occurring during the spring and summer months, but with no fixed hunting season, the Grindadráp is a type of drive hunting. This involves herding the pilot whales by attaching stones to lines and chasing them until they become cornered in the shallow bays. The pilot whales will ultimately beach themselves as they have nowhere else to go. The Faroese men (women aren’t allowed to take part in the Grindadráp but watch on from the shore) then take their mønustingari, a whaling knife, and make a deep incision through the dorsal area which severs the spinal cord. Once dead, as much blood as possible is drained from the bodies in order to preserve the meat, which is why the water and beaches run such a vivid red. Hunts like this can last for several hours and whole pods may be wiped out in one go.

These practices are naturally graphic in nature and the horrifying scene in full display on beaches have shocked onlookers, leading to a public backlash. In response, certain amendments were made with the intention of lessening the pilot whales suffering. The use of a mønustingari became a legal requirement in 2015 to ensure a quicker death. A 2013 Whale Hunt Law states that whales must either be ashore or stuck to the seabed before they can be killed. The hunters also require a special licence. It is now illegal to harpoon the whales at sea or to attack any outside of the encircling net.

But do these amendments really lessen the pilot whales’ suffering? Is their emotional trauma lessened? Or their stress? Or their panic? Are their familial bonds not stronger than ever as they’re subjected to this savage ambush? And even if it were lessened, does that make it any better, if they’re still experiencing these horrors one way or another?

I’d like to preface that I am against any and all animal cruelty, whether it be for sport, for meat, for cultural traditions or otherwise. The annual hunt of pilot whales is a barbaric and unnecessary practice and in the same breath I oppose the dog trade in Asia and battery cage factory farming across the world. However, as I am writing a newsletter about marine life and its wellbeing, this event particularly bothers me.

Pilot whales are highly intelligent. We know this because captive individuals have been trained by the US Navy to retrieve objects from the ocean floor. They are incredibly emotionally intelligent too. They show protective and loving behaviour to one another, whether it be a mother to her calf or among interspecies friendships. This connection and bond makes the Grindadráp more horrific than we could ever imagine as these tight-knit groups live to see to the killing of their entire pod, including pregnant mothers, juveniles and weaning calves.

They aren’t the only ones hunted in the bay either, as Faroese legislation permits the killing of Atlantic white-sided dolphins, common bottlenose dolphins, white-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises. All intelligent creatures. All part of a deeply connected social group. All mindlessly extinguished with the same whaling knives. All except for the harbour porpoises, who are allowed to be shot. This tells us that the regulations brought in to ease the suffering of these dolphins are only attempts to shake off the public outrage and global attention — not out of any real respect for these animals.

The practice of whaling in the Faroe Islands dates back to around 900 AD and so I can see why the Faroese feel that this is an important part of their history, something they’re not willing to give up easily. However, just because something is a tradition doesn’t make it morally permissible. Scotland and the Shetland Islands gave up dolphin drive hunts centuries ago. There are many medieval laws and traditions that would be bizarre, inhumane and foolish to still abide by in today's modern age. The same applies in the Faroe Islands. Especially as they do not need pilot whale meat for sustenance like they once did. It is no longer their main source of food.

The commercial selling of pilot whale meat tells us that this practice now goes beyond their claims of cultural tradition. A recent amendment to their national legislation made it legal to sell the meat from hunts commercially. The Faroese newspaper ‘Dimmalaetting’ declared that single pilot whale carcasses are being sold to supermarkets for 25,000 Kronur4 each, which is a significant profit for the hunters. Also, as the Faroe Islands are only 230 or so miles from mainland Scotland they are supplied by sea and by air with food and products from all over the world. This means that the one or two stores in every Faroese town with populations of about 1000 people, serve up the same nutritious food that the rest of us eat.

One way of tackling this unchecked violence against cetaceans is to demand the Faroe Islands be held accountable under Danish jurisdiction. As the Faroe Islands are included in the Kingdom of Denmark, under European Union legislation, the Grindadráp would be completely illegal. However, the Faroe Islands are not a part of the European Union and so through this loophole they are excluded from any punishment, despite receiving substantially beneficial subsidies from Denmark and the EU every year. Perhaps, sanctions from within the EU are the answer.

Aside from the absurdity and wickedness of the Grindadráp, pilot whale meat is actually a proven health hazard to the Faroese people. Containing high levels of contaminants, chief medical officers Pál Weihe and Høgni Debes Joensen declared the meat and blubber unsafe for human consumption due to high mercury content. Too much is particularly toxic for pregnant women and young children and ailments can include high blood pressure, circulatory problems, fetal neural development issues, and possible infertility.

And finally, what should put an immediate stop to the Grindadráp is that we don’t know the conservation impact these hunts are having on the pilot whale population, other dolphin populations and the health of the ocean in general. In July 2022 the Faroese brought in a hunt quota of 500 animals a year, this is an absurdly high cap based on zero evidence of the health of these populations. A previous Faroese prime minister admitted that there has never been a sustainability study into the hunting of Atlantic white-sided dolphins (or any other dolphin species) living off the Faroe Island coasts. There is also no accurate pilot whale population data as the last assessment on pilot whale populations was in 1997 and the Grindadráp has not been declared ‘sustainable’ by the Conservation of Migratory Species for this reason. To hunt incessantly in this way, shows a great lack of care for the conservation of any marine species and a breach of what the Faroese claim to be tradition.

Pilot whales and many other dolphin species need our immediate help and protection from the Grindadráp. Sanctions from the EU is one solution as they invoke the law that prevents the ‘reckless disturbance’ of cetaceans including injuring, maiming or killing. In July 2022, UK ministers passionately led the discussion on suspending the 2019 trade agreement with the Faroe Islands, highlighting that with a 157% increase in Faroe Islands’ exports to the UK since the trade agreement “we have the power to make the Faroe Islands focus and resist”.

Show your support to stop the grind by signing this petition and spreading the word:

https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-hunt-of-dolphins-and-small-whales

We don’t know how many pilot whales are left in the ocean but we do know that the killing of just one more, is one too many.

Stop the Grind. Save the whales.

Here at Beached we are building a community that can put our brains and resources together to highlight and fund solutions to the problems facing whales and dolphins. I hope you’ll join our humble community and click subscribe for free or support our work by purchasing the paid subscription.

