Author: Pacific Whale Foundation

Marine ecosystems, from coastal to deep sea, now show the influence of human actions. In the previous installment of this series, we gave an overview of the ever-increasing threat of climate change; what is it? How does it impact our ocean? And ultimately, how does it impact whales and dolphins? We…

WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE?  Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing the health of our planet, both on land and in the sea. Atmospheric greenhouse gases trap some of the heat energy that would otherwise re-radiate to space, causing the planet to…

Recently, there has been nationwide attention drawn to the harmful side effects of many practices of the fishing industry, and that’s great! However, there have been some misunderstandings that have arisen regarding this topic as it has grown in popularity, that we have addressed as a science-, education-, and conservation-based organization.

As we conclude our fisheries interactions series, we examine some of the ways PWF works to mitigate major stressors, such as bycatch, to whales and dolphins around the globe and what you can do to help.

Because of the varied nature of the fishing industry, bycatch mitigation efforts also vary greatly, sometimes even from fishery to fishery. In this installment we will take a high-level view at some of those mitigation efforts happening at the global, national and local level.

Written by Conservation Coordinator Shelby Serra Fishing – from meager to monstrous    Fish as a means of nourishment have been an integral component of human history for millennia. However, in the last 50 years, annual global consumption of seafood products has more than doubled…

We’ve made it to our final installment of Making Waves, focusing on responsible whale watching and marine tourism governance. Since we now know that education and operator compliance play integral roles in the sustainability of the industry, we can ask ourselves – what is Pacific Whale Foundation doing about it? How have we contributed over the last 40 years? What are we up to TODAY that continues to contribute to both the conservation of the species involved and the inspiration we ignite in the nearly 400,000 people we reach every year? Check out our final installment and learn about PWF’s contributions to responsible marine tourism!

How is whale watching conducted in other parts of the world? From our last installment, we learned that in the U.S. we take good care to protect and conserve the species encountered on these types of trips. How do other countries do it? What are some of the similarities and differences? Check out this next Making Waves installment to learn more about marine tourism governance from sea to shining sea!

In order to understand how responsible whale watching can be achieved, we must understand what the ingredients are for a safe and informative whale watch. In our next installment of this Making Waves series, we highlight the policies and people that work to ensure responsible viewing of wildlife in their natural environments. Who decides how close we can get? And what responsibility do the people working aboard the boat have to the conservation of the animals involved? Read our next installment of Making Waves to learn more.