Happy 2017 from all of us at WhaleTimes.

WhaleTimes plans on celebrating the entire year, starting with celebrating 2017 The Year of the Vaquita. In March, we celebrate the first ever Save the Vaquita Month.

This spring and this summer we’re planning our Celebration of Conservation: Gray Whales, Elephant Seals, and Vaquita programs. Classrooms and museum and science center summer camps throughout the country will join TEAM VAQUITA to help us support scientists and the Mexican government to save vaquita and other ocean animals.

Celebrate 2017 by only eating sustainably caught seafood.
Happy New Year!

Dr. Tamara Frank talks deep-sea DNA

“Four days, 25 schools, 525 kids…and it was awesome!” said WhaleTimes Director, Ruth Musgrave. Deep-sea expert Dr. Tamara Frank (Nova Southeastern University)  and Musgrave spent the week in Broward County Florida visiting 1st to 6th grade classrooms as part of a National Science Foundation grant. “We had a blast using music to teach about DNA sequencing, secret light codes to introduce communication of bioluminescent animals, and what it’s like to see through a deep-sea animal’s eyes.” adds Musgrave.

The school visits, entitled, “Deep See in the Deep Sea” share the on-going research of Dr. Frank and Dr. Heather Bracken Grissom (Florida International University) who are studying the evolution of bioluminescence and light detection in deep-sea shrimp.

“We can’t wait to go back next year and meet more of the incredible kids from Broward County to share our latest discoveries.” said Tamara Frank

Special thanks to STEM teacher Michele Parsons who helped us coordinate the program and find such amazing schools and motivated students. 

Project funded through NSF Award No. 1556279

Kids see through the eyes of a deep-sea animal

Today we once again salute the slimy, the ugly, the misunderstood beauties of the deep, hagfish and friends! Celebrate the beauty of ugly with us, on the 8th annual Hagfish Day

The beautiful hagfish.

Hagfish hanging out.

If you missed the news, it’s not good. There are only 60 vaquita left in the entire world. This small porpoise is only found in the Gulf of California in Mexico. Vaquita are the most endangered marine mammal species in the world.

If we do not help now, vaquita could become the SECOND whale species to go extinct in 10 years.  Scientists declared the Chinese (baiji) river dolphin extinct in 2006. Sadly, with little or no fanfare.  We can’t allow that to happen to vaquita.

WhaleTimes and the Oregon Coast Aquarium’s Oceanscape Network are working with vaquita experts from Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries and other organizations to raise awareness. We have declared 2017 the Year of the Vaquita. And annually March is Save the Vaquita Month.

Is your seafood vaquita-friendly? It’s simple and yet the most important thing you can do to protect so many species. People who do not insist on sustainably caught seafood are a big part of the problem. (Sorry, we do not have time to sugar-coat this one).

Start TODAY. If you eat shrimp, fish, or other seafood it must be sustainably caught. If you do not know the how it was caught, if other animals were killed in the process, and/or you cannot trace its route from the sea to your plate do not buy it, eat it, or sell it. If the restaurant does not have a sustainable seafood policy, find another one. If your grocery store does not have a sustainable seafood policy, buy elsewhere. Buy locally and sustainably caught seafood whenever you can.

Is there time? We think so. The Pacific gray whales almost went extinct — twice. Northern elephant seals, bald eagles and others almost became extinct, too. Public awareness and concern helped turn the tide and now gray whales, elephant seals, and bald eagles have large healthy populations. Let’s do that for vaquita!

Though 2017 is the Year of the Vaquita, help us start saving the vaquita today.

More to come.