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Recent Population Decline in Northern Right Whales

9/24/2017

1 Comment

 
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http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/north-atlantic-right-whale-deaths-st-lawrence-spd/

September 19, 2017
Contact: Shelley Dawicki
NOAA Fisheries
New Method to Estimate Abundance, Detect Trends in North Atlantic Right Whales Confirms Recent Population Decline
​Study confirms need for urgent action
NOAA Fisheries researchers and colleagues at the New England Aquarium have developed a new model to improve estimates of abundance and population trends of endangered North Atlantic right whales, which have declined in numbers and productivity in recent years.  The findings were published in the journal Ecology and Evolution.

Between 1990 and 2010, the abundance of North Atlantic right whales increased just under three percent per year, from about 270 animals in 1990 to 482 in 2010. After relatively steady increases over that time, abundance has declined each year since 2010 to 458 animals in 2015.  The analysis shows that the probability that the population has declined since 2010 is estimated at 99.99 percent. Of particular concern is decline of adult females in the population, estimated at 200 in 2010 but 186 in 2015, the known deaths of 14 North Atlantic right whales this year, and the widening gap between numbers of males and females.   
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"Although our work directly reveals a relatively small decrease, the subtext is that this species is presently in dire straits,” said lead author Richard Pace
Continue Reading at NOAA Fisheries
1 Comment
Rose Writes link
9/24/2017 01:29:39 pm

I believe vertebrates ARE becoming infected with Wolbachia and it's applicable to baleen whales, some birds, shorebirds, and even humans.

Supporting studies:

1) "Aerial insectivores fell 51 per cent, and shorebird populations declined by 43 per cent, even as waterfowl and birds of prey increased."

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/wwf-living-planet-index-1.4288173

2) Sperm counts have declined by more than half for Western men: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/sperm-count-declining-north-america-europe-australia-1.4220661

"Even though we did not study the causes, it's clearly not genetic causes," Levine said. "It must be the change in the modern lifestyle and the environment that we live."

Worth repeating: the environment that we live.

The study assessing the safety of Wolbachia-infected Aedes releases clearly states:

"The different samples collected were meant to represent a full variety of species or "environment" in which Wolbachia could have disseminated. Samples comprised soil samples, plant leaves and roots, earthworms and millipedes, all collected from inside the enclosure."

Shocking (to me) is they did not test: birds, bats, Culex mosquitoes, planktivorous fish and other aquatic species.

But who funded it? "Financial support: FNIH/Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative/Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation/NHMRC"

Study source link: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02762010000800002

The recent string of deaths in North Atlantic right whales could provide crucial proof to stop these releases and hold those responsible accountable (the richest people in the world). Please read, sign, and share my (our) petition. We are up to 551 signatures now: https://www.change.org/p/investigate-north-atlantic-right-whale-deaths-without-the-noaa-a-u-s-gov-t-agency

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