Cookies help us run our site more efficiently.

By clicking “Accept”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information or to customize your cookie preferences.

Accept Deny

GoGreenNation news

Makah tribe gets federal approval to hunt up to 25 gray whales

News Feed
Friday, June 14, 2024

It has been 25 years since the Makah tribe last harpooned a gray whale, a practice its members consider a sacred tradition but was restricted by federal regulation. But on Thursday, the tribe was granted a long-sought waiver that allows them to hunt up to 25 whales in the next decade.The waiver from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is a major victory for the northwest Washington tribe. Whaling is central to Makah culture and treaty rights explicitly protect the tribe’s right to hunt whales, leaders said.“There is now a defined path for us to exercise our reserved treaty right,” Timothy Greene, chairman of the Makah Tribal Council told The Washington Post. “Our community has always been dependent on the ocean. It’s not for sport. The hunt is to provide for our people.”The decades-long wait was painful for the Makah, a community of about 1,500, he added, and it took far too long.Whale hunting is a thousands-years-old practice in Makah culture. It’s depicted in songs, dances and basketry, and intertwined with rituals and ceremonies. The tribe says it uses nearly every part of the whales it hunts, including the meat, blubber, bone and sinew.“It provided us a means to meet our nutritional needs, and provided for the exchange of goods throughout the region,” Greene said. “Our community and societal structure is better off for it.”Animal rights advocates, who have for years opposed the Makah’s pursuit of whaling, said they’re disappointed with Thursday’s decision. However limited, any whaling jeopardizes gray whale populations, and places the endangered Western North Pacific gray whales at risk of being harpooned, according to the Animal Welfare Institute.After a sharp decline in gray whales, the tribe voluntarily halted whaling in the 1920s. The United States later restricted whaling in the 1970s as many species hit the brink of extinction. After the Eastern North Pacific gray whale population recovered, and was no longer considered an endangered species, the Makah notified the federal government of its interest in resuming whaling. The 1999 hunt was the first since the 1920s. By 2000, a federal appeals court said that regulators failed to take a “hard look” at the hunt’s environmental impacts and ordered a halt.Twenty-one years later, an administrative law judge argued the tribe should be granted a waiver under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, a 1972 law that prohibits the killing of whales and other sea life.“Today is a monumental day in the efforts to allow the Makah tribe to exercise their treaty right to subsistence and cultural whaling,” Chris Yates, an assistant regional administrator with NOAA Fisheries, told The Post. “It’s been a real long time coming for the Makah tribe.”The waiver allows the Makah to hunt up to 25 Eastern North Pacific gray whales over a 10-year period. As of this spring, there were about 17,000 to 21,000 of the gray whales along the West Coast, Yates said.Western North Pacific gray whales, which remain on the Endangered Species List with an estimated population of 300, will not be included in the waiver, Yates said.“There are multiple safeguards built into this,” he said, adding that the hunts will take into account when the endangered whales migrate.DJ Schubert, senior wildlife biologist with the Animal Welfare Institute, told The Post that allowing hunting only adds to factors threatening gray whales. The sea creatures face a host of dangers, Schubert said, including entanglement, ship strikes, pollutants, contaminants and ocean noise. The climate crisis further endangers gray whales.“The population is at risk,” he said.While NOAA’s restrictions state that only Eastern North Pacific gray whales may be hunted by the Makah tribe, it could be difficult to distinguish between the eastern stock of whales and the western while out on the water, Schubert added. “We’re not convinced that the restrictions are sufficiently protective of these other groups of gray whales.”Greene pointed back to the Makah tribe’s decision to stop hunting whales when their population was at risk. Members of the tribe are responsible stewards of the land and its creatures, he said.“As important whaling was and still is to our people, we chose to lay down the harpoon when the resource was at a point where it wasn’t healthy,” Greene said.The first Makah whale hunt in decades could happen as soon as the fall, though it’ll probably occur next year, Greene said.The tribe and federal regulators need to enter an agreement, and the Makah must obtain a hunting permit. There will be restrictions on when and where hunts can occur, which would also be subject to change based on whale population sizes.The Makah must also finalize their own tribal regulations and organize a whaling crew. About 10 people who were on the last whale hunt in 1999 are still alive, according to Greene.Greene, 52, has never participated in a whale hunt. Decades of legal battles caused him and hundreds of other members of the tribe to miss out, he said.News of the waiver energized the community, which Greene said will prepare its canoes, paddles and harpoons for the Makah tribe’s sacred tradition.“It’s going to be life changing,” he said.

Read more

It has been 25 years since the Makah tribe last harpooned a gray whale, a practice its members consider a sacred tradition but was restricted by federal regulation. But on Thursday, the tribe was granted a long-sought waiver that allows them to hunt up to 25 whales in the next decade.

The waiver from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is a major victory for the northwest Washington tribe. Whaling is central to Makah culture and treaty rights explicitly protect the tribe’s right to hunt whales, leaders said.

“There is now a defined path for us to exercise our reserved treaty right,” Timothy Greene, chairman of the Makah Tribal Council told The Washington Post. “Our community has always been dependent on the ocean. It’s not for sport. The hunt is to provide for our people.”

The decades-long wait was painful for the Makah, a community of about 1,500, he added, and it took far too long.

Whale hunting is a thousands-years-old practice in Makah culture. It’s depicted in songs, dances and basketry, and intertwined with rituals and ceremonies. The tribe says it uses nearly every part of the whales it hunts, including the meat, blubber, bone and sinew.

“It provided us a means to meet our nutritional needs, and provided for the exchange of goods throughout the region,” Greene said. “Our community and societal structure is better off for it.”

Animal rights advocates, who have for years opposed the Makah’s pursuit of whaling, said they’re disappointed with Thursday’s decision. However limited, any whaling jeopardizes gray whale populations, and places the endangered Western North Pacific gray whales at risk of being harpooned, according to the Animal Welfare Institute.

