First ever study shows male squid help choose a home for their mate
Plus do whales get stressed out by boats and what does a toothless shark look like?
Hi Pod,
So… I have a confession to make. Last week, despite having been working on it for several months, I totally forgot to tell you about a NEW study I wrote about for Nat Geo that was published on Sunday. It’s all about never-before seen reproductive behaviours in bigfin reef squid. Personally, I think it’s pretty cool so I hope you like it.
And plenty of other cool ocean news to keep us going this week too… please do share it with your network if you find it interesting!
🐳 Whales & dolphins
Whale stressful: Do whales get stressed out by tourist boats? (Phys.org)
Last of the Right Whales: new documentary showcases the fight to protect these mammals from extinction - see the trailer (Deadline)
Change of tune: researchers believe they have discovered why humpbacks in the southern hemisphere suddenly change their songs, while those in the northern hemisphere do so gradually (Guardian)
🦈 Sharks
Jaws: Hollywood is to blame for shark fears, says study (Mongabay)
First underwater footage: critically endangered Angelshark has been recorded in Wales (Sky News)
Toothless: I only clicked on this to see what a ‘dentally challenged’ great white looks like - can you resist the clickbait beter than me? (Yahoo!)
Baleen is provided completely free each week to help you keep on top of the latest marine conservation news - if you find it useful, shout me a coffee (thanks!)
🐙 Marine animals
Whale of a difference: researchers discover the differences between whale and bird song (Phys.org)
At risk of vanishing forever: The IUCN Red List has been updated with changes to sharks, Komodo dragons and tuna (Al Jazeera)
Seal survey: ZSL finds there are fewer seals in the Thames estuary compared to 2019 (CGTN)
🎣 Fisheries & threats
Newly minted: investigators in Indonesia to go after illegal fishing kingpins (Mongabay)
Urgent ban: conservationists call for a deep-sea mining ban (Guardian)
Disappointed: conservationists say new regulations for lobster fisheries don’t go far enough to protect North Atlantic right whales from entanglements (CAI)
💰 Opportunities
UC Santa Cruz: is hiring an evolutionary biologist within its ecology and evolutionary biology department
PhD Scholarship: to undertake research in seaweed aquaculture technology with the aim of restoration (New Zealand only)
BLUE: is seeking a Greece Projects Manager to assist in delivering Greek marine conservation projects.
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🐚🐠 Ecosystems
Global decline: Seagrass ecosystems are in trouble... which is bad news for manatees (Mongabay)
Crewless vessels: uncrewed surface vessels are collecting data about ocean ecosystms while cutting the cost and emissions of surveys (CNN)
Coral Atlas: after four years, the world’s first global map of shallow reefs is complete (Geekwire)
📣 In case you missed it
Ocean crime mysteries: find out about the life of the CSI of the Sea… by me! (warning: contains graphic images)
I didn’t do it on porpoise: charity urges members of the public not to touch or move stranded cetaceans and call the emergency rescue line instead (BDMLR)
Caribbean coastlines: a study finds plastic bans don’t always correlate to pollution levels (Sky News)
Thanks folks and see you next week!
Melissa