Festive Underwater Whale “Party” Discovered Near East Timor Caps Exciting Year in Whale News

2008 was a busy year for whale news, and it seems like 2009 will not be any different.

Australian and East Timorese researchers say that while conducting research, they “found” an amazing whale “hotspot” off of East Timor’s coast.

As quoted by Reuters, the principal scientist working on the study said the following: “In just one day, more than 1,000 individuals and possibly as many as 2,000 whales in eight separate pods — each one containing up to 400 mammals — were spotted over a 50-kilometre (31-mile) stretch of coast.”

Wow! Personally I think that this is a very exciting and cool discovery. The researchers also claim that the area is rich in other forms of ocean animals, like sharks and sea turtles. It highlights the need for greater protection of biodiverse ocean areas like these from unregulated fishing– a challenge given East Timor’s desire to develop their fishing industry.

As mentioned earlier, 2008 was a gigantic year for whale news. Here’s a roundup of some of the stories that were written about whales on EcoWorldly and on other sites in the Green Options network.

• » See also: Mistaken Identity: Hunters Kill Endangered Pygmy Hippo During Pig Hunt!
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Stories about Whale Research:

• Whales and Dolphins Can No Longer Hear in Oceans
• Scientists Use GPS to Spy on Whale Watch Tours, Uncover Ugly Secret
• Whale Shark Tagging Operation off Kenya Coast

Stories about the new Animal Planet hit series Whale Wars:

• Ready for Season 2? Over 1 Million Watched Whale Wars Finale
• Animal Planet, Daryl Hannah Join Sea Shepherd Crew for More Whale Wars
• Japan Accuses Animal Planet of EcoTerrorism Prior to “Whale Wars” Premiere
• Greenpeace vs. Sea Shepherd: An Unfortunate Conflict
• Sea Shepherd Activists Spray Whaling Ship with Rotten Butter
• Japan Plans to Arrest Sea Shepherd Crew
• “Madagascar Two” Movie Inaccurate According to Sea Shepherd
• Australia, Greenpeace Opt Out of This Winter’s ‘Whale Wars’
• Sea Shepherd Now has Former US Navy Lieutenant Onboard
• New “Whale Wars” TV Series Documents Anti-Whaling Activists

Stories about Sanctuaries and International Whale Politics:

• Australian Whale Images Cause Controversy
• Coast Guard Agrees to be Crossing Guard for Endangered Whale Schools
• Former Playboy Playmate Vanessa Carbone Stages Naked Protest Against Japanese Whaling
• Canada Ignores Rescue Option, Kills 500 Endangered Narwhals
• Bankrupt Iceland Flouts Treaty, Resumes International Trade in Endangered Fin Whale Meat
• Chile Declares Permanent Ban on Whaling, Japan Pressured to Follow Suit
• US Supreme Court Sides with Navy in Whale Sonar Case
• Japan Says We Are Witnessing the Death of the International Whaling Commission
• Korea vs. Japan: There’s No Sex in Whaling
• Japanese Schools Serve Whale Meat Despite Toxic Mercury Levels
• Greenpeace: Japan Cuts Whale Hunt Quota by 20%
• Brazil Establishes Whale Sanctuary Along its Entire Coast

Stories about Sarah Palin and Whales:

• Palin Protests Federal Listing of Beluga Whales as Endangered

Other Whale-Related Stories:

• Celebrating Interspecies Song

Photo Credit: CD_Photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons license

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