After a sharp decline in gray whales, the tribe voluntarily halted whaling in the 1920s. The United States later restricted whaling in the 1970s as many species hit the brink of extinction. After the Eastern North Pacific gray whale population recovered, and was no longer considered an endangered species, the Makah notified the federal government of its interest in resuming whaling. The 1999 hunt was the first since the 1920s. By 2000, a federal appeals court said that regulators failed to take a “hard look” at the hunt’s environmental impacts and ordered a halt.

Twenty-one years later, an administrative law judge argued the tribe should be granted a waiver under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, a 1972 law that prohibits the killing of whales and other sea life.

“Today is a monumental day in the efforts to allow the Makah tribe to exercise their treaty right to subsistence and cultural whaling,” Chris Yates, an assistant regional administrator with NOAA Fisheries, told The Post. “It’s been a real long time coming for the Makah tribe.”

The waiver allows the Makah to hunt up to 25 Eastern North Pacific gray whales over a 10-year period. As of this spring, there were about 17,000 to 21,000 of the gray whales along the West Coast, Yates said.

Western North Pacific gray whales, which remain on the Endangered Species List with an estimated population of 300, will not be included in the waiver, Yates said.

“There are multiple safeguards built into this,” he said, adding that the hunts will take into account when the endangered whales migrate.

DJ Schubert, senior wildlife biologist with the Animal Welfare Institute, told The Post that allowing hunting only adds to factors threatening gray whales. The sea creatures face a host of dangers, Schubert said, including entanglement, ship strikes, pollutants, contaminants and ocean noise. The climate crisis further endangers gray whales.

“The population is at risk,” he said.

While NOAA’s restrictions state that only Eastern North Pacific gray whales may be hunted by the Makah tribe, it could be difficult to distinguish between the eastern stock of whales and the western while out on the water, Schubert added. “We’re not convinced that the restrictions are sufficiently protective of these other groups of gray whales.”

Greene pointed back to the Makah tribe’s decision to stop hunting whales when their population was at risk. Members of the tribe are responsible stewards of the land and its creatures, he said.

“As important whaling was and still is to our people, we chose to lay down the harpoon when the resource was at a point where it wasn’t healthy,” Greene said.

The first Makah whale hunt in decades could happen as soon as the fall, though it’ll probably occur next year, Greene said.

The tribe and federal regulators need to enter an agreement, and the Makah must obtain a hunting permit. There will be restrictions on when and where hunts can occur, which would also be subject to change based on whale population sizes.

The Makah must also finalize their own tribal regulations and organize a whaling crew. About 10 people who were on the last whale hunt in 1999 are still alive, according to Greene.

Greene, 52, has never participated in a whale hunt. Decades of legal battles caused him and hundreds of other members of the tribe to miss out, he said.

News of the waiver energized the community, which Greene said will prepare its canoes, paddles and harpoons for the Makah tribe’s sacred tradition.

“It’s going to be life changing,” he said.

Read the full story here.
Photos courtesy of

Related News

From dinosaurs to dolphins, what gaze following reveals about the evolution of empathy

Studying the gazes of other animals has surprising insight into the development of human consciousness

