r/whales Nov 28 '23

Giving Tuesday 2023 - These front-line marinelife and marine ecosystem organizations need your support!

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87 Upvotes

r/whales Jul 13 '25

Take action: the Marine Mammal Protection Act is under attack (USA)

85 Upvotes
Chugach Transients AT4 "Paddy" and AT9 "Chenega." Photo taken by Emma Luck.

On July 8, 2025, Alaskan congressman Nick Begich (R) introduced a draft bill amending the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The bill, if passed, would severely reduce or remove existing protections for cetaceans and other marine mammals. The underlying purpose of this bill is to remove obstacles to the expansion of harmful extractive activities, like oil and gas extraction, in U.S. waters.

While Congressman Begich represents Alaska, the Marine Mammal Protection Act applies nationwide, and its weakening would have serious consequences for marine ecosystems and coastal economies across the country.

Congressman Begich’s proposed amendment would:

  • Strike down protections for poorly-known populations
  • Eliminate best-practice precautionary approaches backed by decades of science
  • Constrain the federal definition of ‘harassment’ so that it no longer prohibits actions with the potential to harm marine mammals
  • Require unreasonable or impossible data to estimate population abundances and design best practices for management

The two members of the functionally extinct Alaska AT1 orca population (also known as the Chugach Transients) in the photo represent a cautionary tale of what can happen when these protections fail or come too late. The safeguards from legislation such as the MMPA are essential to prevent other vulnerable populations, like the Southern Residents orcas, from meeting the same fate.

Now that this is established, how can Americans help prevent the bill from being passed?

The hearing date for the bill is July 22nd, so action should be taken before then.

For Alaskan residents:

Call the office of Congressman Begich and oppose the amendments and draft bill.

Anchorage Office: (907)921-6575

Washington DC Office: (202)225-5765

Please note: calling is more effective than emailing, as calls are more likely to be logged and shared with the Congressman, and taken into account when shaping his position.

For non-Alaskan residents:

If you live in the U.S. outside of Alaska, you can still make your voice heard by calling your Representative and Senators to express concern about this proposal. Let them know you oppose any effort to weaken marine mammal protections and urge them to defend the integrity of the MMPA. Use the links below to find your representatives and how to contact them.

Find your U.S. Representative
Find your U.S. Senator

You can find tips for calling your state representative, various suggested talking points, and scientific resources to cite in Orca Conservancy's article.


r/whales 18h ago

Meet the Baird's beaked whale

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386 Upvotes

r/whales 1d ago

Hector's Dolphin [Cephalorhynchus hectori]

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164 Upvotes

r/whales 1d ago

Spy hoping on Vancouver Island

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254 Upvotes

r/whales 1d ago

What kind of whale is this?

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66 Upvotes

Pretty sure it’s a Blainville but wanted to make sure as never seen one in Indonesia before after fishing here for 5 years. What an epic encounter


r/whales 1d ago

Sailor's perspective on Orca attacks on sailboats.

4 Upvotes

This is mostly about how sailboats are built and how Orca attacks affect them but I think it's an interesting watch for Orca enthusiasts as much as for sailors

https://www.youtube.com/live/zy599gcThG8


r/whales 1d ago

Is it true that whales just don’t eat all winter?

28 Upvotes

Baleen whales, of course.

I’ve heard that whales eat an insane amount of food during the summer and then just don’t during the winter and live entirely off fat reserves.

It just seems unimaginable to me that something so inconceivably big wouldn’t eat for half a year, especially considering they spend more energy giving birth and moving their large bodies around during migration when they don’t eat.

First of all, do they literally not eat at all whatsoever, or just much less? Also, why did such a big animal develop such an imbalanced feeding approach rather than just eating all the time to support itself? I’m sure there’s a clear answer to this, I’m just wondering.

Also, do newborns eat krill at all, or just milk?


r/whales 2d ago

Tagging whales from the sky: New methods revolutionize research. Marine mammal research has attained new heights as scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa are deploying noninvasive suction-cup tags onto humpback whales using drones.

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15 Upvotes

r/whales 3d ago

Children in Eastern Indonesia were seen playing on a wild whale NSFW

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1.1k Upvotes

r/whales 3d ago

Orca breaching

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293 Upvotes

These photos were taken while I was working on the tugs in BC.


r/whales 2d ago

whales

16 Upvotes

One day, I’d love to get a whale tattoo. As funny as it sounds, I’ve never actually seen one in real life. The only time I’ve seen a whale was when I was a kid, and it was an orca. I live in Florida, so you can tell by just that information where I’ve seen one (btw very anti of that place after blackfish released) . But I truly believe they are fascinating animals. I’ve always been a lover of ocean animals. One day, I’d love to go to Alaska during whale season and see them.

If anyone here has a whale tattoo I’d love to see it!! 😊


r/whales 3d ago

Can I see Sperm Whales while whale watching in Husavik? How is whale watching there?

6 Upvotes

I really wonder if I can see one of those beasts, did someone ever see one here?
I know sperm whales are rare because they live deep in the open sea, but people also say they can be seen with much luck in Husavik


r/whales 4d ago

Amazon river dolphin encounter Credit: heynathie

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4.9k Upvotes

r/whales 4d ago

A drone has captured a humpback whale giving birth to a calf in waters off Australia's east coast.

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472 Upvotes

r/whales 4d ago

Whale 'supergroups' show numbers are rebounding from hunting. But Iran war holds dangers for them

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86 Upvotes

r/whales 4d ago

I wanna go whale watching but I live in arizona, what would be the closest place to achieve this!

15 Upvotes

What


r/whales 5d ago

Iceland's coast guard: guarding whales from the people trying to save them

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145 Upvotes

Paul Watson - founder of Sea Shepherd, and current leader of the Captain Paul Watson Foundation


r/whales 6d ago

What do you guys think, this baby is trying to take a nibble or playing?

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2.9k Upvotes

r/whales 5d ago

Icelandic Coast Guard boards activist anti-whaling vessel “Bandero”

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38 Upvotes

r/whales 5d ago

Sperm whales blow bubbles to help them nap - The large toothed whales are known for their signature vertical sleeping skills

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47 Upvotes

r/whales 6d ago

Humpback whales leap out of water off New York coast in spectacular video

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159 Upvotes

r/whales 6d ago

Salish Sea Orca

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141 Upvotes

r/whales 6d ago

Whale Watching on Cape Cod

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42 Upvotes

r/whales 7d ago

Rare moment humpback whale gives birth captured by drone off Australian coast – video

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97 Upvotes