Dolphins recognize themselves in mirrors, act very silly

CNN's Randi Kaye goes down in an underwater lab to see how dolphins react to themselves in a mirror.

[Randi Kaye  observes that dolphins’ "high levels of intelligence are, in many ways, much like our own,” and she asks scientist Diana Reiss , “If that's true, what does that tell us?"

It tells us that dolphins should be treated as 'non-human persons'. Ethically and legally, slaughtering them in such places as Taiji and the Faroes should be considered murder.]

Dolphins see themselves in mirror

Technorati Tags: marine mammal,dolphin

Using iPads to bridge communication gap with dolphins

By Chris Foresman

Research scientist Jack Kassewitz has found that the iPad's touch-based interface is so intuitive that even some nonhuman species can use it. In this case, that species happens to be dolphins. Kassewitz is using iPads with custom-developed software to help facilitate two-way communication between humans and dolphins.

Kassewitz has worked for years studying the behavior and communication patterns of dolphins. Numerous studies on dolphin language show signs of advanced intelligence, and it is believed that the high-frequency sounds dolphins make underwater are capable of communicating information that is holographic in nature. Since humans don't communicate natively with holograms, Kassewitz is currently working on a project to build a symbolic language that dolphins and humans can use to communicate with one another.

Kassewitz searched for nearly two years to find a touchscreen device that dolphins could reliably activate with their rostrum (or beak), while still being powerful enough to record or play back the high frequency sounds associated with dolphin language and durable enough to work in underwater environments. He had originally settled on the Panasonic Toughbook, but recently began evaluating the iPad as an alternative. …

The first step in building that system of communication is a very simple game wherein a dolphin named Merlin is shown an object, such as a ball or a rubber duck. (Kassewitz told us that dolphins respond well to the color yellow.) Then Merlin has to point to an image of the object on the iPad's screen, selecting it with his rostrum.

"Games are a relatively simple way to build an understanding between two animals—humans included," Kassewitz told Ars. "Games require agreements to work, and agreements require some high-level thinking." Ultimately, Kassewitz will build a library of symbols that dolphins can recognize that form the basis of "a complete language interface between humans and dolphins." …

Using iPads to bridge communication gap with dolphins

Technorati Tags: dolphin,marine mammal,communication

Closing of sushi restaurant that served endangered whale ‘a self-imposed punishment’

I’ve never seen anything like this announcement from a business:

After twelve years doing business in Santa Monica, The Hump will be closing its doors effective March 20th, 2010.

The Hump hopes that by closing its doors, it will help bring awareness to the detrimental effect that illegal whaling has on the preservation of our ocean ecosystems and species. Closing the restaurant is a self-imposed punishment on top of the fine that will be meted out by the court. The Owner of The Hump also will be taking additional action to save endangered species.

One such action will be to make a substantial contribution to one or more responsible organizations dedicated to the preservation of whales and other endangered species.

The Hump apologizes to our loyal customers, the community of Santa Monica, and the public at large for our illegal actions. While the current difficulties faced by The Hump overshadow the many friendships formed over the years, we want our customers and friends to know how much we thank you for your support.

The Hump

Technorati Tags: endangered species,marine mammal,poaching

Sushi chef, restaurant charged with serving endangered whale

 

(Reuters) - A California sushi chef and the restaurant in which he worked have been charged with illegally serving meat from an endangered Sei whale, the Justice Department said on Thursday.

Kiyoshiro Yamamoto, 45, and the parent company of the popular restaurant The Hump in Santa Monica were charged late on Wednesday with violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act which makes it illegal to sell any kind of whale meat.

The case stemmed from informants who ordered whale meat at the restaurant in October 2009 and evolved into a sting operation by U.S. wildlife and customs officials who observed whale meat being served at the restaurant last week.

"Someone should not be able to walk into a restaurant and order a plate of an endangered species," U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. said in a statement. …

Sushi chef, restaurant charged with serving endangered whale

Technorati Tags: endangered species,marine mammal,poaching

Scientists say dolphins should be treated as 'non-human persons'

By Jonathan Leake

Dolphins have been declared the world’s second most intelligent creatures after humans, with scientists suggesting they are so bright that they should be treated as “non-human persons”.

Studies into dolphin behaviour have highlighted how similar their communications are to those of humans and that they are brighter than chimpanzees. These have been backed up by anatomical research showing that dolphin brains have many key features associated with high intelligence.