Picture this: You’re at a bar and someone clearly intoxicated starts telling your friend their grand theory about how the Titan submersible implosion was faked. Your friend locks eyes with you, clearly wanting to leave this dreadful conversation. She makes eyes to the door. Following someone’s gaze may seem like a simple act, but it has profound implications for the evolution of intelligence. And humans are far from the only animals that do it. A recent study of bottlenose dolphins in the journal Heliyon adds to previous research identifying the ability to follow the gazes of members of other species — a visual and cognitive trick that may relate to the development of empathy — across a wide range of mammals, not just humans and our fellow primates. What’s even more interesting is to trace this ability through not just the mammal family but beyond, to reptiles and birds — and perhaps back as far as the Jurassic period. Doing so reveals not just aspects of how the human capacity for empathy may have evolved from traits seen in our ancestors, but also displays the mysterious details of evolution by natural selection. While not driven by any conscious or guiding force, it can in a way be seen as nature’s imagination — which sometimes comes up with the same ideas over and over again. Putting yourself in another’s shoes Gaze following can help an animal identify predators or see what tasty treats their same-species competitor has discovered, among other useful things. To evaluate animals’ abilities to follow the direction a human experimenter is gazing — for example, noticing the experimenter looking at food and then checking back to be sure before going for the reward — researchers teach the animals how to independently gain a reward. Then, scientists being mean buggers, will give them a similar task that is unsolvable: this is called the “impossible task paradigm.” An animal’s ability to follow the gaze of another, including another species, may form a basis for advanced social cognition. But, given an impossible task by Elias Garcia-Pelegrin and his team of researchers (who did not respond to an email interview request from Salon), bottlenose dolphins were not, in fact, driven mad in frustration; instead, they demonstrated the ability to use human attentional cues, staying still and quickly alternating their gaze between the experimenter and the object of the impossible task — while giving up the gaze alternation as soon as the lead experimenter’s back was turned towards them. Of note: gaze following isn’t a single thing; the impossible task literature divides it into various types, which may suggest different cognitive abilities on the part of the experimental animal. “High-level” gaze following, like the dolphins demonstrated, involves putting oneself in the shoes of another by watching where they are looking to see from the other’s perspective. In general, by identifying important objects in their environment, an animal’s ability to follow the gaze of another, including another species, may form a basis for advanced social cognition, paving the way for cooperation and empathy. One such high level type, “geometrical gaze following,” occurs if you block the thing that the other is looking at so the subject can’t see it, so that they will physically reposition themself to see what others are seeing. Geometrical gaze following isn’t even seen in human children before eighteen months of age – and yet wolves, apes and monkeys, and birds of the crow (corvid) and starling genuses have all been found to engage in it. You’ll notice, perhaps, that the trait has therefore been seen in various mammal families (primates and the dog-like animals, called canids), as well as some but not all birds. But what does this mean? Converging on a point Most likely, it suggests that visual perspective-taking or gaze following evolved independently in mammal groups that had already diverged earlier in their history. For example, experimental evidence suggests it might have arisen at similar times, though separately, in both the monkey ancestors (primates) and dog ancestors (canids) This is called convergent evolution, where evolutionarily distinct groups that occupy similar environmental roles (or “niches”) evolve similar traits. Want more health and science stories in your inbox? Subscribe to Salon's weekly newsletter Lab Notes. “The sort of simple way that I typically define convergent evolution,” Tim Sackton, director of bioinformatics at Harvard University’s FAS Informatics Group, told Salon, “is if there’s a trait that you see in some species, whatever it is, that evolved independently.” That is, the trait isn’t one that the species you’re comparing got from their common ancestor, but one that emerged in totally different lineages. “Many other traits seem to be solutions to common problems,” Sackton said. “And so natural selection sort of optimizes for organisms to converge on that same phenotype.” By phenotype, Sackton means the actual expression of that trait, like having flippers or engaging in gaze following, as opposed to its genotype, meaning the genetic makeup that results in that trait. Examples of convergent evolution include the similarly streamlined teardrop body shape that evolved in ichthyosaurs, sharks, tuna and dolphins — a response driven by natural selection in similar ocean environments; the camera-like eye structure that evolved independently in vertebrates, including humans, and in cephalopods like squid or octopuses; or certain fish in both the Arctic and Antarctic seas, only very distantly related, which independently evolved antifreeze proteins to protect their tissues and blood from the extreme cold. Likewise, it seems that gaze following is an aspect of social cognition that has proven its worth as a “solution” to problems for a variety of evolutionarily distant groups. As a bioinformatician, Sackton’s interest lies in trying to understand what part of the genome of very different evolutionary groups can lead to similar traits being expressed. The traits that strike us as convergent sometimes actually relate to similar proteins being produced by the expression of related genes in these very distant species; sometimes, though, the convergent traits are more superficial than that and only seem similar without having an underlying genetic basis in common. Take the convergent evolution of flippers. Sackton and colleagues have found that areas of the genome that regulate the development of the hindlimbs are at play in the very divergent types of animals in whom hindlimbs devolved into flippers. By contrast, Sackton’s collaborator Nathan Clark has found that in the loss of eyesight that occurs sometimes in the evolution of many unrelated subterranean animals, the genome changes from that of their non-subterranean ancestors in similar ways to do with genes coding for proteins expressed in the lens, cornea or other parts of the eye. Whether the genes in question relate to the developmental process or to the expression of proteins, Sackton and Clark write that we’re finding that there’s often a lot more genetic convergence — similar things going on at the level of genes — underpinning the similarities we see between unrelated organisms than you’d expect. So far, there doesn’t seem to have been much research into the genetic underpinnings of gaze following in animals — although there has been some looking at humans, in whom impaired gaze following can be a sign of conditions such as autism spectrum disorder. Diverging again What about birds and their reptilian relatives? Why would some have advanced gaze following abilities and some not? A study published last year in Science Advances looks at Archosaurs, the group that includes birds, crocodilians and their dinosaur ancestors, providing some evidence about this. Researchers Claudia Zeiträg, Stephan A. Reber, and Mathias Osvath compared paleognaths, the most neurocognitively “basic” of birds, with crocodilians, birds’ closest living relatives. They found that the alligator, a crocodilian, was unable to really grasp advanced visual perspective taking. However, both the paleognaths (those birds most similar to their earliest bird ancestor, such as the kiwi, the ostrich and the cassowary) and non-paleognath birds (more specialized birds — a nice duck, say, or a swallow — that have evolved characteristics that make them less similar to the earliest bird ancestors) all engaged in gaze following. They even exhibited checking-back behavior at the level of apes. Alligators do follow gazes into the distance, but this simpler form of gaze-following is a feature shared by all amniotes (that is, all of the four-legged animals plus descendants of four-legged vertebrates, like birds). The visual perspective-taking exemplified by geometric gaze following, write Zeiträg and her colleagues, “is a form of functional representation, leading to behaviors that correspond to the fact that the other has a different perspective and that its gaze refers to an object.” Even those basic birds – in scientific terms, “neurocognitively most conserved” – showed both geometric gaze following and the ability to check back, and that “presupposes the expectation that the other’s gaze is directed at something, which cannot currently be seen. Checking-back is a behavior signifying such an expectation,” as they put it. In an alternative pre-history, we might imagine those early gaze-following dinos continuing to evolve, unmolested by giant asteroids that blotted out the sun. In human children, checking back precedes gaze following, and children show evidence of it by about eight months of age. On the other hand, among birds, the more advanced geometric gaze-following has only been observed in some species, but not only the most conserved or "basic" of them. This might mean a particular species evolved to lose this trait, or that we simply haven’t looked hard enough for its presence in different bird species. Similarly, while among the primates, checking back has only been reported in apes and old world monkeys, there haven’t been very many studies of this in primates, and while one rare such study concluded that new world monkeys — spider monkeys and capuchins — don’t check back, in fact an individual spider monkey was observed checking back in that study, over and over. This could be a case where “absence of evidence doesn’t equal evidence of absence” of this trait that, if found, would suggest some pretty advanced social and cognitive abilities. Built for the job… But up for the task? As well as seeking experimental, observational and genomic evidence of gaze following and visual perspective-taking, a complementary approach is to look at the physical equipment making such abilities possible: that is to say, the eyes, body and brain. Alligators and crocodiles have eyes that are adapted for seeing in air, not water. Their eyes, placed on either side of their head, give them a wide field of view and scary-good peripheral vision. Their ability to adapt to scan the shoreline without moving their heads makes crocodiles, as one headline about a study on the subject put it, “fine-tuned for lurking”. The kind of low-level gaze-following they engage in is mediated by subcortical structures of the brain–those more “primitive” parts also found in mammals and fish. Dolphins can use binocular or monocular vision but typically use monocular, giving them a whopping two hundred degree vista from each eye compared to primates’ limited field of view, using our two forward-facing eyes, of around ninety degrees to each side of the midline, sixty below the point of focus, and fifty above. The dolphins thus don’t need to move their heads as most non-primate mammals must if they want to get a good field of sight — a good thing, because their fused cervical vertebrae make that tricky to do. Basically, where head position and forward eyes is thought to be important for the development of gaze following, in dolphins which use echolocation to recognize objects, it may have evolved in a different way. (Like the dolphins, penguins and ibis, which also have eyes on separate sides of their head, have already been found to show conspecific gaze following.) In the study of Archosaurs, small birds simply had a harder time actually carrying out visual perspective-taking than big birds, like the rhea or the emu: they weren’t tall enough to see what the experimenter was looking at. As a short person, this author can only sympathize. Looking at which living species show evidence of advanced gaze following and which don’t suggests that even the more advanced type, and the ability to check for visual references, evolved back in the time of dinosaurs. This also likely means that some dinosaurs evolved the neurocognitive equipment to make these things possible, and that when we start looking into the genomes of these different groups, we’ll find genetic evidence of exactly how these traits are being controlled and whether the dolphin’s gaze following abilities, for example, occur in a similar way to those of the swallow or its Archosaur dinosaur ancestor. But that doesn’t mean that all dinosaurs exhibited this form of social cognition. Instead, it evolved in some dinosaurs only, probably some time after the Archosaur group, a group that includes both reptiles and birds, divided. This division of the constantly branching evolutionary tree gave rise to the ancestors of today’s crocodiles and alligators in one group, and to the ancestors of bird-like dinosaurs and today’s birds in the other. Tracking convergent evolution through the evolutionary tree is best done with a combination of high-throughput genomic analysis and work that looks at actual animals, whether in museums or in the field, to see how traits are expressed. As genomic analysis becomes cheaper and easier to do (and as extinction takes a brutal toll on existing species), it can be harder to get funding agencies to invest in studying an animal in the wild – studying its phenotype, or how it expresses traits – than to sequence the DNA of hundreds of thousands of individuals. “Phenotypic resources are often more challenging,” Sackton told Salon. He stressed the need for collaboration in his work with molecular and organismal biologists to understand how an organism’s ecology might shape what he sees in its genes, and conversely to understand the relevance of the genomic sequencing he does to its phenotype, the traits we can actually observe, like physiology or behavior. “There’s so many weird things that animals and plants do,” he said. In an alternative pre-history, we might imagine those early gaze-following dinos continuing to evolve, unmolested by giant asteroids that blotted out the sun. Instead of evolution ultimately producing as a dinosaur descendant the clever jackdaw that can follow your gaze to steal your food, we might have a society of empathetic dinosaurs whose early capacity to put themselves in other dinos’ shoes (so to speak) could have led to a complex social world, one in which knowing your dinosaur friend is planning their escape from the dinosaur bar is of great interest. Perhaps in that alternate world a dinosaur is writing up a story about convergent evolution and the experiments being done to better grasp the amazing, gaze-following abilities of those curious creatures, the bipedal, big-brained, highly social Homo genus of primates and their previously unsuspected empathetic abilities – almost like dinosaurs themselves. Read more about evolution