All Beached posts are free to read but if you can we ask you to support our work through a paid subscription. These directly support the work of Beached and allow us to engage in more conversations with experts in the field of marine conservation and spend more time researching a wider breadth of topics for the newsletters. Paid subscriptions allow us to dedicate more time and effort to creating a community and provide the space for stakeholders to come together, stay abreast of each other’s work and foster improved collaboration and coordination.

One day Beached hope to donate a large percentage of the revenue from paid subscriptions to marine conservation organisations and charities to support their work too. Working together, we can reverse the degradation of our oceans.

Amie 🐋

Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every week.

Let’s dive in 🐬

Subscribe now

Ocean news

🗞️ Big news of the week -

☮️ Sperm whales of the Sargasso embolden ocean sanctuary claim

New research using environmental DNA and acoustic surveys has revealed the presence of pygmy sperm whales and other vulnerable marine species in the Sargasso Sea. This has reignited calls for the region to be to a designated ocean sanctuary under the Global Ocean Treaty. The findings, collected aboard Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise and analysed by the Universities of Edinburgh and Exeter, confirmed five marine mammal species and dozens of fish, “representing a diverse range of roles in nature and critical steps in the food chain.” Campaigners say the discovery highlights the ecological importance of this unique open-ocean habitat and the urgent need for its protection.

🇦🇷 Aerial census finds record number of southern right whales off Argentina's coast

An aerial survey by researchers in Puerto Madryn has recorded 2,110 southern right whales along Argentina’s coast, the highest count in 25 years. The census, led by the Sea Mammal Lab at CONICET’s marine systems centre, included 826 mothers with calves, as well as lone whales and mating groups. Most were seen in key gathering spots like El Doradillo and the San José Gulf, with large pods also off the Valdés Peninsula. Scientists say the survey reflect peak seasonal abundance before the whales begin to disperse along the coast.

🛟 Whale was ‘anchored’ to seafloor by rope as orcas approached — then help arrived

Rescuers off Cape Recife, South Africa, successfully freed a humpback whale found anchored to the seafloor by fishing rope just as orcas were spotted nearby! The operation, led by the National Sea Rescue Institute, was complicated by the presence of a protective whale pod and the looming threat of predators. The whale had been swimming in wide circles, tethered by a line to the seabed, but was eventually freed using specialised cutting tools.

🌊 In the Salish Sea, tensions surrounding killer whales and salmon are about more than just fishing

In the Salish Sea, tensions are rising over efforts to protect endangered southern resident killer whales and their main prey, Chinook salmon. Since 2019, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans has enforced fishing closures and vessel slowdowns to safeguard the whales but the restrictions have sparked friction between conservationists and recreational fishers. New research suggests that collaboration, rather than confrontation, could help shift the debate and offer a model for resolving other conservation conflicts.

Today is International Day of Charity so if you’re feeling generous consider supporting whales and dolphins across the ocean and find out how you can support the work of Whale and Dolphin Conservation here: https://uk.whales.org/support/donate/

Have a great weekend! 📸

Cover image by Tavish Campbell.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every week.

Let’s dive in 🐬

Subscribe now

Ocean news

🗞️ Big news of the week -

💔 Dramatic rise in whale and dolphin strandings in Scotland

Strandings of cetaceans on Scottish shores have risen dramatically in the last 30 years, with some species seeing increases of up to 800%, according to new research from the University of Glasgow’s Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (Smass). The study, published in Scientific Reports, follows a summer marked by multiple strandings of deep-diving species across northern Europe. Researchers suspect increasing human-made noise, such as seismic surveys and offshore construction, could be a key factor driving whales into shallow, unfamiliar waters where they eventually get stuck.

🦕 Before whales took to the sea, these ten species walked on land

Over the years fossil discoveries have revealed that whales began as hoofed, semi-aquatic mammals roaming ancient coastlines. Long before they became ocean giants, these ten species show how whales first learned to swim.

☣️ New 'forever chemicals' found in killer whale blubber

Scientists have identified five previously undocumented PFAS compounds in the blubber of killer whales—raising fresh concerns about marine pollution. Unlike well-known PFAS that accumulate in protein-rich organs like the liver, these new “fat-loving” fluorotelomer sulfones build up in blubber, making whales and other marine mammals particularly vulnerable. The study, published in Environmental Science and Technology Letters, found the chemicals made up as much as 75% of total fluorine compounds in blubber samples, but were undetectable in the liver, challenging long-held assumptions about how PFAS behave in wildlife. This unfolds as the Plastic Treaty talks, once again, fail to agree a legally-binding solution to the plastics crisis.

🦷 World's rarest whale has 9 stomachs, "wisdom" teeth, and has never been seen alive

The spade-toothed whale (Mesoplodon traversii) has never been seen alive and is known from just seven confirmed specimens, most found around New Zealand. But when a 5-metre male washed ashore near Taieri Mouth in July 2024, scientists seized the rare chance to study it. Dissected for the first time last December, the whale revealed unique features like nine stomachs and unerupted “wisdom” teeth. The project also marked a first in blending Indigenous knowledge with Western science to better understand this elusive deep-sea species, considered a taoka (treasure) by local Māori.

😳 Brothers rescue 'terrified' swimmers from dolphin

Two women were rescued in separate incidents by kayakers after a bottlenose dolphin, known locally as Reggie, began forcing them underwater off the Dorset coast. The dolphin, a regular visitor to Lyme Bay, has become a tourist favourite but experts warn that repeated human interaction can lead to unpredictable and even dangerous behaviour. The Marine Management Organisation is urging swimmers to keep at least 100m away, reminding the public that dolphins are protected wild animals, not playmates.

🇨🇳 Saving China's finless porpoise from the brink of extinction

With the Yangtze River dolphin (the Baiji) and paddle fish now extinct, scientists in Wuhan are racing to protect the last major species left in the river: the Yangtze finless porpoise. Only around 1,200 remain in the wild, and researchers say its survival is critical to the health of the entire ecosystem. A full fishing ban in the region is already in place, giving conservationists a better chance of saving this rare, freshwater predator before it’s too late.

Have a great weekend! 📸

Cover image by Jeroen Hoekendijk.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every week.

Let’s dive in 🐬

Subscribe now

Ocean news

🗞️ Big news of the week -

🎾 ‘Deceptively cute’ ancient whale with razor-sharp teeth and eyes the size of tennis balls discovered in Australia

Scientists have identified a new species of ancient whale, Janjucetus dullardi, from a 25-million-year-old fossil unearthed in Victoria, Australia. Though small (about the size of a dolphin) the whale had razor-sharp teeth, a powerfully built skull, and eyes the size of tennis balls. Unlike modern baleen whales, this early relative was a predator, described by researchers as a “shark-like version of a baleen whale”. Small, fierce, and probably not one you’d want to swim with.

