It’s a good thing that California has more parcels of ocean set aside as protected than most other states because a study published in today’s jounal Conservation Letters revels that every single spot of ocean off the California coast is adversely impacted by humans in one way or another. In fact, according to Ben Halpern, a scientist at the University of California Santa Barbara, the states oceans are affected by “10 to 15 human activities annually.”

This study looked at the location of twenty five human caused sources of ecological stress including commercial fishing, climate change, and land based sources of pollution and used this information to the composite map you see below.

Halpern says that the dramatic results mean that "Ocean management needs to move beyond single-sector management and towards comprehensive ecosystem-based management if it is to be effective at protecting and sustaining ocean health.”

These waters are also home to some of the most beautiful Marine Sanctuaries in existence and waters which are critical to many species of whale and dolphin. Blue Whales, the largest animal to ever live on earth, regularly migrate along these waters and Grey Whales migrate through these troubled waters annually on one of the longest known migrations between feeding grounds near the bearing sea and calving grounds in Baja California.

"The results are a wake-up call," Halpern says "We are significantly affecting the oceans."  This isn't just a wake up call for California, but one which echo’s continued plea’s to protect our oceans and the wildlife within them. Human's are impacting nearly every possible inch of ocean in a bad way and we're working for innovative solutions for both animals and people. Learn more about IFAW’s work on both the California grey whale and the critically endangered Western Pacific Grey Whale. By supporting IFAW you can help us protect these wonderful species and many others.

Volunteers are needed for a whale study in Iceland. The fieldwork primarily involves cetacean mapping and behaviour observations from a land-based station. Also, the fieldwork includes boat-based line-transect observations (1 – 2x a month) and behavioural observations during whale watching tours. 

Releasing a stranded animal is always an exhilarating experience, but there is a wide range of emotions that go through our heads whenever an animal is released. Often there is an initial sigh of relief after the arduous task of recovering, stabilizing, and transporting the dolphins. As you stand in the surf, squinting your eyes to try and spot a dorsal fin in the suns glare another question starts to quietly pop up in the back of your head. “How will I know if they’re ok?” Responders will ask themselves. As the dorsal fins disappear among the swells that question becomes a nagging one that’s always in the back of your mind. It used to be that if a stranded animal came ashore deceased you pretty much knew the rescue was a failure and if you never saw the animal again you hoped everything was ok.

Cape Cod juts out from the Massachusetts coast like a flexed arm and has historically been a hot spot for marine animal strandings due to this feature. It’s reputation held true with a stranding event yesterday in Wellfleet, MA. Often times whales, dolphins, and even sea turtles will be migrating along the coast and find themselves trapped on the beaches of Cape Cod. Yesterday morning a Fin whale and four Common Dolphins were reported to IFAW’s Marine Mammal Rescue Team. Instantly the team rapidly assembled a response and headed to Wellfleet.

While some marine mammals, such as seals, naturally spend time on shore, most everything else stays in the water. (ok, another exception that just popped in my head is Sea Turtles coming ashore to lay eggs) When a whale or dolphin winds up on land it’s a life threatening situation that requires quick action. With powerful tails (called a fluke) and a streamlined shape these have evolved to live life in the water. A whale that weighs 30-tons moves effortlessly through the water, but will quickly crush its internal organs under its own weight when on land.

Luckily the Fin whale was herded out to sea yesterday morning and when we arrived on scene four Common Dolphins were sitting on the frozen ground. IFAW’s Marine Mammal Rescue Team and lots of volunteers showed up to help out with the rescue. The animals appeared healthy so we carefully carried them in stretchers to IFAW’s Emergency Response vehicle waiting near by. A brief road trip to Provincetown at the very tip of Cape Cod and they were one step closer to freedom. The reason we move them to this location is so we can release them where they can easily access open ocean. One of the dolphins was outfitted with a satellite tag that enables us to monitor how effectively we do our job of rescuing dolphins. So far two transmissions from the tag shows the dolphin heading away from land and out to sea.

Just another ordinary day for IFAW Marine Mammal Rescue Team and thanks to their efforts a group of dolphins which would have otherwise perished, are swimming free.