The researchers argue that their work shows it is morally unacceptable to keep such intelligent animals in amusement parks or to kill them for food or by accident when fishing. Some 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises die in this way each year.

“Many dolphin brains are larger than our own and second in mass only to the human brain when corrected for body size,” said Lori Marino, a zoologist at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, who has used magnetic resonance imaging scans to map the brains of dolphin species and compare them with those of primates.

“The neuroanatomy suggests psychological continuity between humans and dolphins and has profound implications for the ethics of human-dolphin interactions,” she added. …

Scientists say dolphins should be treated as 'non-human persons'

Technorati Tags: marine mammal

New acoustic tools may reduce ship strikes on whales

Over the past decade, researchers have developed a variety of reliable real-time and archival instruments to study sounds made or heard by marine mammals and fish. These new sensors are now being used in research, management and conservation projects around the world with some very important practical results. Among them is improved monitoring of endangered North Atlantic right whales in an effort to reduce ship strikes, a leading cause of their deaths.

"The tools available to both acquire and analyze passive acoustic data have undergone a revolutionary change over the last ten years, and have substantially increased our ability to collect acoustic information and use it as a functional management tool," said Sofie Van Parijs, lead author and a bioacoustician at NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass. "These tools have significantly improved monitoring of North Atlantic right whales and enhanced the efficacy of managing ship traffic to reduce ship strikes of whales through much of the western North Atlantic off the U.S. East Coast."

Van Parijs is one of many researcher whose work is decribed this month in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series. Her paper is one of about a dozen in a special theme issue focused on acoustics in marine ecology. Van Parijs, who currently heads the NEFSC's Protected Species Branch, is also a co-author of a related paper on acoustic interference or masking, in which marine animals alter their use of sound as a result of changing background noise. …

New acoustic tools may reduce ship strikes on whales

Technorati Tags: marine mammal

Japanese town in 'The Cove' setting dolphins free

By YURI KAGEYAMA (AP) – 10 hours ago

TOKYO — The Japanese town chronicled in the award-winning film "The Cove" for its annual dolphin hunt that turns coastal waters red with blood has suspended killing the animals — at least for this week's catch — following an international outcry.

The western Japanese town of Taiji will sell some of the animals to aquariums as it does every year, but the remainder of the 100 bottlenose dolphins that were caught early Wednesday in the first catch of the season are to be released. In the past, they were killed and sold for meat.

An official at the Taiji fisheries association, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the town abhors the publicity its dolphin-killing has drawn, said Thursday that the decision was made partly in response to the international outcry created by "The Cove."

He said about 50 of the dolphins will be hand-picked for aquariums and the rest will be set free, although a time for that has not been set. In Wednesday's hunt, the fishermen also caught 50 pilot whales, which were slain and sold as meat, he said.

He said it was unclear whether the town would stop killing dolphins. He said residents wanted to avoid trouble, but did not want to cave in to activists and give up what they see as a tradition.

Ric O'Barry, 69, the star of "The Cove" and dolphin trainer for the 1960s "Flipper" TV series, welcomed the news, saying it was a sign that overseas pressure had worked and expressing hope that the town would now institute a "no-slaughter policy."

"I am elated," O'Barry, who was in Tokyo, told The Associated Press. "When I heard that, I did a backflip off the bed here." …

Japanese town in 'The Cove' setting dolphins free

Technorati Tags: marine mammal,mammal decline

Today is a good day for dolphins!

Editor’s Note: This piece was written by guest contributor Richard O’Barry of the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition.

As TakePart reported earlier this week, O’Barry is currently in Taiji, Japan with European and Japanese journalists in anticipation of the annual dolphin slaughter that usually takes place the first week of September.

Today is September 1st, the first day of the dolphin slaughter season in Japan. But when I arrived today by bus from Kansai Airport with media representatives from all over the world, the notorious Cove from the movie was empty. There were no dolphin killers in sight. So today is a very good day for dolphins!

I vowed to be back in Taiji when the dolphin killing began. I’ve often been here alone, or accompanied by a few environmentalists. Sometimes, I was able to talk a major media organization into sending someone.

But the people of Japan never learned about the dolphin slaughter, because none of the media in Japan (with the exception of the excellent Japan Times) have ever sent reporters to the killing Cove. Until today!

When I got off the bus at the Cove this afternoon, I was accompanied by my son Lincoln O’Barry’s film crew, a crew from Associated Press, Der Spiegel (the largest magazine in Germany), and the London Independent.