Animals
Extinction
Health

Birds Form Surprising Relationships With Other Avian Species During Migration, Study Suggests

New research indicates that birds are not alone while migrating—and sharing space with other species may even help them on the journey

American redstarts and magnolia warblers were thought to fly together merely by coincidence, but new research suggests they might be forming a social relationship. Andrew C via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY 2.0 In the spring and fall, migratory birds make death-defying trips between distant sites, sometimes traveling from Canada all the way down to Mexico or South America. During their long treks, they may encounter bad weather and predators or contend with habitat loss and light pollution. Now, a new study suggests birds do not make these journeys alone—and they may actually be teaming up with other species during migration. Scientists generally thought that birds of different species merely happened to fly near each other while migrating, without interacting much. But the research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in August, suggests this sharing of space isn’t by chance. Instead, the creatures form cross-species migrating communities that could prove to be beneficial to the birds. “It seems like common sense: When all of these birds are concentrating in really high densities, they are likely interacting with each other,” says Joely DeSimone, the study’s lead author and a biologist at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, to Audubon magazine’s Benjamin Hack. Tracing the interactions between migrating animals can be difficult, but DeSimone and her co-authors approached the task by focusing on stopover sites—locations where birds rest and refuel during their migratory journeys. These sites also often serve as bird banding stations, where researchers capture birds in lightweight mist nets, study them and affix tiny numbered bands to their legs before releasing them back into the wild. DeSimone and her team analyzed more than half a million records collected over 20 years to parse avian social networks. The data, collected from five different bird banding stations in northeastern North America, represented 50 songbird species. “We found support for communities on the move—considering migrating birds as part of interacting communities rather than random gatherings of independently migrating species,” says study co-author Emily Cohen, a biologist at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, in a statement. “This work could change the way we study and conserve animal migrations.” In the study, the researchers focused on noting which species were present together and which species didn’t overlap at a stopover site. They ran an analysis to test whether various species appeared together more frequently than they would if their overlap was just random. But they didn’t record specific interactions between the birds. “With our data set, we can’t say whether these relationships are positive or negative,” DeSimone tells National Geographic’s Jason Bittel. “We could be seeing affiliations among birds that are chasing each other into the net, or we could be observing aggressive relationships.” But surprisingly, the researchers found that songbirds tended to show up together rather than avoid each other. American redstarts and magnolia warblers reliably appeared together in the researchers’ nets in spring and fall. The same thing happened with ruby-crowned kinglets and white-throated sparrows. Out of all the species, only American redstarts and ruby-crowned kinglets seemingly avoided each other—a pattern seen at just one banding site—but the researchers don’t know why. Ruby-crowned kinglets (pictured) and white-throated sparrows were the species pair seen together third-most frequently during spring and fall migration. Nigel via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY 2.0 The species that overlapped tended to have similar foraging habits and non-breeding ranges. Scientists had expected to see more competition, especially where food was concerned. But the prevalence of these overlapping encounters hints at a more positive network between them. “The presence of other birds with similar foraging behavior or similar food preferences may signal to newcomers where the good habitat is,” helping them refuel more quickly, DeSimone tells National Geographic. Future research could examine whether successful migrations depend on these networks, or whether key links between species are vulnerable to habitat or climate changes, Steve Dudgeon, a program director at the National Science Foundation, which funded the study, says in the statement. But for now, the paper is already pioneering a shift in understanding bird migrations. “This really allows for a big picture view of what’s happening,” Janet Ng, a wildlife biologist at the department of Environment and Climate Change in Canada who was not involved in the study, says to National Geographic. As humans build roads and cut down forests, migration becomes an increasingly difficult journey for many animals. For birds specifically, research has shown that sometimes their migratory behavior is rooted in their genes, and this could make it harder for them to rapidly adapt to new environmental conditions. But by changing the lens used to understand these bird species, the paper could help conservationists home in on where to direct their efforts. “For a long time, scientists have been working under the idea that a lot of these birds just sort of do their own thing during migration,” says Jill Deppe, the senior director of the National Audubon Society’s Migratory Bird Initiative who wasn’t involved in the study, to Audubon. “Because we weren’t sure about whether birds were moving together and had these interactions, a lot of our approach to conservation has been one species at a time.” But the findings suggest researchers should be able to help declining populations and fast-track conservation actions by understanding migration as communal, she adds. “One species at a time just isn’t going to be fast enough to protect these species and bend that bird curve.” Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Animals
Climate
Conservation

