Latest news with #NOAAFisheries
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- General
- Miami Herald
Whale suffered traumatic final minutes before washing onto SC beach, report says
A 29-foot-long humpback whale found dead on a South Carolina beach suffered a horrific death when its head was bashed by a boat, an investigation has revealed. The juvenile whale washed out of the Atlantic around March 15 on Bird Island near the state's northern border, and the Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network suspected from the start that it suffered a painful death. 'Necropsy results suggested this animal died from blunt force trauma from an acute ship strike, resulting in multiple skull fractures and jaw disarticulation,' the network wrote in a May 22 update on Facebook. The boat involved remains a mystery, but the passengers likely felt the impact, according to Lauren Rust, executive director of the Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network. No prop marks were found carved into the whale's back, but there was a 'burn from the keel,' she said. The injuries may have been caused by a fishing boat, which likely sustained damage, officials said. 'We determined this was acute blunt force trauma, meaning it happened quick and fast and likely died relatively quickly,' Rust said. 'It could be less than 24 hours. Some cases where the injury is less severe, animals can survive longer or bones can heal but this was too traumatic.' The carcass was found so close to the state line that Brunswick County officials were able to move it to Sunset Beach in North Carolina so the University of North Carolina Wilmington Marine Mammal Stranding Program could perform the necropsy and tissue collection, officials said. Humpback whales are native to the mid-Atlantic region and boat strikes are a leading cause of death, along with entanglement with fishing gear, NOAA Fisheries reports. The sea mammals can live up to 90 years, and reach sizes of 60 feet in length and 40 tons, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says. 'Humpback whales are a favorite of whale watchers ― they are often active, jumping out of the water and slapping the surface with their pectoral fins or tails,' NOAA says. 'They travel great distances every year and have one of the longest migrations of any mammal on the planet. Some populations swim 5,000 miles from tropical breeding grounds to colder, more productive feeding grounds.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Alarming number of whale deaths reported around San Francisco Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO - An alarming number of gray whale deaths have been reported around the San Francisco Bay Area this year, with six carcasses discovered over the past week alone. According to staff at the California Academy of Sciences, a research institute and natural history museum based in San Francisco, 15 stranded whales, made up almost entirely of gray whales, have been found dead across the region since the start of 2025. The figure is the highest since 2021, when what was called an Unusual Mortality Event was underway. According to NOAA Fisheries, during a period from 2019 to 2023, the population experienced a decline of roughly 45%, which was investigated by biologists. A research team determined that ecosystem changes in the whales' feeding areas ultimately led to changes in food availability, malnutrition and a decrease in birthing rates. Dungeness Crab Die-off Underway Along Us West Coast Marine scientists say it is difficult to determine what is causing the latest surge, with only a few cases tied to vessel strikes. Staff from The Marine Mammal Center also noted an unusually high number of sightings of live marine animals in the San Francisco Bay, with 33 individual gray whales spotted since January. "By comparison, only six gray whales were sighted in the bay in 2024. Roughly one-third of these whales have stayed in the bay for at least 20 days, and their overall body condition has ranged from normal to emaciated. The reason or potential reasons behind the massive spike in sightings this year are still being investigated by researchers. It is expected that gray whales will be in the bay for another one to two weeks before continuing their annual northern migration to arctic feeding grounds," staff stated. Spectators Gather As Killer Whale Washes Ashore Florida Coast Researchers in Mexico, Canada and the United States are said to be actively monitoring the population and have also reported low calf counts. The whales will soon feed around the Arctic before making their roundtrip along the U.S. West Coast back down to the warm waters off Mexico for the winter. NOAA estimates the population is around 10,000, which is significantly higher than the North Atlantic right whale count, which is only estimated to be near 400 individuals. The North Atlantic right whale species has simultaneously experienced a significant die-off, which has been tied to entanglements or vessel article source: Alarming number of whale deaths reported around San Francisco Bay Area
Miami Herald
7 days ago
- Miami Herald
Illegally imported tuna found in Virginia, officials say. Grocery store fined
