onderzoek

Male porpoises living around the UK coast may be experiencing significant fertility reductions due to the presence of banned industrial chemicals, new research indicates. >> read more …

The North Sea is one of the most heavily used shelf regions worldwide with a diversity of human impacts, including shipping, pollution, fisheries, and offshore constructions. These stressors on the environment can have consequences for marine organisms, such as our study species. >> read more …

Scientists have now used permanently installed underwater microphones, which have been recording for the past nine years, to successfully gather and analyze whale observation data from the Weddell Sea. The AWI’s underwater recordings confirm: Minke whales prefer the shelter of sea ice, while humpback whales avoid it. >> read more …

Onderzoekers hebben meer dan 130 kunstriffen – Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) – uitgezet op de zeebodem in alle Europese regionale zeeën. Zo krijgen ze inzicht in de langetermijnveranderingen van harde substraten in kusthabitats en worden ze vroegtijdig gewaarschuwd over de komst van niet-inheemse soorten, de impact van klimaatverandering of menselijke activiteiten. >> lees verder … Meer lezen

A distinct ulcerative dermatitis known as “freshwater skin disease” is an emerging clinical and pathological presentation in coastal cetaceans worldwide. In Australia, two remarkably similar mortality events enabled the creation of a case definition based on pathology and environmental factors. >> read more …

Wij mensen begeven ons nogal eens op zee – en veroorzaken daar steeds meer herrie. In hoeverre hebben zeedieren daar last van? Dat onderzocht bioloog Annebelle Kok op verschillende manieren, bij verschillende soorten. >> lees verder …

Dat blijkt uit een studie van WUR. De Noordzee telt tal van gasplatforms en windmolens. En er komen er nog heel veel bij. Oude constructies moeten volgens internationale afspraken worden weggehaald. Maar ontheffing van die opruimplicht is in sommige gevallen mogelijk. Bijvoorbeeld als het negatief effect op de natuur te groot is. >> lees verder … Meer lezen

Certain species of whales, seals and other endangered marine mammals could fall victim to COVID-19 infection through wastewater and sewage that seeps into their marine habitats, researchers at Dalhousie say in a new study that has found some of the animals to be highly susceptible to the virus. >> read more …

We covered a lot when it comes to these huge aquatic mammals but there was one big topic we didn’t get to: and that’s how whales communicate. We’ll learn more about the sounds whales make: singing, whistles, and echolocation clicks with Amy Van Cise, a biologist at NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, Washington. … Meer lezen

Dit voorjaar, in mei 2020, ving een kotter in de Noordzee ter hoogte van Schouwen een Mul met op de kop vastgehecht een grote griezelige, bloedzuigende parasiet. Hoewel zeldzaam, werden zulke huiveringwekkende parasieten al eerder op Noordzeevis gezien. Er zijn zelfs aanwijzingen dat ze toenemen. >> lees verder …

The MoD is being asked whether its recent Nato war games event around the coast of Sutherland was responsible for a number of cetaceans washed ashore. Marine experts concluded that deep-diving whales washed ashore around Scotland’s coast have suffered from the bends. >> read more …

With over a century of records, we present a detailed analysis of the spatial and temporal occurrence of marine turtle sightings and strandings in the UK and Ireland between 1910 and 2018. Records of hard-shell turtles, including loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta, N = 240) and Kemp’s ridley turtles (Lepidochelys kempii, N = 61), have significantly … Meer lezen

Unlike us humans, whales lack an unconscious breathing system. Cetaceans are voluntary breathers, which means that they need to think about every breath they take, 24/7. So how do these air-breathing mammals survive a night underwater? Short response: whales sleep with half their brain only! >> read more …

Stichting De Noordzee bestaat 40 jaar. Om dat te vieren gaan we op pad met een reeks bijzondere mensen die op, in of voor de Noordzee werken. Vandaag: als er een walvis aanspoelt, rinkelt Lonnekes telefoon. >> lees verder …

Whales, dolphins, and porpoise occupy a wide variety of habitats. They range from the small harbor porpoise found in shallow coastal waters to massive sperm whales diving below 1000 meters to catch the perfect squid! The underwater world can be like a labyrinth, and at times can have limited visibility-, especially below 200m, in the … Meer lezen