Butterfly thieves handed $200,000 fine

Two Italian men were arrested at a Sri Lankan wildlife park after they were found with hundreds of protected insects.

An Italian father and his son have been fined 60 million Sri Lankan rupees ($200,000; £150,000) for trying to smuggle hundreds of endemic insects - including 92 species of butterflies - out of a safari park.Rangers at Yala National Park arrested Luigi Ferrari, 68, and his 28-year-old son Mattia on 8 May this year after they were found with jars containing the insects.The men had lured the insects with animal attractants and planned on using wax sachets to chemically preserve them, investigations show.They were convicted in early September of illegal collection, possession and transportation of the insects, and handed the highest-ever fine for wildlife crime in the country.One of the park rangers, K Sujeewa Nishantha, told BBC Sinhala that on the day of the incident, a safari jeep driver had informed his team of rangers that a "suspicious car" was parked along the road, and that the two men who were in it had ventured into the forest with insect nets. The rangers located the car and found hundreds of jars containing the insects in its trunk. "All the insects were dead when we found them. They put a chemical in the bottles," Mr Nishantha said. "There were more than three hundred animals."The men were initially slapped with 810 charges, but these were later reduced to 304. They could face two years in jail if they fail to pay the fine by 24 September.Italian news reports say the men were on vacation in Sri Lanka at the time and have been held in the country since the incident. Yala National Park, located in the country's south-east, is one of Sri Lanka's most popular wildlife parks, home to a high concentration of leopards, elephants and buffalos, among other animals. Luigi Ferrari, an orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in treating foot and ankle injuries, was described by his friends as an insect enthusiast, reports say. He is also a member of an entomology association in Modena, a city in the north of Italy.Luigi's friends and colleagues in Italy have pleaded for leniency on his behalf. Some suggested that the butterflies found in his possession have no commercial value, Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported.Dr. Jagath Gunawardena, an expert on environmental law, told the BBC Sinhala that the $200,000 fine was a warning to criminals as well as a good precedent.Wildlife theft is not uncommon in Sri Lanka. Two Russians were arrested on 28 August for collecting animals in the vicinity of the mountainous Knuckles Forest Reserve, a biodiversity hotspot in central Sri Lanka.Additional reporting by BBC Sinhala

Animals
Chemicals
Forests

See 15 Stunning Images From the Ocean Photographer of the Year Awards

The winning and highly commended underwater photography spotlights breathtaking animal behavior, conservation needs and the otherworldly environment of Earth's oceans

