Bird hunts, freediving encounters, and the mass firing of NOAA employees
Big Blue Bulletin #44
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 🐬
Ocean news
🗞️ Big news of the week -
🛟 Sperm whale entangled in rope dies after stranding
A 15 metre-long sperm whale first spotted entangled in ropes off Skye last week has died after becoming stranded on the island of Raasay.
Rescuers from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) first found the whale on Thursday, trailing ropes up to 20 metres long. They managed to cut away five of the ropes, but some remained wrapped around its head. On Monday, the whale was discovered on the shoreline near Oskaig, where it later died.
These entanglements—often caused by creel fishing gear in the area or ghost nets left abandoned at sea—continue to be a major threat to whales. Despite the training and rescue efforts, once a whale beaches, survival chances are slim. Improvements in rope technologies and reducing the amount of ghost gear in the ocean is the only way to stop this once and for all.
🐦 Killer whales amaze Seattle onlookers with rarely seen bird hunt
A pod of Bigg’s killer whales stunned crowds in Seattle’s Elliott Bay with a hunting display just metres from shore. One orca was seen capturing a grebe and taking it underwater—much to the surprise of onlookers.
The whales passed through the bay where excited spectators had gathered in hopes of catching a glimpse. Witnesses described it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, not just for the close encounter but for the rare chance to see orcas hunting birds.
Bigg’s killer whales are well known for hunting seals and porpoises, but sightings of avian hunts are far less common.
🤿 Freediver films intimate encounter with pod of enormous whales
Freediver Anaelle Henry found herself in the middle of an extraordinary moment when a pod of sperm whales emerged from the depths beneath her. Swimming with a single whale at the time, she suddenly spotted a group rising up and quickly turned on her camera, capturing what she described as “powerful and impressive”.
“The clicks were so loud. I had the feeling I was inside the pod!”
Sperm whales are among the loudest animals in the ocean, producing clicks that can reach 230 decibels underwater—far louder than a jet engine! These sounds don’t just help them navigate and hunt but also enable long-distance communication across vast stretches of ocean.
“I will always remember that day” Anaelle said.
🐙 New insights into pygmy blue whale foraging
Pygmy blue whales may be smaller than their full-sized relatives, but they’re just as impressive—and new research has revealed their diving habits when foraging along their migration route off Western Australia.
A study led by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) tracked the diving behaviour of nine pygmy blue whales using satellite tags and dive loggers. Researchers categorised these dives into foraging, lunge-feeding, travel, and exploratory behaviours, with lunge-feeding—where whales accelerate to engulf prey—recorded for the first time along this migration route.
The data shows that foraging happens at depths of 100 to 400 metres, lasts around four hours per day, and occurs every one to ten days—all while the whales continue their migration between north-west Australia and Indonesia.
Also, and I’ll die on this hill, we need to get better at naming animals—especially when they’re as majestic as the whale.
🌊 'They don't belong in the Med': Fate of mother orca and son still uncertain
Two months after Marineland Antibes closed, mother-and-son orcas Wikie and Keijo remain in limbo. The French marine park shut down in January following a law banning orca performances, but despite efforts to move them, their future remains uncertain.
Attempts to transfer them to another marine zoo in Spain have faced backlash from campaigners who want them placed in a sanctuary instead. A proposed move to Canada was rejected by the French government, and now France’s ecology minister is in talks with other Mediterranean countries about creating a new sanctuary—but details are suspiciously vague.
For now, the orcas remain stuck in a tank, with no clear path forward.
🇺🇸 NOAA firings in Seattle include orca-saving employee of the year
Hanna Miller, a natural resource specialist dedicated to protecting whales from oil spills, ship strikes, and fishing gear, was among the hundreds—if not thousands—of NOAA employees fired by the Trump administration last week.
In 2022, Hanna was at the centre of tracking endangered orcas every waking hour for 42 days to keep them from swimming into an oil spill off San Juan Island. On Thursday, while on vacation in Hawaii, she opened her work email to find she no longer had a job.
The mass firings will undoubtedly have severe consequences for conservation, climate research, and fisheries management. As one NOAA employee put it: “If we lose them, we’re losing not just the world-class work they do day to day but also decades of expertise and institutional knowledge.”
🐬 Hector's dolphin conservation tour marred by 'tragic' death
A Hector’s dolphin (endemic to New Zealand) has died after being caught in a commercial trawl net off Te Waewae Bay, just as conservationists wrapped up a national tour advocating for stronger protections.
Christine Rose, founder of Maui and Hector’s Dolphin Defenders, called the loss “bloody tragic”, especially for the small and vulnerable South Coast populations.
“The loss of even one dolphin is devastating for their pod and the entire population.” Christine said.
Despite years of campaigning, these endangered dolphins continue to die in fishing nets.
Have a great weekend! 📸
Cover image by Anaelle Henry.
That video of the whale pod ascending...WOW! Also, I agree with you on the naming. Maybe use some cool names from mythology?