😞 Pregnant female among pod of 23 dead whales

A pod of 23 pilot whales, including a pregnant female, has been found dead on the island of Sanday in Orkney. Experts from the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme say the whales appear to have live-stranded several days earlier, though the cause remains unknown. Samples are being taken to assess the animals’ health and genetic relationships, but with decomposition already underway, researchers worry the full story of why strandings like this happen may never be clear.

🤝 Whales and dolphins regularly hang out with each other – new study

A new study published in Discover Animals has found that whales and dolphins frequently interact across species lines, engaging in behaviours that range from play and feeding to physical contact. Analysing nearly 200 encounters from 17 countries over two decades, and using footage captured via drones, social media, and citizen science, the researchers documented species rolling together, tail slapping, bow riding and rubbing against each other. These interactions appear to be widespread, adding to our understanding of how these intelligent marine mammals share their underwater world.

❌ Hawaii's False Killer Whales could be heading for extinction

A new study in Endangered Species Research has found that the endangered population of false killer whales around Hawai‘i is declining at around 3.5% per year, with just 139 individuals estimated to remain. Though the species is more stable globally, this isolated, non-migratory group faces mounting pressure from longline fishing, entanglement, inbreeding, and chemical pollution. Researchers also found that over a quarter of individuals showed signs of surviving previous fisheries interactions.

👋 Family's incredible encounter with dolphins off South West coast

A family swimming off the southwest coast had an unforgettable encounter when a bottlenose dolphin joined them in the water, playfully circling, nudging with its beak, and even asking for belly rubs. The dolphin stayed with the family for several minutes before swimming off. Bottlenose dolphins are one of the more common coastal species seen around the UK, with Dorset a known hotspot for sightings. "The sea belongs to dolphins—we were lucky to spend a moment with it," said swimmer Lynda.

📃 NEW STUDY: Assessing Microplastic Pollution in Marine Mammals: Evidence from Three Cetacean Species in the Southeastern Black Sea

Have a great weekend! 📸

Cover image by Photograph By Doug Perrine/Nature Picture Library.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every week.

Let’s dive in 🐬

Subscribe now

Ocean news

🗞️ Big news of the week -

🔇 Blue whales are going eerily silent and scientists say it’s a warning sign

A six-year acoustic study off California has revealed a sharp drop in blue whale song during and after a record-breaking marine heatwave. As krill and anchovy numbers collapsed, vocalisations fell by nearly 40% — a likely result of whales spending more time searching for food and less on calling. Unlike humpbacks, which have a varied diet, blue and fin whales were hit hard. Scientists say the silence is a warning that something (I think we know what) is badly wrong.

🏝️ Experts baffled as rarely seen beaked whales involved in series of strandings

Marine scientists are investigating a string of unusual strandings involving deep-diving beaked whales in Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands across several days in July. These elusive whales typically inhabit deep offshore waters, and their sudden appearance in the shallow North Sea has raised concerns. Several animals, including a male and female pair in the Netherlands and a mother and calf in Ireland, did not survive. Experts say the strandings may point to human-related causes and highlight just how little we understand about this rarely seen species.

🌊 Dead whales surface on Japan shore amid tsunami warnings

Four dead whales were found on the shore in Chiba, Japan, shortly after tsunami warnings were triggered by a powerful earthquake off Russia’s far eastern coast. Scientists believe the whales were already nearshore when the quake struck, but the exact link between seismic activity and strandings remains unclear.

🦐 A record catch of krill could trigger an unprecedented end to fishing season

Krill fishing in Antarctic waters has surged to a record high, nearing a seasonal catch limit that would trigger the first-ever early closure of the fishery. With over 518,000 tonnes already taken (84% of the cap) conservationists warn the catch is increasingly concentrated in a small area near the Antarctic Peninsula, where krill are vital to the diet of whales and play a key role in carbon storage. A proposal to spread out fishing zones and create a large marine reserve failed last year, leaving the region vulnerable as the season races toward its limit.

Have a great weekend! 📸

Cover image by Jeroen Hoekendijk.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every week.

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🗞️ Big news of the week -

⛔ Ban on inshore fishing of sprat to protect whales, birdlife and other sea mammals

The Irish Government has approved a phased ban on industrial sprat fishing within six nautical miles of the coast, aimed at protecting whales, dolphins, seabirds, and broader marine biodiversity. From October, large vessels will face strict quotas, with a full ban on trawling set for 2026. Sprat is a key forage fish, and the move marks a major shift in how Ireland manages its inshore waters.

⛵ British sailors warned after killer whales ram boat off coast of northern Spain

A French sailboat was struck by killer whales off the coast near Deba, prompting a rescue by Spanish coastguards. The two sailors were unharmed, but UK authorities have advised caution for vessels in the area. While such encounters are rare this far north they’ve become more frequent in recent years, especially in the Strait of Gibraltar’s so-called “orca alley”.

🗽 Interpol takes whaling activist, Sea Shepherd founder off wanted list

Interpol has dropped its red notice for Paul Watson, the founder of Sea Shepherd, who was wanted by Japan over a 2010 clash with a whaling ship. The global policing body deemed the notice “disproportionate”, ending years of legal limbo for the veteran anti-whaling activist. Watson simply said: “Finally I am free.”

🔍 Research to identify risk hotspots for dolphins

PhD students from the University of Plymouth are identifying threat hotspots for dolphins and other marine animals in the Channel Islands and wider south coast—an important marine mammal area. Early findings highlight how disturbance from boats, like a RIB cutting through a bottlenose pod, can interfere with communication. They stress how important it is to keep at least a 100m distance to protect these vulnerable populations.

💙 Pod of dolphins captured soaring alongside Waverley paddle steamer

A pod of dolphins was captured swimming alongside the iconic Waverley paddle steamer as it left the dock in Largs, North Ayrshire. The drone footage, filmed by local photographer Pix by Pedro, shows the animals keeping pace with the vessel.

💀 Fishing boat off Shetland abandoned 80km of nets in seas for almost a month

A vessel operating north of Shetland abandoned more than 80km of gillnets at sea for nearly four weeks—well beyond the legal three-day limit—raising concerns about harm to marine life and weak enforcement of key regulations. Despite the breach, the crew received only a warning, and the Scottish Government closed its investigation after being told the nets were being retrieved, though they remained in the water for another 10 days. Local fishers and politicians are now calling for stricter gillnet regulations and better monitoring.