The vastness of the ocean evokes both wonder and mystery. And for centuries, photographers have been trying to capture its essence. Since the first underwater photography began in 1856, technology has evolved to allow divers to take breathtaking images that bring to life this unique ecosystem. The Ocean Photographer of the Year Contest, sponsored by Oceanographic Magazine and Blancpain, channels the passion of ocean photographers into a yearly competition. The contest has a simple mission: “To shine a light on the wonder and fragility of our blue planet and celebrate the photographers giving it a voice.” This year, photographers from around the globe submitted more than 15,000 coastal, drone and underwater images to the contest. The shots fell into seven categories: wildlife, fine art, adventure, conservation impact, conservation hope, human connection and young photographer. The competition awards an overall winner—the Ocean Photographer of the Year—in addition to category winners, the Ocean Portfolio Award honoring a photographer’s collection of work and the Female Fifty Fathom Award, which celebrates a boundary-pushing woman in ocean photography. Winners of the 2024 contest were announced September 12, and the recognized photographs include dramatic wildlife encounters, beautiful examples of humans’ connection with the ocean and stark reminders of society’s impact on the marine environment. The image winners will go on exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, Australia, on November 28, followed by several yet-to-be-announced venues in early 2025. Below are the stunning images awarded in this year’s contest, as well as a selection of finalists that also wowed the judges. Overall Winner, Rafael Fernández Caballero A Bryde’s whale opens its mouth, about to devour a heart-shaped bait ball in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Rafael Fernández Caballero The overall winning image shows a Bryde’s whale about to devour a bait ball—a last-ditch defensive measure that occurs when fish swarm together and pack tightly, typically performed by small schooling fish when they feel threatened by predators. In the photo, light shines through the water. Research suggests Bryde’s whales spend most of the day within 50 feet of the water’s surface. While this school of fish may seem like a hearty snack, Bryde’s whales eat an estimated 1,320 to 1,450 pounds of food daily—so this whale likely fed again shortly after. “The image captures perhaps the most special—and craziest—moment of my life,” says photographer Rafael Fernández Caballero in a statement. “It fills me with joy having lived this moment—and to have captured the image.” Female Fifty Fathoms Award Winner, Ipah Uid Lynn A tiny goby perches on a delicate sea whip, surrounded by colors at Romblon Island in the Philippines. Ipah Uid Lynn Ipah Uid Lynn, a Malaysian photographer, took home the Female Fifty Fathoms Award with her body of work that featured this colorful image of a goby. This award works differently than the others. Instead of submitting photos, the recipient is nominated by her peers and judged by a special panel. “It’s a recognition that goes beyond personal achievement,” Lynn says in a statement. “It highlights the importance of storytelling through photography and the voices of women in this field.” This vibrant photograph highlights the beauty of small creatures in the ocean. It depicts a goby resting on a sea whip, a type of soft coral. Sea whips can grow to two feet in total height, making this a spectacular close-up capture. Portfolio Award Winner, Shane Gross Baby plainfin midshipman fish, still attached to their yolk sacs. Shane Gross Canadian photographer Shane Gross encountered this group of baby plainfin midshipman fish still attached to their yolk sacs in British Columbia, Canada. For these fish, it’s the males that provide parental care. While the plainfin midshipman is known to be a deep-sea marine fish, it transcends habitats during the breeding season in summer and migrates to the fluctuating intertidal zone. As the tide moves in and out, the fish face changing temperatures and oxygen levels. While the fish might swim in comfortable cold water in the morning, their rocks could be completely exposed to air in the afternoon. Despite this stressful environment, the male midshipman remains to care for his young. The babies “are guarded over by their father until they are big enough to swim … to ocean depths,” Gross says in a statement. Human Connection Winner, Zhang Xiang A beach reflects the golden haze of the sunset while a traditional fisher wades through the water in Fujian, China. Zhang Xiang A traditional Chinese fisher traverses a beach as the sunset’s golden haze is reflected by the sand and water. China is the world’s largest seafood producer and exporter, accounting for about 35 percent of global production. The sea around China contains 3,000 marine species, of which more than 100 are fished commercially, including mackerel, anchovy, shrimp and crab. Here, the beauty of the landscape brings another economic value to the area in Fujian province. “The gorgeous sight attracts many tourists, bringing income to local people,” photographer Zhang Xiang says in a statement. Adventure Winner, Tobias Friedrich A scuba diver is dwarfed by a shipwreck in the Bahamas. Tobias Friedrich The photo above was a surprise find for German photographer Tobias Friedrich. “We were on a liveaboard cruise to take underwater images of tiger and hammerhead sharks,” he says in a statement. “But due to bad weather conditions, we had to seek shelter and look for alternative dive sites. We decided to dive on this wreck … At that time, the sand under the bow was washed out, which made it an excellent photographic opportunity.” The region surrounding the Grand Bahama has 176 shipwrecks, according to an analysis of historical records done last year. The ship pictured above was intentionally sunken by a dive center. Known as scuttling, this practice of purposefully sinking ships has grown; it can produce dive training sites and increase revenue options for dive centers. However, some scuttling has also been done for ecological reasons, helping to create new artificial reef sites for fish. Conservation (Hope) Winner, Shane Gross A green sea turtle is released by a researcher after being accidentally captured while trying to catch sharks. Shane Gross This green sea turtle was accidentally caught by researchers when they were trying to find sharks. Here, the creature is returned to the ocean after a researcher untangled it from the net, took measurements and tagged the turtle for conservation purposes. Tagging an animal is a crucial way for scientists understand and learn about its species. The practice could help researchers understand migratory patterns, lifespan and how the species spends time. Shane Gross, who snapped the photo, remarks on the future of the tagged green sea turtle: “She is now an ambassador for her species.” The green sea turtle is the largest hard-shelled sea turtle. As herbivores, the animals’ diet of seagrasses and algae gives their fat a greenish color. Green sea turtles can be found worldwide, nesting in more than 80 countries and swimming in the coastal areas of more than 140 countries. Conservation (Impact) Winner, Frederik Brogaard A fin whale, the second-biggest whale species on Earth, at a whaling plant in Iceland. Frederik Brogaard For the 2024 hunting season, Iceland made the controversial decision to distribute a license to a whaling company for the hunting of fin whales. Above, a dead fin whale waits to get butchered at a whaling plant before being sent to Japan. “The picture might induce a feeling of hopelessness, but public uproar throughout the last two years has resulted in the cancellation of last year’s whaling season in Iceland. Unfortunately, a whaling quota was again issued this year,” says Frederik Brogaard, the Denmark-based photographer who captured this image, in a statement. “I hope this picture raises awareness and serves as an inspiration to keep the public pressure on. These whales are crucial in our fight against climate change, sequestering tonnes of CO2 in their lifetime, and are worth more to us alive than dead.” Young Ocean Photographer Winner, Jacob Guy An elusive algae octopus shows off its fluorescence under ultraviolet light in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Jacob Guy The algae octopus is elusive. “Normally coming out to hunt at dusk, with incredible camouflage, these creatures blend seamlessly into the reef—until they are viewed under a different