Check out the pictures and map below!

Take a look at this map and you'll understand why Cape Cod is such a hot spot for strandings of marine mammals.
View Larger Map

In George Bush’s final days as President he surprised conservationists throughout the world by proclaiming several parcels of ocean as National Monuments. Under the little known Antiquities Act the president has the authority to declare something to be protected as national monument. While it does not have the same ecological significance as a National Marine Sanctuary in the United States, it does offer some recognition to particularly important oceanic habitats.

 Spanning about 195,000 square miles these new protected areas are 50 percent larger than all our national parks combined. About the size of Spain, they are just slightly bigger than the Phoenix Islands reserve established by the Pacific island-nation of Kiribati just last year. Kingman, Palmyra, Howland, Baker, Jarvis, Johnson and Wake Atolls ( known as the line islands.) as well as the Rose Atoll in Samoa have all be declared national monuments. Additionally, the Marianas Trench, the deepest spot on earth where only two humans have ever been, also received protection. These are some of the last few true wilderness areas on Earth. Due to their location within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone they’re also the newest protected areas of US territorial seas. Still, they represent just a fraction of what scientists consider an enough protected habitat to safeguard our sea. Despite the extreme remoteness of these areas, they’re still subject to all the threats our planet faces as a whole.

President Bush was undoubtedly the worst president in history when it comes to Ocean conservation, but looks like he made a few attempts to redeem himself in his final days in office. Now if only he hadn’t been such a huge supporter of offshore drilling, coal power, and put so much effort into disassembling the clean water act! Now that Bush is gone it will be exciting to see how Obama delivers on his promises of protection for the environment.

The U.S. departments of Interior and Commerce today jointly announced the availability of the final Framework for the National System of Marine Protected Areas of the United States, completing a cooperative, multi-year effort to provide a comprehensive approach to the protection of the nation’s natural and cultural marine treasures.

The National System of Marine Protected Areas is the first formal mechanism for coordinating MPAs across all levels of government. The agencies also announced the nomination process for federal, state, territorial, tribal and local sites to join the National System of Marine Protected Areas.

MPAs are defined areas where natural or cultural resources are given greater protection than the surrounding waters. In the U.S., these areas may span a range of habitats including the open ocean, coastal areas, inter-tidal zones, estuaries, and the Great Lakes.

“Today’s announcement highlights a new focus on working together across jurisdictions to conserve our common ocean heritage,” said Timothy Keeney, deputy assistant secretary for oceans and atmosphere. “Through the national system of MPAs, we will have a more efficient, effective approach to conservation of the nation’s important natural and cultural marine resources.”

SEATTLE - Seven Puget Sound killer whales are missing and presumed dead in what could be the biggest decline among the sound's orcas in nearly a decade, scientists say. While the official census won't be completed until December, the total number of live orcas now stands at 83. Among those missing since last year's count are the nearly century-old leader of one of three pods, and two young females who recently bore calves. (AP)

A rare Blue Whale was sighted off the Massachusetts coast yesterday.  Blue Whales are the largest animals ever to have lived and can grow to be nearly 100 feet long and weigh close to 100 tons.  The whale was sighted during a research cruise by the Whale Center of New England.  Check out the story by clicking here.

A whale that swam inland and became stranded on mudflats has been rescued after a major operation.
The 15ft mammal, believed to be a Minke Whale, got trapped after making its way about two miles up the River Forth, on the east coast of Scotland.

Forth Coastguard said around 20 rescuers were involved in the bid to coax the creature back out to sea near the village of Limekilns, in Fife.

A member of the public spotted the stricken mammal and alerted the coastguard - who used lights to help with the rescue effort.

When the lamps were shone on the creature, he appeared to roll off the mud banks and swam out to sea.
His release came at about midnight on Monday - after more than two hours of frantic work by volunteers to save the whale.

Test your marine geography knowledge with this URI/NOAA map of the World’s Largest Watersheds and Currents. To get you started here are the first three answers:

1. Bering Sea
2. Gulf Of Alaska
3. California Current

Click HERE for the large printable version of the Quiz and HERE for the answers.