Have a great weekend! 📸

Cover image by Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every week.

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🇦🇺 Humpback whale that swam to Circular Quay, delighting ferry passengers, has left Sydney Harbour

A young humpback whale that surprised ferry passengers by swimming past the Opera House and up to the Harbour Bridge has now left Sydney Harbour. First spotted at Circular Quay earlier in the week, the whale spent the day exploring the area before heading back out to sea. Experts said it appeared healthy and curious and is a “reminder that Sydney Harbour is very wild.”

☮️ How to save the whales from Trump

A joint survey by Greenpeace and the University of Exeter has confirmed the presence of whales, including vulnerable sperm whales, in two Pacific areas earmarked for mining by The Metals Company. Concerns around deep-sea mining aren’t just about what might happen on the seafloor, but how the impacts will rise up the water column—disrupting the very habitats whales rely on. Despite mounting scientific opposition, the US president has signed an executive order backing mining in international waters, bypassing years of global negotiations.

🧽 Dolphins learn to wear sponges ‘like a clown nose’ to hunt fish

In Shark Bay, Australia, some bottlenose dolphins have learned to wear sea sponges on their beaks to protect themselves while foraging along rocky seabeds. The technique helps stir up fish like barred sandperch—but new research shows the sponge can interfere with echolocation, making it harder to navigate. Despite the challenge, dolphins that have master the method can hunt more efficiently, passing the skill from mother to calf.

⚖️ Could giving this pod of dolphins the same legal rights as humans help keep them safe?

A pod of around 130 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins off South Korea’s Jeju Island faces growing threats from discarded fishing gear, boat traffic, and pollution. One dolphin, nicknamed Orae (which means “long” but in this context means “wishing him a long life”), has already lost his dorsal fin—an all-too-common injury in these waters. Now, local campaigners and environmentalists are calling for the pod to be recognised as a “legal person” in Korean law, in a first-of-its-kind [in South Korea] effort to extend legal rights to wild animals and strengthen protections for this vulnerable group.

🇲🇽 Mexican Senate unanimously approves ban on dolphin shows

The Mexican Senate has unanimously approved a ban on using dolphins and other marine mammals in entertainment, following years of public pressure over animal welfare concerns. The 99–0 vote amends the General Wildlife Law to outlaw marine mammal shows and tourist interactions, except for approved scientific research. President Claudia Sheinbaum backed the legislation, calling it a necessary step to prevent abuse.

Have a great weekend! 📸

Cover image by © Greenpeace / R. Wolfensberger.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every Friday.

Let’s dive in 🐬

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👻 The divers risking their lives to save whales from ‘ghost nets’

In Colombia’s Gulf of Tribugá, abandoned fishing gear is putting marine life at serious risk—including whales. Local diver Lloreda is part of Guardianes del Mar, a coastal collective that responds to reports of entanglements across this 600,000-hectare biodiversity hotspot. In one recent rescue, Lloreda freed a young humpback with netting wrapped around its mouth and fin, using calm, deliberate movements to gain the trust of the calf’s watchful mother. Cases like this show both the scale of the ghost gear problem as well as the incredible people working quietly to undo it.

💬 The ethics of listening to whales

Writers, artists and legal scholars came together in a recent panel to explore the ethics of using AI to decode sperm whale communication. The conversation, hosted by Emergence and featuring James Bridle, Rebecca Giggs, César Rodríguez-Garavito and Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, asked what it might mean—legally, morally and emotionally—if we could break the interspecies language barrier.

🇨🇦 Canada to take steps to protect vanishing North Atlantic right whales from ships

With only around 370 North Atlantic right whales left, Canada is rolling out stricter ship speed limits this summer to help prevent fatal collisions. Vessels over 13 metres must now slow down in key zones as the whales migrate north to Canadian waters, with voluntary slowdowns requested elsewhere. Ship strikes and fishing gear entanglement remain the leading threats to this critically endangered species. But these measures come as right whales make their annual journey from calving grounds off the U.S. to Canadian feeding areas.

💩 Bowhead whale faeces link increasing algal toxins in the Arctic to ocean warming

A 19-year study has used faecal samples from 205 bowhead whales to track harmful algal toxins in the Beaufort Sea, revealing a clear link between toxin levels and ocean warming. The findings offer the first long-term biological evidence that melting sea ice and rising temperatures are driving increases in toxic algal blooms across the Arctic food web.

😞 Orcas off B.C. coast face 'high probability of extinction' if conditions don't change

A new report from over 30 experts warns that southern resident killer whales off British Columbia and Washington state face a “high probability of extinction” if stronger measures aren’t taken. Despite protection efforts in place since 2019, the population—now at just 75 individuals—shows no sign of recovery. These orcas are genetically distinct and rely heavily on dwindling Chinook salmon, while also contending with noise pollution and vessel traffic that disrupt feeding and communication. Scientists say current actions fall far short of what’s needed to prevent their decline.

🏊‍♀️ Watch river dolphins play with local children

Amazon river dolphins are known to interact with people, but only in Mocajuba have they been observed regularly playing with children without any food or reward.

Have a great weekend! 📸

Cover image by The Associated Press.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every Friday.

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🍕 Killer whales sharing food with humans for first time in groundbreaking study

A new study has recorded 34 occasions, spanning two decades and four oceans, where killer whales brought fish or marine mammals to people in the water, on boats or even on shore. In 11 of those cases the humans were swimming; in the rest they were on deck or land, yet the whales still nudged or dropped prey within reach, sometimes persisting after the first polite refusal. Food-sharing is well known between orcas as a way to bond, so scientists think these offers show a deliberate attempt to strike up social ties with us too. It’s the first evidence of a wild predator using its catch to probe human behaviour—and a reminder that orcas may be studying us every bit as closely as we study them.

🧬 To discover the world’s first intersex southern right whale, the third test was the charm

Re-examining a 1989 skin sample from Argentina’s Valdés Peninsula, Canadian researcher Carla Crossman found that whale “Eau10b” carries two X chromosomes and a Y—an XXY genotype. The discovery, confirmed after three separate DNA tests in 2022, marks the first recorded case of an intersex southern right whale and highlights the hidden complexity in tracking whale population health.