light,” says photographer Jacob Guy of the United Kingdom in a statement. He spotted this individual off of North Sulawesi, Indonesia. “On my last dive of the trip, I got lucky and found one of these beautiful creatures on the hunt for a meal and managed to capture the intense look from its yellow eyes.” Under ultraviolet light, the algae octopus has an uncommon ability—it glows with fluorescence, absorbing the light to emit it at visible wavelengths. But in its resting camouflage state, the animal looks like a shell overgrown with algae—which is how it gets its name. When an algae octopus is hungry, you may find it in an unexpected place: on land. It can move between tidal pools on a beach when hunting for crabs. Fine Art Winner, Henley Spiers Juvenile Munk’s devil rays are attracted by a green light on a boat, seemingly flying through the water in the Sea of Cortez, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Henley Spiers Munk’s devil rays, like the ones above, are found in tropical oceanic waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean. Munk’s devil rays are quite acrobatic. They can leap out of the water, either alone or in groups, performing vertical jumps and somersaults. They mainly feed on opossum shrimp and zooplankton but can also eat small fish. The rays are known to form enormous congregations when feeding, resting or—in at least one instance—mating. Henley Spiers of the U.K. describes in a statement how he captured the photo: “At night, we hung a green light from the back of our boat. As plankton gathered around it, the mobula rays gratefully swooped in for a microscopic buffet. The rays seem to fly through the water as they pursue their dinner. Entranced by their glance, I used a two-second exposure to capture their movements, which, to my eye, felt like an aquatic ballet.” Wildlife Winner, Manuel Castellanos Raboso A mahi-mahi, also called a common dolphinfish, proudly displays its catch amidst a feeding frenzy. Manuel Castellanos Raboso A sunlit mahi-mahi enjoys its catch from the bait ball behind it in Baja California Sur, Mexico. The large fish, which can grow to seven feet long, eat a variety of species, including small pelagic fish, juvenile tuna and invertebrates. Mahi-mahi can reproduce at a relatively young age, as early as four to five months old, and their productivity is one reason why scientists assume the mahi-mahi population is stable. “Its vibrant yellow and green hues shimmer brilliantly under the refracted sunlight against the stunning blue of the Pacific Ocean,” Spanish photographer Manuel Castellanos Raboso says in a statement. “[The mahi-mahi were] moving like torpedoes in front of us. This scene captures the hunt and the energy of the Baja’s marine life.” Finalist, Jake Wilton This rare leucistic green sea turtle was discovered among nests, supported by local conservation efforts, in Papua New Guinea’s Conflict Islands. Jake Wilton Typical sea turtles have deep green coloring, but the individual above has a rare condition: leucism. An animal with leucism experiences a partial loss of pigmentation. This often leads to white coloration in splotches on the animal’s skin or fur. Leucism is not exclusive to turtles; it can be found in horses, cows, cats, dogs, crocodiles, penguins and other species. Notice the dark color of the turtle’s eyes in the photo—this is one trait that distinguishes leucism from albinism, since leucism does not affect the eyes’ pigmentation. Albino animals, on the other hand, have pink, red or light blue eyes. For Australian photographer Jake Wilton, hitting the shutter with just the right timing was critical to achieving this shot. “Using the surface of the calm water, I captured the striking reflection of the hatchling as it surfaced for air,” Wilton says in a statement. In Papua New Guinea’s Conflict Islands, conservation efforts have boosted the numbers of turtle hatchlings. The discovery of this rare leucistic turtle, Wilton adds, “is a testament to the successful turnaround in conservation efforts and the beauty of these endangered creatures.” Finalist, Filippo Borghi One of the Southern Ocean’s most formidable predators, the leopard seal, approaches the camera with its mouth wide open. Filippo Borghi “In the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean, just off the coast of Antarctica, I had the opportunity to capture a breathtaking encounter with one of the region’s most formidable predators—the leopard seal,” says Italian photographer Filippo Borghi in a statement. The leopard seal, sometimes referred to as a sea leopard, is the second-largest species of seal in the Antarctic, behind the southern elephant seal. Its only natural predator is an orca. Sea leopards feed on fish, squid, small crustaceans, penguins, smaller seals and even whale carcasses. Borghi describes his nerves the moment he got the shot. “I held my breath, my heart racing with a mixture of awe and trepidation, as the seal approached, its spotted coat and powerful jaws seeming suspended in the crystalline waters,” he adds. “[Its] dark eyes were fixed on mine.” Finalist, Daisuke Kurashima A diver swims through colorful waters off Iwo Jima. Daisuke Kurashima Iwo Jima is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands, a group of three islands in Micronesia governed by Japan. The effect displayed in the photo above is a product of a special environmental feature of Iwo Jima: hot springs. “When the water from the hot springs flows into the sea, the shallower the water is, the more red or orange it turns,” Japanese photographer Daisuke Kurashima says in a statement. “The visible colors in the water vary depending on the concentration of the hot spring’s components, and the appearance is compared to an aurora borealis.” Finalist, Edwar Herreño Parra Beside the Sharkwater research vessel, which was initially used by the Japanese fishing fleet, swims a whale shark with its distinctive spotted pattern. Edwar Herreño Parra The boat pictured above, aptly named Sharkwater, is a former fishing ship turned research vessel. Beneath it swims an endangered whale shark. Whale sharks have distinctive spotted patterns on their backs, which help divers and researchers to photograph and track individuals more easily. Despite their name, whale sharks are not whales—though they are some of the largest creatures in the ocean. Whale sharks can weigh up to 30 tons and even grow larger than a school bus. Like whales, they are filter-feeders, meaning they eat by straining plankton through their gills. Adult whale sharks do not stay with their young after birth, and only around 10 percent of them make it to adulthood. However, if they grow to adult size, the sharks enjoy a lifestyle with few predators, meaning they can enjoy a long life of up to 150 years. Colombian photographer Edwar Herreño Parra describes his moment with the shark on a tagging expedition. “I stayed in the water with the shark for almost an hour trying to take an image of the endangered species below the scientific vessel. It all came together, and the moody lighting and the rough sea add to the image’s appeal,” he says in a statement. Finalist, Kate Jonker An octopus peeks curiously out from its hiding spot in South Africa. Kate Jonker Octopuses are some of the most physically flexible creatures in all of nature. Beyond this, the common octopus featured here excels at camouflaging with its surroundings. The cephalopod achieves this feat through a network of pigment cells called chromatophores just below the surface of its skin. South African photographer Kate Jonker describes her encounter with the hiding creature in a statement: “This little common octopus was so well camouflaged among the hydroids that I almost missed it. It would peek out, then hide, lifting its head cautiously.” Octopuses are quite intelligent—they can complete puzzles, untie knots and open jars. Interestingly, their intellect is based in a different kind of anatomy than humans’—about two out of three of their neurons are located not in their head, but in their arms. Jonker adds that she spent about 15 minutes just watching this creature, “noticing its curiosity and caution. Gradually, it became braver, spending more time observing me and my camera. Eventually, it allowed me to capture its photo before slipping away beneath her rock.” Reflecting on the experience of getting the shot, Jonker notes that “moments like these are humbling, reminding us we are visitors in their environment, yet they are willing to share a connection.” Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Animals
Conservation
Water

