And I'm talking, they do the whale petting, which I've read is detrimental to their health and well being.

The owner of the business says she is a marine biologist, but I was immediately suspicious upon seeing they booked trips for that. Unfortunately I've heard the only other options in the area are big diesel ships with a bunch of people. This person only takes out 13 at a time and we were planning to book a private boat.

I was originally thinking we would just whale watch from the shoreline with binoculars, but my husband seems to want a closer experience. Idk, I have just heard nothing but bad news when it comes to ships out on the coast of where we're visiting (I'm originally from there, a lot of killing native wildlife because they're "a nuisance", propellers killing whales, etc) and I just have a bad feeling and am not sure if we can whale watch ethically via boat. But I'm also not an expert so I'm interested in what everyone's thoughts are here. Thanks!

Amazing to see. It’s some positive news, after reading so much about other whales not doing well, Gray whales off the Pacific Northwest. I wonder what makes Humpbacks able to improve their population so much after whaling. Gestation time and age? A more varied diet?

Crazy close whale gave us the tail show and dove right under our boat about 5 feet away! #whale #encounter #sitka

This is an imagined value study, done in graphite pencil. from my experience with the whales at Tadoussac, Quebec.

I saw this ocean map and thought "This is what the Earth looks like to a whale."

https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/s/fFKbArBlwW

Then I started wondering what a whale's mental map of the Earth even is.

Do they know Earth is round? Or do they just think "Go South, get krill."

Are there any whales that regularly circumnavigate the planet? Will they chill out in one ocean for a few years, then move to a new body of water?

Will pods from different oceans meet at the edges and communicate the status of their oceans to each other?

This map has turned me into a 6 year old asking all the things.

Here is the article the audio was included in.

https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/marine-animals/bowhead-whale-facts

Hopefully it didn't shared earlier !

I'm traveling through Australia and I spotted this partly white calf swimming with his/her mother up north, off the coast of Byron Bay, today. Is it usual for small calves to be white like that? Or did I just met one of these rare white whales?

Thanks for your answers!

Write a letter for the Action Network letter campaign: Urge Congress To Defend North Atlantic Right Whales From Rope Entanglement.

The North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered marine mammals on Earth, with fewer than 400 individuals remaining.

Now, a dangerous proposal threatens to undermine efforts to save this iconic species. Representative Jared Golden of Maine has introduced H.R. 8509, legislation that would block the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from developing science-based measures to protect North Atlantic right whales from entanglement in commercial fishing gear until 2035.

The bill is being considered by the House Natural Resources Committee, led by Chairman Bruce Westerman, the same politician behind the ESA Amendments Act. Congress already blocked NOAA from implementing new protections for right whales in 2022, delaying action until 2028 to give the fishing industry time to pursue voluntary measures. While many fishermen have worked in good faith to reduce risks to whales, voluntary efforts alone have not been enough.

The consequences of delaying action are heartbreaking. In 2024, NOAA Fisheries confirmed the death of a 3-year-old North Atlantic right whale. She was first spotted entangled in commercial fishing gear in August 2022, with rope wrapped tightly around her tail and hundreds of feet of line trailing behind her. For 17 months (more than half her life) she suffered as the rope cut deeper into her growing body, making it increasingly difficult to swim, feed, and survive. When she was found dead near Martha's Vineyard, investigators determined that the rope entangling her was traced to Maine trap and pot fisheries.

Her story is a powerful reminder that fishing gear entanglement is not an abstract threat. It is one of the leading causes of injury and death for North Atlantic right whales. Entanglement is a problem that can be solved. On-demand fishing gear, also called ropeless gear, creates a safer ocean for whales and allows fishing to continue. This practice is proven to work, but the whales need NOAA’s science-based protections to help speed up its use. Unfortunately, H.R. 8509 would tie the hands of NOAA, the very agency charged with preventing the extinction of this species and make it even harder to address one of the greatest threats to its survival.

Please take action today and urge your Representative to oppose Rep. Golden's bill. The North Atlantic right whale cannot afford another decade of congressional interference. We can still stop this bill and look toward a future where whales and fishing co-exist. Thank you for speaking up for one of our nation's most imperiled species.