☠️ Exact location killer dolphin was last spotted off UK coast after slaying a shark

Anakin, a solitary adult bottlenose dolphin, has alarmed researchers after two violent encounters—killing a juvenile common dolphin and throwing a smooth-hound shark from the water last week. First reported by local tour operators, the incidents are highly unusual and may reflect rising stress or competition in the area. Anakin is now being tracked by monitoring teams, who are urging boats to keep a safe distance.

🏞️ Rescuers save 27 stranded pink dolphins stranded away from Grande River

Rescuers in Bolivia have saved 27 pink river dolphins found stranded far from the main channel of the Grande River. The group had become trapped in disconnected pools, likely due to falling water levels, and were safely returned to deeper waters by a coordinated team of vets, biologists, and local authorities.

🏝️ Around 100 marine mammals washed up on the Belgian coast in 2024

Belgium recorded 109 marine mammal strandings last year, including 36 harbour porpoises, 72 seals, and a young minke whale, according to the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. Porpoise strandings continue to decline, with 2024 marking the second lowest total in over two decades—but the reasons remain unclear. Seal deaths, by contrast, were unusually high and likely linked to growing populations nearby. One lone minke calf found in Ostend is thought to have died from starvation after becoming separated from its mother.

Have a great weekend! 📸

Video by @henryspointofview on Instagram via @paditv.

Cover image by Jam Press/Sarah Michelle Wyer.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every Friday.

Let’s dive in 🐬

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🌱 Killer whales seen grooming each other with kelp in first for marine tool use

A new study using drone footage over the southern Salish Sea shows resident killer whales biting off short lengths of bull kelp, wedging the fronds between their bodies and rolling against each other—apparently to remove dead skin or parasites. Reported in Current Biology, it is the first documented case of mutual tool use in a marine mammal and underlines how little we know about orca social life. There are just 73 whales in this southern-resident clan, so every fresh insight is vital for their conservation; until now, marine tool use was thought to be limited to solitary acts such as sea otters cracking shells.

⛏️ Threatened whale species found in areas targeted by The Metals Company for deep sea mining, scientists warn

A new study in Frontiers in Marine Science has confirmed that sperm whales and other cetaceans are present in the exact Clarion-Clipperton Zones that The Metals Company intends to mine. Researchers from the University of Exeter and Greenpeace used visual and acoustic surveys to record whales and dolphins in both areas, adding to evidence that at least 20 cetacean species use this stretch of the Pacific.

The findings land just weeks before the International Seabed Authority meets amid growing calls for a moratorium on deep-sea mining. Critics note that noise from mining machinery and vast sediment plumes could disrupt whale communication and food webs. The Metals Company has meanwhile asked the US government for unilateral permission to begin commercial extraction, a move scientists warn could inflict “long-lasting, irreversible” damage on these deep-ocean ecosystems.

🦷 Rare sperm whale tooth unearthed at Copper Age megasite sheds light on ancient human-sea connections

Archaeologists at the 5,300 to 4,150-year-old Valencina megasite in south-west Spain have uncovered a worked sperm whale tooth—the first such find from Late Prehistoric Iberia. Bioerosion shows it washed ashore before Copper Age craftworkers shaped it, likely for ornaments or ritual pieces, and then reburied it in a pit. Reported in PLOS One, the find highlights how coastal resources travelled inland, hinting at wide trade networks and a deep Copper Age fascination with the sea.

🐬 Why Rome’s dolphins are fighting each other

New photo-analysis of 39 bottlenose dolphins living off the mouth of the river Tiber paints a bleak picture. 70% are visibly underweight, half bear net and line scars, including amputations, and almost every individual shows a skin disease linked to polluted river outflow and boat wastewater. Despite the area’s historic abundance of fish, overfishing appears to have tipped the balance, forcing dolphins to compete; bite marks from in-group clashes are common among many dolphins but are notably more frequent here than in healthy populations. With 500 migratory dolphins relying on this nursery each year—and mosaics proving the species has shared these waters with Romans for two millennia—the study is a stark warning that unchecked human pressure is eroding a relationship that has lasted since antiquity.

Have a great weekend! 📸

Cover image by Richard Ellis/Alamy.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every Friday.

Let’s dive in 🐬

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🗞️ Big news of the week -

🫧 Scientists stunned to see humpback whales trying to send messages to humans

Researchers from the SETI Institute logged 12 close-up encounters in which 11 humpback whales produced 39 bubble rings while calmly approaching swimmers and small boats. Unlike the chaotic bubble rings used to corral prey, these neat, slow-rising rings appeared to be playful and deliberate. Publishing their work in Marine Mammal Science, the team likened the rings to a “candidate signal” in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence—only this one comes from deep below rather than up above.

The work follows the group’s 2021 ‘conversation’ with a talkative whale called Twain, who echoed human-played calls in real time. Now it seems humpbacks may initiate the chat themselves, testing our response with smokelike hoops of air. If that’s true, we’d better start thinking of some good excuses for what we’ve done to their home!

🎣 Search continues for humpback whale entangled in drum line off Sydney’s coast

Rescuers have lost visual contact with an eight-metre humpback whose left pectoral fin was snagged on a drum-line roughly a kilometre off the coast of Newcastle, New South Wales. The whale resurfaced near Sydney’s northern beaches on Sunday, then disappeared again and may now be tracking south.

Large Whale Disentanglement teams from NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service remain on standby, but officials note the animal could still be able to shed the gear unaided. Drum-lines—ropes and buoys set to target sharks or large fish—regularly threaten other species, and advocates say early sightings are critical, as the whale’s erratic speed and southward course suggest it is under stress and off its usual north-bound migration route.

🔊 Echolocation research sheds light on how whales and dolphins use sound

A new study by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, New College of Florida, UC Berkeley and Oxford University has delivered the first side-by-side brain maps of an echolocating bottlenose dolphin and a non-echolocating sei whale. High-resolution diffusion tractography of the stranded dolphins’ brains suggest that echoes are merged with fine motor control so the animal can probe its surroundings much like we use our hands, rather than merely “see” with sound.

The sei whale lacks this circuitry, highlighting just how differently the two cetacean branches have evolved since their last common ancestor. The authors say such wiring diagrams will let scientists test how active sensing emerged in toothed whales and could inform quieter ocean technologies that avoid masking the species’ acoustic lifeline.

