The Thames whale - helping save the last 130 western grays

9 February 2012

WWF's 11-metre replica whale was up and down the Thames in central London this week, helping us spread the word about the urgent plight of the critically endangered western gray whale. 

There may be fewer than 130 western grays left. The threat they face right now is from plans for a new (third) drilling platform in their vital feeding and nursing grounds off Sakhalin island in the far east of Russia.

We spent two days on the streets, and river, in central London - in weather sometimes more typical of far eastern Russia - raising awareness of the issue.

We spoke directly to staff at the banks involved in funding the new platform, and made sure they got the message - we want the banks to use their power to do the right thing and help protect these whales. 

Read on:  http://www.wwf.org.uk/news_feed.cfm?unewsid=5670

Critically endangered whale tagged for first time

Only about 130 western gray whales left


December 2010: One of the world's most endangered whales has been successfully tagged is now being followed off the coast of Russia's Sakhalin Island.

There are only about 130 western gray whales left, and they are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with perhaps only about 33 mature and reproductively active females. Their feeding grounds in the Russian Far East are known but details of their migration routes and breeding grounds are not.

'We wanted to take no chances'
This is the first time an individual from the Western gray whale population has been tagged and tracked using telemetry.

‘Tremendous care was taken to select a healthy adult male,' says Greg Donovan, head of science for the International Whaling Commission (IWC), who co-ordinated the project. ‘Although the risks associated with such tagging are minimal, we wanted to take absolutely no chances with females or young animals. The information we expect to get from this study is vital to international conservation efforts to preserve this population, as is the collaboration between governments, international organisations, international scientists, industry and other stakeholders.'

The tagged whale, known as Flex, has been seen regularly in the Sakhalin area in summer since it was photographed as a calf in 1997. The team has been following its movements via satellite with data beamed from the transmitting tag.

‘Not a lot is known about western gray whales, so finding out where they migrate to breed and calve will be a tremendous step forward,' says Bruce Mate, director of the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University, who led the tagging part of the opration and has pioneered the use of satellites to track whales since the 1970s.

'This will help us to protect the whales'
‘Finding the migration routes and winter grounds of this critically endangered population will allow range states to develop or improve effective measures to protect the whales,' says Vyatcheslav Rozhnov, deputy director of the A.N. Severtsov Institute for Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IPEE RAS), who led the scientific expedition.

Critically endangered whale tagged for first time

Only about 130 western gray whales left


December 2010: One of the world's most endangered whales has been successfully tagged is now being followed off the coast of Russia's Sakhalin Island.

There are only about 130 western gray whales left, and they are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with perhaps only about 33 mature and reproductively active females. Their feeding grounds in the Russian Far East are known but details of their migration routes and breeding grounds are not.

'We wanted to take no chances'
This is the first time an individual from the Western gray whale population has been tagged and tracked using telemetry.

‘Tremendous care was taken to select a healthy adult male,' says Greg Donovan, head of science for the International Whaling Commission (IWC), who co-ordinated the project. ‘Although the risks associated with such tagging are minimal, we wanted to take absolutely no chances with females or young animals. The information we expect to get from this study is vital to international conservation efforts to preserve this population, as is the collaboration between governments, international organisations, international scientists, industry and other stakeholders.'

The tagged whale, known as Flex, has been seen regularly in the Sakhalin area in summer since it was photographed as a calf in 1997. The team has been following its movements via satellite with data beamed from the transmitting tag.

‘Not a lot is known about western gray whales, so finding out where they migrate to breed and calve will be a tremendous step forward,' says Bruce Mate, director of the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University, who led the tagging part of the opration and has pioneered the use of satellites to track whales since the 1970s.

'This will help us to protect the whales'
‘Finding the migration routes and winter grounds of this critically endangered population will allow range states to develop or improve effective measures to protect the whales,' says Vyatcheslav Rozhnov, deputy director of the A.N. Severtsov Institute for Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IPEE RAS), who led the scientific expedition.