Humpback Whales

The U.S. Navy began aiming piercing blasts of underwater sound at humpback whales off the coast of Hawaii, testing a new sonar submarine detection system that environmentalists say could harm the endangered marine mammals. The tests, designed to see how the whales react when bombarded by deafening noise, were cleared to begin after a federal judge in Honolulu refused a request by environmental groups to stop them.

Representatives of the International Whaling Commission meeting in Panama this week have approved a controversial proposal extending the Aboriginal and Subsistence Whaling quotas for three countries: the United States, Russia and the Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent & the Grenadines.  The vote passed by a three-fourths majority, according to American Cetacean Society Director Cheryl McCormick , who is attending the meeting. The proposal sparked objections from a number of whale conservation groups because it is the first to “bundle” the quotas for three whale species into one request, which can be approved with a single vote.

A six-year, six-nation study found more humpback whales in the Atlantic Ocean than scientists had believed were there. But the biologists warn that the higher estimate may be largely the result of better ways of counting rather than an indication that the endangered species is recovering from whaling and other man-caused injuries. The international team of researchers estimated there are 10,600 humpback whales between Norway in the north and the West Indies in the south.

The humpback whales on an extended pit stop off Santa Cruz may be just too popular for their own good. As the marine giants have steered unusually close to shore to feed, locals and visitors alike have paddled, sailed and motored out in a frenzied flotilla to greet them up close. So close, authorities say, that the sightseers are putting themselves at risk of being seriously injured or even killed. Already, kayaks have been flipped over and a sailboat's mast was snapped when a whale blasted up from below.

A 25-foot baby humpback whale washed ashore on Long Island after it apparently had been hit by a ship. The whale surfaced Friday night at Robert Moses State Park on Fire Island. After an autopsy, marine biologists ruled that the whale had suffered bruising and internal hemorrhaging.

The decomposing carcass of a young humpback whale washed up Tuesday on a La Jolla beach. The female whale had been dead for two weeks and sharks had been feasting on its carcass, said Kelly Robertson of the National Marine Fisheries Service. The whale was discovered by a lifeguard on patrol. Robertson said there didn't appear to be anything unusual about the whale's death.

Hundreds of researchers from 10 Pacific Rim nations will take part in a $3.3-million project to study the humpback whale population, federal marine officials have announced. The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration said the three-year project will be the most comprehensive study ever of the endangered mammals.

A proposal to build a container port in a pristine bay on Colombia's coast frequented by humpback whales has raised an outcry among environmentalists who say the project would put the giant mammals at risk. Malaga Bay is one of the whales' primary northern stops on their long migratory journey from the Antarctic to as far as Costa Rica. The bay's relative isolation and natural conditions make it an appealing place for the animals to mate and give birth. As many as 1,000 humpbacks are believed to arrive there from June to August.

Two humpback whales that became entangled in marine gear were freed by whale rescue teams, officials said. One whale was freed southeast of Maine's Bar Harbor, the other about 150 miles away off the Massachusetts coast. Humpback whales are listed as endangered species in the United States.

Whale populations in the Southern Hemisphere, severely reduced after years of hunting, are recovering faster than previously thought. Details of the report were published by the University of Sydney this week after a 13-year survey of whale sightings on the Australian coast, where several species mate and breed. Prof. Michael Bryden said that humpback whales, which can weigh up to 16 tons, have increased the most.

Reporting from the Channel Islands -- Natalie Senyk and Ben Waltenberger peered out the bubble-shaped windows of the small research plane flying 1,000 feet over the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and scanned the ocean surface for signs of life. On that bright, windy day earlier this month, the federal scientists were looking, in particular, for blow holes or the gigantic, gray outline of surfacing whales. Photos: Separating whales and ships The aerial survey is part of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration mission to learn more about the movement of whales and to devise ways to keep them away from the container ships, fishing vessels, barges and sailboats that have been colliding with them at a rate of six a year in California.

When it comes to long walks on warm, sandy beaches, Southern Californians are spoiled by our many choices. But how about strolling miles of tropical beach? Or sauntering across acres of sand dunes? Or traipsing miles of sandy coast with dramatic vistas and views of humpback whales? Or even dipping into local culture as you meander? Tropical breezes Amble along Sugar Beach on the southwest coast of Maui (from Maalaea east and south for four miles to the Koieie Loko Ia Fishpond)

A proposal to build a container port in a pristine bay on Colombia's coast frequented by humpback whales has raised an outcry among environmentalists who say the project would put the giant mammals at risk. Malaga Bay is one of the whales' primary northern stops on their long migratory journey from the Antarctic to as far as Costa Rica. The bay's relative isolation and natural conditions make it an appealing place for the animals to mate and give birth. As many as 1,000 humpbacks are believed to arrive there from June to August.

Swim with the humpback whales at Silver Bank, Dominican Republic. Observe whale behavior and snorkel with them during seven-day trips on a comfortable 18-passenger boat. Great adventure and educational too. Conscious Breath Adventures, P.O. Box 430343, Miami 33243; (305) 753-1732, http://www.consciousbreathadventures.com From about $3,000 per person -- Doris Schaffer, Fallbrook

Blue whales have changed their songs. It's the same old tune, but the pitch of the blues is mysteriously lower -- especially off the coast of California where, local researchers say, the whales' voices have dropped by more than half an octave since the 1960s. No one knows why. But one conjecture is that more baritone whales indicate healthier populations: The whales may be less shrill because they're less scarce and don't have to pipe up to be heard by neighbors. The discovery was accidental.

Giving in to worldwide criticism, Japan's government announced Friday that a whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean for its annual hunt would not kill 50 rare humpback whales as originally planned. The fleet does plan to kill 935 minke whales, a smaller, more plentiful species, and 50 fin whales. Japan dispatched its whaling fleet last month to the ocean off Antarctica in the first major hunt to include humpback whales since the 1960s.

Skin samples taken from the two humpback whales that took a 90-mile detour up the Sacramento River last month showed the younger of the two, believed to be a mother and calf, was a female, officials said. Biopsy results also revealed that the pair belonged to a population that feeds off the coast of California and were not lost members of a herd from farther north, the nonprofit Marine Mammal Center reported.

How can we be guardians of the natural world when it is we who threaten it? How can we protect other animals when we don't know what they are? I ask these questions not despairingly but practically, because every day we have to make decisions in ignorance. How can we assess the importance of what is not known? I'm thinking about a project called ATOC (Acoustic Thermography of Ocean Climate) and the difficulty of measuring its impact on marine mammals.

A Japanese whaling fleet left port today for a hunt that will include humpback whales for the first time in decades. The whalers planned to kill as many as 50 humpbacks in what is believed to be the first large-scale hunt for the species since a 1963 moratorium put the giant marine mammals under international protection. Japan's annual research whaling mission is permitted by the International Whaling Commission, but anti-whaling activists call it a coverup for a commercial hunt.

Skin samples taken from the two humpback whales that took a 90-mile detour up the Sacramento River last month showed the younger of the two, believed to be a mother and calf, was a female, officials said. Biopsy results also revealed that the pair belonged to a population that feeds off the coast of California and were not lost members of a herd from farther north, the nonprofit Marine Mammal Center reported.