👶 Incredible moment bottlenose dolphin gives birth to calf captured on camera

Brookfield Zoo Chicago has captured the rare moment 38-year-old bottlenose dolphin Allie gave birth in the early hours to her sweet little calf. Keepers are now monitoring them both around the clock with zoo veternarians estimating that the baby is around 33-37 pound. Footage of a dolphin birth is rare and will help staff study early bonding and calf behaviour in a captive setting.

🫣 Brutal footage shows 30 male humpback whales hunting down one female

BBC footage shows the brutal mating chase in tropical breeding grounds such as Tonga and Hawai‘i, where a single female in heat can draw up to 30 bulls. Males vie for pole position by blowing bubbles, chin-slamming the surface and ramming one another as the scramble dives deeper. Injuries are common and, in some years, a competitor may not survive the fight—an extreme price for a chance to mate.

Have a great weekend! 📸

Cover image by Doug Perrine.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every Friday.

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🇮🇪 Why are Ireland’s whales disappearing?

Whale numbers are dropping off Ireland’s southwest coast and overfishing is most likely to blame.

Colin Barnes, a former fisher who set up one of the country’s first whale-watching tours, says the whales have abandoned his patch of ocean near Cork. All because of a collapse in sprat populations — the small, oily fish that whales rely on for food — due to unregulated trawling.

Sprats are vital not just for whales, but for other cetaceans and seabirds. Yet inshore trawlers can currently harvest them until their heart’s content, with no catch limits in place.

Ireland was once hailed as a cetacean sanctuary, helping boost numbers after the global whaling ban. But now, locals and conservationists are calling for urgent protection of this key forage fish — before it’s too late for the whales that depend on them and the ecotourism that depend on the whales.

🇨🇱 When a boat came across a huge humpback whale carcass in Chile, they decided to do something amazing

A humpback whale that washed up dead in Chilean Patagonia is being preserved by conservationists as a striking new tool for marine education.

The skeleton was recovered by Rewilding Chile and the Museo del Río Seco, after a local boat crew came across the carcass offshore near Cape Froward. The bones will now be displayed to help connect people to the region’s wildlife and support calls for national park status in the area.

The team hopes the preserved remains will become a powerful reminder of the scale and richness of life in southern Chile — and the urgent need to protect it.

🇦🇺 Winter brings Australia’s ‘humpback highway’ to life and peak hour is about to begin

Thousands of humpback whales are making their way up and down Australia’s coastlines again, as winter kicks off the annual whale migration.

Every year, whales travel from Antarctic feeding grounds to warmer breeding waters, with peak movement expected from mid-June to early July. Dr Vanessa Pirotta, a Sydney-based whale scientist, says: “Anywhere you can see the ocean, you have a chance of spotting a whale.”

But scientists also say the route is changing. Some humpbacks are now staying in colder southern waters, like Tasmania, year-round which is a possible sign of shifting migration patterns.

🇨🇳 Two Yangtze finless porpoises have been returned to the wild for first time in China

Two Yangtze finless porpoises have been returned to the wild for the first time, according to a new study by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a hopeful milestone for one of the world’s rarest freshwater mammals.

The pair, both males, were relocated from a managed reserve to a protected section of the Yangtze’s Laowan Branch, where they spent two years adapting to the environment. Once researchers were confident in their ability to hunt and navigate, they were released.

The Yangtze finless porpoise has seen steep declines due to habitat degradation and fishing gear entanglement but within three days, this pair had joined a local individual and re-entered the river’s core population.

🗺️ Scientists put three decades of whale migration data into a digital map

Scientists have created a digital platform to track whale migration across the globe, using more than 30 years of satellite tagging and research.

The Protecting Blue Corridors map, developed by a coalition of conservation partners including WWF, lets users see how whales move across the ocean and where they’re most at risk from ship strikes, fishing gear, noise, pollution and climate change.

The aim is to help protect critical migration routes, known as blue corridors, by guiding decisions on conservation measures. “Blue corridors are more than migration routes,” said WWF’s Chris Johnson. “They’re lifelines for the ocean’s giants and the ecosystems they support.”

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Killer whales ‘may become familiar sight off Fife coast’ after several orca sightings

Orcas have been seen off the coast of Fife in a rare appearance that has sparked excitement among wildlife watchers.

While sightings of killer whales are typically limited to Scotland’s west and north coasts, dozens of reports came in earlier this week from the Firth of Forth. Footage shared by the Scottish Seabird Centre showed two orcas surfacing side by side.

The unexpected visit has prompted speculation that orcas could become a more familiar presence along the east coast.

Have a great weekend! 📸

Cover image by John Goodridge.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every Friday.

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🦴 Scientists discover the oldest known tools made from whale bones

Incredible new research has revealed that early humans were making hunting tools from whale bones up to 20,000 years ago. This is the oldest known example of cetacean bone tools ever found.

Archaeologists reanalysed 83 tools previously excavated from caves along the Bay of Biscay, using collagen analysis to determine the animal species. More than 70 turned out to be from ceteaceans, with the majority coming from sperm whales, but also fin, blue, grey and possibly right or bowhead whales.

The bones likely came from stranded whales scavenged by coastal hunter-gatherers. The tools were mostly spear and projectile points, used to hunt animals like reindeer and bison inland. It’s the strongest evidence yet that our ancestors weren’t just surviving off land-based resources, but were also closely connected to the sea.

🐋 Public urged to keep distance as dead minke whale washes up on beach

A minke whale has washed up on Portstewart Strand in County Londonderry, prompting the National Trust to urge visitors to keep their distance while agencies assess next steps to remove the carcass.

Among the first to see the whale was six-year-old Caitlin, who was visiting the beach with her family. “It’s very big and we can see his teeth,” she told the BBC, adding that she hoped the whale could be buried on the beach with a “wee cross” so she could come back and visit.

Minke whales are one of the smaller baleen whale species, but can still reach up to 10 metres long and weigh 9,000kg. While the cause of death isn’t known, strandings can result from illness, injury, storms or simply becoming lost in shallow waters.

🇲🇽 ‘Swimming with orcas is out of control’: can new rules keep tourists and Mexico’s whales safe?

In Baja California Sur, the number of tourists entering the water with wild orcas has surged in recent years and conservationists are worried.

What began as a niche wildlife experience has now drawn dozens of boats to the waters off La Ventana, a small coastal village, where spotter planes and tour guides coordinate to deliver close encounters.

Around 40 vessels operate during peak season, some local, others foreign-owned, and not all are properly licensed. Many promise tourists the chance to enter the water with orcas, a practice that exploits loopholes in Mexican law which aim to protect endangered marine wildlife.