Costa Rica Moves to Ban Loud Fireworks: Protecting People, Pets, and Environment

Costa Rica is nearing a potential ban on noise-producing fireworks due to their negative effects on people, animals, and the environment. The Environment Commission of the Legislative Assembly has advanced the procedure for Law File 23.572, which would enforce this ban. The law, promoted by legislator Alexander Barrantes, aims to regulate pyrotechnic activities that affect […] The post Costa Rica Moves to Ban Loud Fireworks: Protecting People, Pets, and Environment appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

Costa Rica is nearing a potential ban on noise-producing fireworks due to their negative effects on people, animals, and the environment. The Environment Commission of the Legislative Assembly has advanced the procedure for Law File 23.572, which would enforce this ban. The law, promoted by legislator Alexander Barrantes, aims to regulate pyrotechnic activities that affect people and animals. “We want to protect autistic people with hypersensitivity, minors, pregnant women, and pets. Well-known fireworks such as volcanoes, sparklers, and colored lights are not prohibited, only pyrotechnics that exceed 85 decibels,” he explained. In 2023, the College of Psychology Professionals of Costa Rica issued a statement urging all institutions, organizations, and the general public to avoid celebrations with noise-producing fireworks to ensure an end-of-year holiday season empathetic to people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Several health studies indicate that one of the groups most affected by sound fireworks are people with ASD. The Confederation of Autism detailed that noise-producing pyrotechnics cause states of irritability, nervousness, fear, or anxiety, sometimes triggering the need to flee in search of a safe place. The ConecTEA Foundation, based in Spain, pointed out that up to 90% of people with ASD have unusual responses to sensory stimuli. A 2015 study by the University of Oslo determined that firecrackers and fireworks cause more terror in dogs than other loud noises, such as gunshots, heavy traffic, and storms. The study also concluded that fear in animals increases with exposure. According to experts, fireworks also cause alterations in the nervous systems of canines, felines, and other pets. Additionally, they can affect eating habits and even induce blind panic, leading to fear, injuries, or death. “A bill that includes such a ban in the country is a significant step forward. Noise-producing fireworks affect wildlife, pets, and also produce sonic-environmental contamination,” said Juan Carlos Peralta, Director of ABA Animal. The proposed law establishes fines for anyone who uses noise-producing fireworks. Those who detonate pyrotechnic articles louder than 85 decibels will be sanctioned with fines ranging from two to ten base salaries (₡924,400-₡4,622,000). Proceeds from fines will be used for awareness campaigns about the risks of using pyrotechnics for people and animals. Once the law is approved and published in the official newspaper La Gaceta, companies with physical or legal status that still possess sound pyrotechnic products will have 24 months to store, commercialize, import, or export such products. The post Costa Rica Moves to Ban Loud Fireworks: Protecting People, Pets, and Environment appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

Animals
Health

Suggested Viewing

The Invisible Mammal - The Bat Rescuer

Bats are struggling to survive, specifically in North America, where white nose syndrome is causing a sharp decline of certain species. Pertinent issues: climate change, habitat destruction, what can humans must do to prevent extinction.

Animals
Climate
Extinction

The Custodians of the Andean Gold

In the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes, more than 3 800 meters above sea level, live alpaca and vicunia breeders. Quechua and Aymara families protect their animals live off of the sale of the animals’ fiber. Gold mining is another activity that predates the Conquest and is widespread among families living in the border area between Peru and Bolivia. The difficult compatibility on the same territory of these two production activities increases the need for environmental protection and workers' rights. It has become indispensable to support producers so that this activity does not disappear with the migration of native peoples, abandoning traditions and animals.

Animals
Indigenous
Business

Plants, Pollinators & Prayers

Inspired by the decline of monarch butterflies in the Midwestern prairie, a gardener, educator, and pastor transform a rural church’s backyard into a sanctuary for pollinating animals, an educational garden for the community, and a sacred space for spiritual contemplation.

Plants
Animals
Culture

Primal State

Set at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, Port Aransas, Texas, the film is supportive of the international efforts to utilize wastewater treatment facilities as bird sanctuaries. The film features an original jazz score and commentary by naturalist Jeff Anderson and provides a glimpse of some of the diversity of bird life found along the Texas Coast while conjuring a Zen-like union with nature.

Animals
Music
Conservation

Return of the Buffalo

The Lakota people on the Rosebud Reservation of South Dakota welcome buffalo back to their land with hopes that this reunion will restore their cultural, physical, spiritual, and economic health.

Animals
Indigenous
Social Justice

Join us to forge
a sustainable future

Our team is always growing.
Become a partner, volunteer, sponsor, or intern today.
Let us know how you would like to get involved!

CONTACT US

sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on the latest films and environmental headlines.

Subscribers receive a free day pass for streaming Cinema Verde.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.