No dolphins and no dolphin killers. We would not have had a story at all, except for the police who were there, waiting all day for us to appear. Nine policemen came to talk to us.

Now, I have said this repeatedly: Unlike the Cove fishermen, the police from this Prefecture have always acted professionally, courteously, and fairly. I have never been mistreated or threatened by the police here. I think they are a microcosm of the people of Japan–the very people I am trying to reach about the dolphins!

And as I was talking with the police, as the international journalists stood around listening, suddenly a camera crew arrived from Japan! And then another! And then still another!

You have to understand that this is SO IMPORTANT. These TV stations have REFUSED to cover the story in Taiji for years and years. NOW, for the first time, they have shown up, with cameras rolling. The head policeman talking with me even said, for the cameras, that the police are not there to support the dolphin killing fishermen. We shook hands, and they left.

As I said, it is a good day for the dolphins. And for me personally, as the police only wanted to talk with me, not arrest me! ...

Urgent Update from Taiji: September 1, 2009, A Good Day for Dolphins

Canadian seal hunt 'collapsing'

By Lee Carter
BBC News, Toronto

Canada's fishermen catch only 25% of this year's seal quota, blaming falling prices for seal pelts and an expected EU ban on seal products.

Canada's annual seal hunt has ended with only a quarter of the quota of seals being caught.

The quota had been set at 273,000, but fishermen in Newfoundland and Labrador, eastern Canada, took some 70,000 seals.

They blame plummeting prices for seal pelts and an impending European Union ban on seal products, which is expected to come into effect in October.

Some local fishermen are wondering if this could be the beginning of the end for the centuries-old practice.

Many hunters from fishing communities in eastern Canada, did not even bother taking their boats out for this year's seal hunt.

The market price for a seal pelt is about $12, a steep decline from a peak of $100 a pelt a few years ago. …

Canadian seal hunt 'collapsing'

Technorati Tags: marine mammal

Sonic alarm saves marine mammals from ship strike

 

By Phil McKenna

A new sonic alarm could warn off whales and manatees threatened by approaching ships. Endangered North Atlantic right whales are especially at risk from collisions – only about 350 remain, and at least a third of all right whale deaths over the last decade were due to ship strikes.

A team of researchers at Florida Atlantic University believes that many collisions occur because there is region in front of moving ships where propeller sounds are blocked.

"If the ship is wide enough, the sound of the propellers is deflected off to the sides," says Edmund Gerstein, who presents his team's findings this week to the Acoustical Society of America.

Gerstein notes that individual manatees in Florida have been hit as many as 50 times by boats. "They seem to actually seek out the quieter zone in front of the ship as a refuge," he says.

So he and his colleagues developed a small device to fit on the bow of a ship below the waterline, which emits sound waves focused into a narrow beam. Gerstein says that in preliminary testing of the device, manatees always changed course to avoid the approaching ships. …

Sonic alarm saves marine mammals from ship strike

Technorati Tags: marine mammal

It’s Official – The European Seal Bill has passed

The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly today to ban seal product imports. Our long struggle to achieve this goal is over and it has ended in a great victory for civilized morality and ecological responsibility over barbaric greed, cruelty, and waste.

The Canadian government has already threatened to challenge the legislation, expected to take effect in the first half of 2010, at the World Trade Organization. They will fail, and if they have any sense of responsibility to the majority of Canadians who do not support sealing they will desist from trying to threaten a 25 billion dollar trade agreement with the European Union.

The results of the vote in Strasbourg were overwhelming: 550 votes for the ban and only a mere 49 against it. The European Bill to ban seal products passed with 92% support from the European parliamentarians.

"Hopefully this will give the government of Canada the message that they need to join the 21st Century," said Captain Paul Watson. "This kind of barbarity has absolutely no place in our world today." …

It’s Official – The European Seal Bill has Passed!!!!!

Technorati Tags: marine mammal

Russia bans the slaughter of baby harp seals

 

The baby harp seals of the world have now found at least one civilized place on this planet to be born where they can be spared the greed and cruelty of humankind.

The Russian government has banned the hunting of baby harp seals in the regions surrounding the White Sea.

"It is clear that it should have been banned a long time ago," said Putin at a meeting with the Minister of Natural Resources.

This leaves only Canada and Norway as the remaining baby seal butchers and both of these nations should be ashamed of themselves in light of this decision by Russia.