A grocery store chain was fined after investigators found it had illegally imported more than 1,100 pounds of yellowfin tuna in Virginia, officials said. Officers learned two shipments of the jarred tuna came from a Nicaraguan fishing vessel during a June 2023 investigation in Chesapeake, officials said. The probe was conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Virginia Conservation Police, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the NOAA Fisheries said in a May 28 news release. Importing 'certain non-fresh tuna products' to the U.S. from Nicaragua and six other countries is illegal because they don't meet dolphin-safety requirements under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, according to officials. The yellowfin tuna surrendered was worth more than $4,800, officials said. NOAA Fisheries did not name the grocery store chain in its release. The chain paid a $12,516 penalty in February, officials said. According to the NOAA, more than 55 new trade enforcement cases have been filed between Jan. 1 and March 31.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
Sadistic Florida fisherman jailed and fined for killing dolphins in front of kids
A Florida fishing boat captain was sentenced to one month behind bars after he admitted to poisoning and fatally shooting dolphins, sometimes in front of children. Zackery Brandon Barfield, 31, of Panama City, Fla., used a 12-gauge shotgun during fishing trips in 2022 and 2023 when he opened fire on five bottlenose dolphins, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release. Barfield also fed poisoned bait to dozens more of the marine animals, using methomyl, a highly toxic pesticide that affects the nervous system of humans, mammals and other animals. 'Barfield recognized methomyl's toxicity and impact on the environment but continued to feed poisoned baitfish to the dolphins for months,' the release stated. Barfield's sick spree, which took place between December 2022 and the summer of 2023, began over frustration that dolphins were eating red snapper from his clients' fishing lines. He shot at dolphins that surfaced near his vessel, immediately killing one. 'On other occasions, Barfield shot, but did not immediately kill, dolphins near his vessel,' the U.S. Attorney's office said. 'On one trip he shot a dolphin while two elementary-aged children were on board, and another with more than a dozen fisherman on board.' Barfield fed an estimated '24–70 dolphins poison-laden baitfish' during six to seven charter trips that he captained, NOAA Fisheries said in a statement. 'Barfield was a longtime charter and commercial fishing captain,' said acting assistant attorney general Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. 'He knew the regulations protecting dolphins, yet he killed them anyway — once in front of children,' Gustafson noted. Barfield pleaded guilty to two counts of illegal taking of a marine mammal and one count of federally prohibited use of a pesticide, according to court documents obtained by NBC News. He was also ordered to pay a $51,000 fine for three counts of poisoning and shooting dolphins, a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. 'The Gulf of America is a vital natural resource,' acting U.S. attorney Michelle Spaven said in a statement. 'The defendant's selfish acts are more than illegally poisoning and shooting protected animals — they are serious crimes against public resources, threats to the local ecosystem, and a devastating harm to a highly intelligent and charismatic species.' Costco must face lawsuit over 'dolphin safe' tuna claim Teen girl killed by shark while trying to swim with dolphins in Australia Pod of Dolphins comfort each other before hunters move in for kill
New York Post
25-05-2025
- New York Post
Florida fisherman gets jail for shooting, poisoning dolphins in front of kids
A Florida charter boat captain was sentenced to one month behind bars after admitting he shot and poisoned dolphins — sometimes in front of young children, according to authorities. Zackery Brandon Barfield, 31, opened fire on 5 bottlenose dolphins with a shotgun during fishing trips in 2022 and 2023, and fed poisoned bait to dozens more of the marine mammals over his frustration that they were stealing fish from his fishing charter clients, the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District of Florida said in a statement. Charter boat captain Zackery Brandon Barfield was sentenced to a month in prison after opening fire on five dolphins and poisoning several dozen more. NOAA Fisheries Advertisement Barfield, who was a boat captain in Panama City, even shot dolphins while two elementary school children were on board, and in another instance, while more than a dozen fishermen were aboard boats he operated, prosecutors said. The brutal spree left at least one dolphin dead and sickened dozens more that eat insecticide-tainted baitfish, authorities said. Barfield fed an estimated '24–70 dolphins poison-laden baitfish on charter trips that he captained,' during six to seven charter trips that he captained, NOAA Fisheries said in a statement. Advertisement 'He knew the regulations protecting dolphins, yet he killed them anyway — once in front of children,' federal environmental prosecutor Adam Gustafson said Friday in a statement. Barfield wielded a 12-gauge Remington Wingmaster shotgun to shoot the mammals that are off-limits under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. geraldmarella – The sicko fisherman pleaded guilty to two counts of illegal taking of a marine mammal and one count of federally prohibited use of a pesticide, according to court documents obtained by NBC News. Barfield admitted the government's narrative about his crimes was true, documents showed. Advertisement He also wielded a 12-gauge Remington Wingmaster pump-action shotgun to shoot the marine mammals, which are off-limits under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, prosecutors said. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Frank sentenced Barfield to a month in prison for each of the three counts to which he pleaded guilty, to be served concurrently in a single stretch, according to NOAA Fisheries. He was also ordered to pay a $51,000 fine, authorities said.