As footage of swimmers and free-divers circulates on social media, experts warn that the activity is putting pressure on the animals and creating safety risks for people. Some operators are now calling for clear rules to limit numbers and keep both whales and tourists safe.

💩 Dolphin 'mysteries' to be solved by collecting poo

Conservationists in Wales are turning to dolphin poo to uncover new insights about the resident bottlenose population in Cardigan Bay.

Roughly 200 bottlenose dolphins are thought to live in the area but mystery remains around their relationships, movements and feeding habits.

Now, researchers are collecting faecal samples (using a net) to analyse environmental DNA (eDNA) and better understand what individual dolphins are eating and where. They hope to match the findings with existing photo ID records to build more complete profiles of the animals and hopefully to better inform future conservation work.

🔊 Dolphin ‘signature whistles’ may transmit more than just identity information

New research suggests that dolphin “signature whistles”, long known to function like names, could be transmitting more than just identity.

These individually unique calls, developed early in life and maintained across the dolphins lifespan, are often used during social interactions. But scientists have now found subtle variations in how the same dolphin uses its whistle, hinting at a deeper complexity to the sounds.

The team behind the study says these whistles might be more like human faces than names — stable enough to identify the individual, but flexible enough to convey emotion or context through small changes.

Have a great weekend! 📸

Cover image by Andrea Izzotti.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every Friday.

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🇦🇺 Researchers puzzled as baby whales spotted in unexpected places along Australia’s ‘humpback highway’

A study published in Frontiers in Marine Science has recorded more than 200 sightings of newborn calves far from their usual birthing zones, including as far south as Tasmania and even near New Zealand.

Humpback whales in Australia are known for making one of the longest migrations on Earth as they breeding in the tropics before heading south along the so-called “humpback highway.” However, this new research suggests the map may need redrawing.

Scientists say these expanded birthing zones means calving may not be limited to warm northern waters after all. Instead, breeding and birthing could be more flexible than previously thought which raises new questions about how the species are successfully adapting to a changing ocean.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Rare whale spotted on Scottish west coast 'for first time in 20 years'

A beluga whale has been seen swimming in Loch Broom on the north-west coast of Scotland, marking the first confirmed sighting in the region in two decades.

Belugas usually stick to Arctic waters around Canada and Alaska, making this a rare and surprising visit. According to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, belugas have only been recorded in Scottish waters a handful of times, with the last in Shetland earlier this year.

Climate shifts and changing ocean conditions is likely what brings the cold-water species further south and into unusual territory.

🦴 Ancient Patagonian fossil sperm whale may have been active predator

In a new study, researchers reanalysed the only known specimen of a fossilised sperm whale (Idiorophus patagonicus), first unearthed in Argentina's Gaiman Formation more than a century ago. The 20-million-year-old fossil has revealed surprising clues about how early species in this family might have hunted.

Unlike modern sperm whales, which rely on suction feeding to catch squid in deep waters, this ancient relative may have been an active predator of large fish and even seabirds. Its skull shape suggests a more dynamic, pursuit-based hunting style.

The discovery sheds new light on the diversity of feeding strategies among early toothed whales and just how much we can still learn from the fossil record.

👓 Humpback whales can’t see as well as scientists thought

Despite having enormous eyes, it turns out humpback whales may not be able to see all that clearly. A new study has found their eyesight is surprisingly poor, especially when it comes to spotting nearby obstacles like fishing gear.

Scientists dissected the eye of a juvenile humpback and found a shorter-than-expected focal length and a low density of retinal ganglion cells — both signs of weaker vision. Using computer models, they simulated how the whales likely see underwater and discovered they can only make out fine details within three to four body lengths. This likely wouldn’t give them enough notice to avoid the many fishing nets in front of them.

The findings, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society, could help explain why humpbacks are among the most frequently entangled whales. But poor eyesight can easily be forgiven, masses of ghost gear and death traps in the ocean, cannot.

🧊 Climate change poses severe threat to bowhead whale habitat

A new study has found that climate change could wipe out up to three-quarters of bowhead whale’s summer foraging habitat by 2100. Regions like the Sea of Okhotsk are a summer habitat to one of the four populations of bowhead whales but it could disappear completely by 2060.

Bowhead whales are uniquely adapted to the Arctic and have followed sea ice extent for over 11,000 years. But new modelling shows their reliance on seasonal sea ice could be their undoing as climate-induced sea ice loss could contract by up to 75%. Despite past climate shifts, their habitat had remained stable until now.

Published in Ecology and Evolution, the research combined fossil records, whaling data, and computer modelling to reconstruct bowhead habitat across the Holocene.

🇺🇸 Lawsuit filed in effort to protect endangered Rice's Whales in the Gulf

With only around 50 individuals left (an estimation taken almost 10 years ago), Rice’s whales are considered the most endangered whales on Earth. Now, environmental groups are taking legal action to try and save them.

A new lawsuit is calling for stricter protections in the Gulf of Mexico, where the whales live year-round. The case follows a recent federal ‘biological opinion’ that acknowledged oil tankers and vessel strikes are likely to jeopardise the species' survival but failed to propose strong enough measures to prevent it.

NOAA Fisheries Service estimates that over the next 45 years, nine Rice’s whales would likely die with three more seriously injured. But Chris Eaton, an attorney with the environmental group Earthjustice, estimates that even one female death could push the species toward extinction.

Campaigners want mandatory ship speed limits and a 500-yard buffer zone around any visible whale. This legal challenge aims to hold federal agencies accountable for protecting a species that’s already hanging by a thread.

Have a great weekend! 📸

Cover image by Vanessa Risku

Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every Friday.

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Ocean news

🗞️ Big news of the week -

💀 Whale presumed to be dead reappears after 3 years

Researchers off the coast of Massachusetts got a great surprise when they spotted a familiar, but unexpected face. Calvin, a critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, last seen entangled in fishing gear in 2020, is still alive!

She was identified during an aerial survey around 55 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, swimming among a group of over 60 whales. It had been three years since anyone had seen her, and with her last sighting showing serious entanglement injuries, many feared the worst.

Calvin was orphaned at just eight months old after her mother was killed in a ship strike, and she’s since survived eight entanglements and given birth four times. This is a vital contribution for an endangered species with fewer than 360 individuals left. As the New England Aquarium put it: resilience like Calvin’s is extraordinary — but it won’t be enough to save the species without serious action to stop ship strikes and entanglements.

