World Whale Day is February 18

• 2010- John Calambokidis, a research biologist with Cascadia Research in Olympia, Washington, assisted in the examination of a dead gray whale that had stranded near Seattle. Found in the stomach: 20 plastic bags, small towels, surgical gloves, a pair of sweatpants, duct tape, and a golf ball. (Source)
• 2011: Humpback Whale in Australia entangled in a 25mm nylon rope which appeared to have been used for securing cargo (Source)
• 2011- Dead Sperm whale was floating off Mykonos, Greece. When examining its distended stomachs they found almost 100 plastic bags and other pieces of debris.
• 2014 Crete: NATO’s Naval Exercises Massacre Whales in Crete; In 1996 and again in 1997, dozens of beaked whales of the same species turned up along the Peloponnesian coast; in 2011, they were stranded on the island of Corfu as well as the east coast of Italy, across the Ionian Sea.  In each case, navies were training with high-powered sonar in the area. (Source)

• 2014- How a DVD Case Killed a Whale (National Geographic) August 21, 2014, a young female sei whale was discovered dead in St. Julien’s creek, off the Elizabeth River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.
• 2016- far more than thirty sperm whales have washed ashore in Europe since the beginning of last year. Four of the thirteen whales found in Germany were discovered to have large amounts of plastic waste in their stomachs.  The marine debris included a fishing net, a plastic car engine cover, and part of a plastic bucket entanglement in abandoned fishing gear or “ghost nets,” being injured or killed in collisions with large ships, coping with noise pollution, and enduring rising levels of marine pollution.
• 2016 Sperm Whale washes in India: Injuries suggest hit by ship
• March, 2017 an Entangled Humpback Whale was seen and photographed by our Kauai Searider Adventure Tour vessel and other operators off the South shore of Kaua’i about 300 yards from Koloa Landing in Po’ipu (Source)
• 2017 Humpback whale that is now buried at Nobbys Beach in Port Macquarie, killed by Marine Debris (Source)
•  2017: A 33-foot humpback found dead Tuesday at East Atlantic Beach marked the 14th deceased, stranded whale in the society’s New York records this year. Most of the 14 were found on Long Island. For comparison, there were four large whale deaths in 2016, eight in 2015 and six in 2014, according to AMCS. A decade ago, reported deaths were even fewer: just one in 2006 and four in 2007. (Atlantic Marine Conservation Society)
• 2017: Rare Pygmy Whale washes ashore in Palm Beach, Florida.
• 2017 Huge Whale washes up in Nigeria: No cause of death was found as locals descended and cut up the meat.
• 2017 Ireland: A study of dead whales, dolphins and porpoises found that nearly one in 10 were found with marine debris in their systems.  A shotgun cartridge was found in one stranded whale, as well as an ice cream wrapper and fragmented plastics.
• 58 humpbacks had been reported dead from North Carolina to Maine from January 2016 to last month, with eight of those in New York. Based on necropsies conducted on about 20 of the whales, experts said about half had evidence of ship strikes.

NYS large whale deaths
2017: 14
2016: 4
2015: 8
2014: 6
2007: 4
2006: 1

Source: Atlantic Marine Conservation Society

 According to Marine Pollution Bulletin, cetaceans are ingesting plastic debris at a rate as high as 31 percent, and in turn, 22 percent of those cetaceans were at an increased risk of death.

If you love whales, I highly recommend going whale watching to really appreciate these incredible mammals. Be sure to research your whale watching organization that they have adopted Sustainable Whale Watching practices.

Whale Resources

1. Alaska Whale Foundation 
2. Arabian Sea Whale Network: Researchers and conservation organisations working together to study and protect unique whale populations in the Northern Indian Ocean
3. Blue Ocean Society: How Often Do Whales Feed by Marine Debris
4. Blue Voice: (Florida)
5. Blue Whales Endangered
6. California Whale Rescue 
7. Gotham Whale: New York Whale Research and Advocacy
8. Frozen in Time: How Modern Norway Clings to Its Whaling Past
9. Greenpeace and the Anti-Whaling 
10. International Fund For Animal Welfare: Report on Whale Watching 
11. International Whaling Commission 
12. Monofilament Recovery & Recycling Program
13. NRDC: Whaling in Iceland 
14. One Green Planet on Norway and Whaling 
15. www.nationalwhaleday.com.au
16. Pacific Whale : Marine Debris
17. Responsible Whale Watching
18. Save The Whales 
19. Sea Shepard
20. The Whaleman Foundation  (Lahaina, Maui)
21. The Whale Sanctuary Project The mission of The Whale Sanctuary Project is to establish a model seaside sanctuary where cetaceans (porpoises, dolphins and whales) can live permanently in an environment that maximizes well-being and autonomy and is as close as possible to their natural habitat.
22. Whale Center of New England 
23. Whale Trust 
24. Whale Facts 
25. Whales 
26. Whales of Guerrero Research Project in Mexico
27. Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society 
28. World Cetacean Alliance
29. World Wildlife 
30. Save The Whales on Pinterest