I love this writer! I love the long list of things we can do that she gives us at the end. And I love that I find out about the hundreds of thousands more whales that exist on Earth because people are correcting past mistakes and saving a little fish with an odd name, Menhaden. Save the Menhaden!
It's so helpful to see you come in tight on the ties between commercial fishing regulations and whale populations. Some of the data is deeply cheering. (BTW: I'm a born New Yorker and I have never heard of menhaden, but I do know pogies!) I love how you tackle headline writing too in all its many vagaries...
Thank you for this!!! I think the one thing everyone no matter their position on the political spectrum can agree on his freedom. Well we cannot have true freedom of choice if we don't have the opportunity to make an informed choice.
As someone who considers himself well-informed about ocean issues, I did not know about and am glad to read of a conservation program that has worked marvelously to the benefit of these creatures that are more than likely - smarter than we are.
Furthermore, I am dumbfounded by the fact that “menhaden” is not used here as a double entendre for Manhattan. … Thank you.
Native Americans told the pilgrims to include a menhaden fish when planting the three sisters, corn, squash, and beans. Menhaden comes from the Algonquian, derived from munnohquohteau, which means “he fertilizes.”
I attended the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium Annual Meeting and two days of the Ropeless Consortium Annual Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island. Good news. The right whale population for 2023 rose to 372. In 2022, there were 367 right whales, an increase of 1.9%. The 2023 increase in population included twelve whale calves.
Unfortunately, in 2024, five right whales have been killed by ship strikes (3), entanglements (1), and one unknown cause. Alarming was the death of four females with calves. Researchers presume the four calves are dead. At least twelve right whales have suffered injuries in 2024.
The 143 unique right whales observed on the Continental Shelf between Hudson Canyon and Block Canyon in late May and July are extraordinary! Right whales don’t migrate except for mothers and calves returning to Cape Cod Bay in increasing numbers. Over half of the right whale population is not seen annually between June and September. They have free choice, and we don’t know where they’ll choose to go.
Using lineless lobster trap lines is proving even more difficult. The mechanics have been mostly worked out. Reliable gear has been developed that will surface with a signal from the arriving lobster boat, causing the buoy to surface. A benefit is that it takes less time to haul the shorter line and gear onboard.
Computers, software, and data storage/access are more complicated and challenging. Lobstermen are not thrilled by a system that recovers their pots when the computer must be rebooted six times. They are very concerned about how the information will be managed. Who can access what information? There are concerns that the government will mandate all New England’s lobster fleets pay for Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet constellation to retrieve their traps.
Right whales are suffering from ship strikes, entanglements, and declining food sources. Over the last 25 years, phytoplankton productivity has dropped 65%, and copepod fat content has also decreased, requiring whales to eat more for the same caloric value. In 1996, Monsanto developed seeds that were tolerant of glyphosate, the herbicide in Roundup. Since then, the spreading of Roundup has increased tenfold. We have cut down vegetation and lost soils while increasing the number of impervious surfaces. Summer rains are warmed on these heat islands. More and warmer stormwater carries more pollutants and heat to the ocean.
The waters are warming and becoming more polluted, harming whales because of what we do on the land. We can do better for whales.
I love this writer! I love the long list of things we can do that she gives us at the end. And I love that I find out about the hundreds of thousands more whales that exist on Earth because people are correcting past mistakes and saving a little fish with an odd name, Menhaden. Save the Menhaden!
It's so helpful to see you come in tight on the ties between commercial fishing regulations and whale populations. Some of the data is deeply cheering. (BTW: I'm a born New Yorker and I have never heard of menhaden, but I do know pogies!) I love how you tackle headline writing too in all its many vagaries...
A beta reader told me I had to add "pogies" in there. I'd never heard of "menhaden" until a few years ago.👍
Thank you for this!!! I think the one thing everyone no matter their position on the political spectrum can agree on his freedom. Well we cannot have true freedom of choice if we don't have the opportunity to make an informed choice.
May the Menhaden be with you … always.
Great to know: A group of hummingbirds is a charm! Very lovely!
I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this. Thanks for the info - I will definitely share.
I remember the old fish factory in Promised Land, located between Amagansett and Montauk on the East End of Long Island. Once, it was a thriving facility for processing bunkers for meal and oil. https://eastendthen.wordpress.com/2017/01/14/smith-meal-company-promised-land/
As someone who considers himself well-informed about ocean issues, I did not know about and am glad to read of a conservation program that has worked marvelously to the benefit of these creatures that are more than likely - smarter than we are.
Furthermore, I am dumbfounded by the fact that “menhaden” is not used here as a double entendre for Manhattan. … Thank you.
Great job on the post
Valuable post
Native Americans told the pilgrims to include a menhaden fish when planting the three sisters, corn, squash, and beans. Menhaden comes from the Algonquian, derived from munnohquohteau, which means “he fertilizes.”
I attended the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium Annual Meeting and two days of the Ropeless Consortium Annual Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island. Good news. The right whale population for 2023 rose to 372. In 2022, there were 367 right whales, an increase of 1.9%. The 2023 increase in population included twelve whale calves.
Unfortunately, in 2024, five right whales have been killed by ship strikes (3), entanglements (1), and one unknown cause. Alarming was the death of four females with calves. Researchers presume the four calves are dead. At least twelve right whales have suffered injuries in 2024.
The 143 unique right whales observed on the Continental Shelf between Hudson Canyon and Block Canyon in late May and July are extraordinary! Right whales don’t migrate except for mothers and calves returning to Cape Cod Bay in increasing numbers. Over half of the right whale population is not seen annually between June and September. They have free choice, and we don’t know where they’ll choose to go.
Using lineless lobster trap lines is proving even more difficult. The mechanics have been mostly worked out. Reliable gear has been developed that will surface with a signal from the arriving lobster boat, causing the buoy to surface. A benefit is that it takes less time to haul the shorter line and gear onboard.
Computers, software, and data storage/access are more complicated and challenging. Lobstermen are not thrilled by a system that recovers their pots when the computer must be rebooted six times. They are very concerned about how the information will be managed. Who can access what information? There are concerns that the government will mandate all New England’s lobster fleets pay for Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet constellation to retrieve their traps.
Right whales are suffering from ship strikes, entanglements, and declining food sources. Over the last 25 years, phytoplankton productivity has dropped 65%, and copepod fat content has also decreased, requiring whales to eat more for the same caloric value. In 1996, Monsanto developed seeds that were tolerant of glyphosate, the herbicide in Roundup. Since then, the spreading of Roundup has increased tenfold. We have cut down vegetation and lost soils while increasing the number of impervious surfaces. Summer rains are warmed on these heat islands. More and warmer stormwater carries more pollutants and heat to the ocean.
The waters are warming and becoming more polluted, harming whales because of what we do on the land. We can do better for whales.