🗺️ NASA Image of the Day: Mapping the tiny plankton that feed giant right whales

Scientists have used satellite images from 2009 to detect swarms of Calanus finmarchicus—the tiny zooplankton that North Atlantic right whales (like Calvin) depend on.

The study shows the copepods’ natural red pigment can be picked up from space, offering a potential tool to map whale feeding grounds without going out to sea. If refined, it could help scientists forecast where whales are likely to feed and help to reduce deadly vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglements.

📸 Blue whale gathering stuns wildlife watchers in San Diego

A remarkable gathering of blue whales off the coast of San Diego has left whale watchers stunned. Footage shared by tour operator Gone Whale Watching shows multiple blue whales surfacing in close proximity, an encounter described as “a sight few have ever witnessed.”

Though spotting a single blue whale often takes hours of scanning the open ocean, San Diego’s waters are proving to be a seasonal hotspot. Founder of the tour Domenic Biagini says few places on Earth offer the same consistency of sightings during early to mid-summer, calling the region one of the best in the world to see these ocean giants.

👶 Friend or food: Why are Iceland’s orcas taking in pilot whales?

Researchers in Iceland have observed an unusual sight in recent years: baby pilot whales swimming among pods of orcas.

One such encounter, described in a new study, took place in June 2022 when scientists spotted a newborn pilot whale calf moving alongside a female orca in what’s known as the echelon position — a close and protective swimming pattern typically seen between mothers and calves.

The same thing happened again in 2023, and scientists are now trying to work out what’s going on. Are the orcas adopting the calves? Using them for play or hunting practice? Or are they prey they simply haven’t eaten yet?

While the orcas in this region mostly eat fish and showed no clear signs of aggression towards the calf, researchers aren’t ruling anything out. Cross-species adoption is rare but not unheard of in dolphins and now, possibly, killer whales too.

🇫🇷 Orcas left trapped in abandoned French marine park four months after closure

Two orcas and a dozen dolphins have been left stranded inside a closed marine park in southern France, sparking growing concern for their welfare.

Drone footage released by activists at TideBreakers shows Wikie and her son Keijo still circling the tanks at Marineland Antibes near Cannes, four months after the park shut its doors in January. Some of the dolphin pools appear algae-filled and deserted, with the animals left swimming in silence.

Campaigners have called the situation “dangerous” and “despairing”, as French authorities continue to search for a suitable rehoming site. So far, no European facility has been approved to take the orcas leaving them stuck in the life-threatening conditions.

Have a great weekend! 📸

Cover image by New England Aquarium.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Big Blue Bulletin – things have changed just a little bit around here as featured stories will now focus on whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a little bit of commentary from me thrown in as well. Still, you can expect good news, bad news, and a cute creature in your inbox every Friday.

Let’s dive in 🐬

Subscribe now

Ocean news

💡 Thought piece -

🧠 Our responsibility for cetacean conservation grows with proof of their intelligence

In a new commentary for Mongabay, writer Avery Ancell argues that the search for intelligent life shouldn’t start in space—it should start in the ocean.

Thanks to new tech and decades of research, we now know cetaceans live socially complex lives that involve elaborate communication and unique cultures—traits once thought to be uniquely human.

“If people can understand what they have in common with an animal that is seemingly so alien on the surface,” Ancell writes, “it would allow for a greater extension of empathy.”

🚢 ‘It’s like putting a whale in a blender’: the rise of deadly ship collisions in Chile

Chile records more fatal whale collisions than anywhere else on Earth, with an average of five confirmed deaths a year. But researchers warn that these figures likely represent just 10% of the true toll as most struck whales never wash ashore and instead sink, drift, or vanish altogether, meaning the majority of deaths go unrecorded.

Patricio Ortiz, a former fisher turned whale-watching captain, remembers the first time he saw a wounded blue whale glide beneath his boat, a chunk missing from its dorsal fin. “Nothing can be done when they’re up against those floating monsters,” he said. He’s worked in the waters off Chañaral de Aceituno since 1978 and has watched shipping traffic steadily increase over time.

The collision hotspots are the same places that whales migrate, feed, and raise their calves, but unlike smaller vessels, cargo ships often don’t even realise when a strike occurs, and simply sail on.

🎣 Tens of thousands of whales and dolphins die in European waters each year in fishing nets

A new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency has revealed that tens of thousands of whales, dolphins and porpoises are dying every year in European waters after becoming entangled in fishing gear.

At least 15 populations are affected by bycatch — including eight of 13 known populations of harbour porpoise. More than 35,000 porpoises are killed annually, many in static gillnets, while the common dolphin bycatch limit was exceeded sixfold in 2020.

Some populations, including harbour porpoises in the Baltic Proper, Belt Sea and Iberian Peninsula, are now teetering on the edge of extinction. Campaigners are calling for the urgent re-enforcement of existing laws to stop more deaths.

This is by no means a new threat but one we’re still failing to fix.

🇨🇳 Ancient Chinese poems reveal the decline of a critically endangered porpoise over 1,400 years

Scientists have turned to an unlikely source to understand the past range of the Yangtze finless porpoise - Chinese poetry. In a new study, researchers analysed more than 700 poems dating as far back as the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE) and found that the critically endangered porpoise has lost 65% of its range over the last 1,400 years.

The Yangtze finless porpoise is the only known freshwater porpoise in the world, with fewer than 1,800 individuals left. Today, it occupies just a fraction of its historical habitat, with a 91% decline in previously occupied river tributaries and lakes.

The team behind the study says this is a powerful example of how art and science can work together, or as co-author Zhigang Mei put it: “Chinese poetry, this ancient art form, can be a serious scientific tool.”

🚣‍♂️ Galway guide stops tour of bay to rescue beached whale calf

A wildlife tour in Roundstone Bay, Galway, turned into an unexpected rescue mission when the guide spotted something unusual shining on the shore. At first, he thought it was a dead dolphin but on closer inspection, he realised it was a live minke whale calf, stranded and struggling on the rocks.

Quickly tying up his boat, Damien O’Malley and his tour guests sprang into action, pouring buckets of seawater over the young whale to keep it cool and wet as the tide slowly came in. Damien then carefully used his boat to tow the animal off the rocks and out into open water. As soon as the calf had space to move freely again, it seemed to regain its strength and swam off into open water.

A brilliant reminder that you never know what a day on the water might bring.

Have a great weekend! 📸

Cover image by Francis Pérez/The Guardian.