Oceans 4Ever

Today’s Pick/Protect 21 candidate comes in all shapes and sizes, and even boasts the largest living animal on the planet: the blue whale.

We’ve been talking about cetaceans a lot lately, and with good reason – they’re a fascinating order of animal – rolling, flipping and diving through our seas, exemplifying the energy, majesty and mystery of ocean life.

But it’s with heavy hearts that we are including ALL species of whales in today’s Pick/Protect choice.

In 1986, a moratorium was adopted to stop the commercial hunting of whales, which has helped protect them from extinction since.

Next month, however, whales’ protection could vanish, as President Obama is considering lifting the moratorium on whale hunting, and granting some countries limits for the number of whales they kill. The biggest whaling nations, Japan, Iceland and Norway, could see rewards if they stay within their killing quotas under the new proposal.

In June, the International Whaling comission (IWC) will meet to discuss this proposal in Morocco. You can read more about it and the proposal in this April 23rd article on MSNBC.

Should whales be left hanging out in the wind? Here are several places you can go to learn more and make your voice heard to stop the lifting of the moratorium:

• Anti-whaling Crusaders on Facebook has a petition you can sign AGAINST lifting the moratorium.
• Visit Save the Whales to find out ways you can help protect these creatures – from daily conservation habits to letter writing and helping to raise awareness among your family, friends and in your community. 
• If you live near or can get to the California coast this weekend, Sunday, May 23rd is a Save the Whales rally day – here is a list of rally locations up and down the California coast.
• Sign the International Anti-Whaling petition.

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Where you been all our lives? Oh, extinct? I see.

The gray whale hasn’t been seen in the Mediterranean Sea for nearly 300 years.

This past Saturday, one such whale was spotted off the coast of  Tel Aviv, Israel, very far from where grays normally live (in the northwest Pacific ocean, where they travel from the Arctic region all the way down to Baja, California, near Mexico).

A gray whale hasn’t been spotted in that part of the world since the late 1600s-early 1700s, and scientists have long thought grays were extinct in the mediterranean.

That’s one heck of a Cetacean road trip.

Israeli scientists even caught the 40+ foot-long rebel whale on film.

Take a look:

Exciting? You bet!

Scientists are a-splash over this discovery, and say it’s “the most amazing sighting in the history of whales.” 

Will there be more? And what in the WORLD are they doing all the way over there?

Read the above link for more, and check out some gray whale facts here to get up-to-speed on this incredible creature and how scientists think it made its journey to the other side of the world.

• Quiz: what does a gray whale NOT have the most other whales do? Which other whale is also missing it? Tell us in the comments below for a special surprise from O4E! (If you get it right, we will notify you and send you your prize. Deadline for answers is 5/19/10)

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Happy 2010, ocean lovers!

We’ve been away too long, and have missed everyone in the ocean blogging community. But new year, new blog and we’re ready to get splashing again!

Alexa has a thing for Belugas. So, naturally, when we found out that Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium is about to introduce their Beluga calf to the world this Sunday, January 24th, at Shedd’s new Oceanarium, (which we visited the day it opened last May) we had to share.

The five-foot four, 185-pound calf, the fifth successful Beluga birth for the Shedd, was born to Pujii (poo-EE-jee) on December 14.  He meets his public this Sunday, and will continue bonding with Mom, nursing and interacting with “roomies” Naya, Mauyak and Shedd’s 24-hour marine mammal team for everyone to see.

Starting TODAY through March 12, visit the Shedd website (above) for a special coupon to bring your babies to meet this baby and get one free child pass with the purchase of an adult pass to the Shedd.

Witness his entry into the world, aka birth,  here:

Let us know if you go! He’ll be in the water waiting for you Sunday at Noon CST in the “Icy North” in Shedd’s Oceanarium. Send us your baby Beluga pics and we’ll post them up here.

And be sure to follow his baby Beluga steps on Shedd’s interactive animal page.

Up next: get crazy with us tomorrow for a very exciting Freaky Fish Friday. You won’t be disappointed (even if you don’t know Japanese)!

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