Putin acknowledged the importance of the hunting industry in the region and said that he would require the government to compensate incomes of the White Sea people in connection with the ban on hunting.

"This is one of their means of existence. Therefore, simply banning is inadequate. A system of support measures must be worked out to secure employment and income of those who live and work there," said Putin. ...

Russia Bans the Slaughter of Baby Harp Seals

Technorati Tags: Russia,marine mammal

Harpooners charge Steve Irwin, Sea Shepherd crew under continuous bombardment by LRAD weapon

This is all going to look great on HD, when Animal Planet’s Whale Wars Season Two airs.

Steve Irwin Suffers Second Collision with the Japanese Fleet

Operation Musashi
Update from the Ross Sea

February 6th, 2009, 1830 Hours (Sydney Time)
2330 Hours (PST) (February 5th)
75 Degrees 52 Minutes South and 165 Degrees 18 Minutes West

At 1800 Hours the harpoon vessels Yushin Maru No. 1 and the Yushin Maru No.3 decided to run the Sea Shepherd blockade to transfer two dead whales to the flensing deck of the Nisshin Maru. The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin was blocking the slipway to prevent the transfer in order to shut down the illegal Japanese whaling operations.

As the Nisshin Maru attempted to hook onto the dead whale, the Steve Irwin and the Yushin Maru No.3 collided with the forward starboard side of the Steve Irwin and the port stern side of the harpoon vessel coming together.

"We told them to not continue their illegal whaling operations and that we would be blocking the stern slipway of the factory ship," said Captain Paul Watson. "They decided to test our resolve and apparently expected us to retreat when they charged in ahead of us to make the transfer."

Captain Watson said that the Steve Irwin became difficult to control under a barrage of metal objects, blasts from the water cannons, and the disorientation caused by the LRAD acoustic weapons that the whalers were using on the conservationists.

"I was dazed by the sonic blasts being used on us at close range." said Captain Watson. "I have to admit it was difficult to concentrate with that devise being focused on us."

"I've never felt anything quite like it," said Emily Hunter from Toronto, Canada. "It penetrates the body and you can feel your muscles vibrating. It made me dizzy and left me somewhat dazed."

The Steve Irwin suffered no noticeable damage from the collision and no one was seriously injured. A few of the Sea Shepherd crew were struck by golf balls and pieces of metal. The crew of the Steve Irwin were unable to determine if there was any damage done to the harpoon hunter killer boat.

The two whales were transferred after the Steve Irwin shut down the operations of the fleet for twelve hours.

"We are trying to make this as difficult as possible for them to continue their illegal activities, "said Molly Kendall from Adelaide, South Australia. "It is difficult to see them murdering these whales and we are determined to do everything we possibly can to stop this horrific slaughter."

The Steve Irwin remains on the tail of the Nisshin Maru to attempt to obstruct any further transfers in an effort to stop the unlawful poaching of the whales by the Japanese whaling fleet.

"I wish we did not have to be down here in this dangerous situation," said Captain Watson. "I've said repeatedly that if Australia or New Zealand would agree to take Japan to the international court on this than we would back off. Because international law is not being enforced, we have no choice but to do what we can with the resources available to us to defend these endangered whales in this established international whale sanctuary."

Steve Irwin Suffers Second Collision with the Japanese Fleet

Technorati Tags: Sea Shepherd,whaling,marine mammal,endangered

Global whale "hot spot" discovered off East Timor

By Rob Taylor

CANBERRA, Dec 31 (Reuters) - One of the world's highest concentrations of dolphins and whales -- many of them protected species -- has been discovered off the coast of East Timor, local and Australian researchers said on Wednesday.

A "hot spot" of marine cetaceans migrating through deep channels off the Timor coast, including blue and beaked whales, short-finned pilot whales, melon headed whales and six dolphin species was uncovered in a study for the Timor government.

"We were all amazed to see such an abundance, diversity and density of cetaceans. Most of them are actually protected," principal scientist Karen Edyvane told Reuters.

"It's among the world's hot spots for cetaceans," she said. The survey was done by East Timorese researchers and experts from the Australian Institute of Marine Science, working from a traditional 20-metre wooden Indonesian vessel.

...

"We are committed to ensuring that this marine biodiversity is protected," said Celestino Barreto de Cunha, director of fisheries management for East Timor's government.

Global whale "hot spot" discovered off East Timor
31 Dec 2008 05:02:56 GMT

Technorati Tags: marine mammal