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els vermeulenlatest news & developments
From June until October, southern right whales give birth and nurse their calves in protected bays along the Southern Cape coast of South Africa.
CLIMATE CHANGE

Southern right whales dropped 23% in body weight

This is because of a reduction and fluctuation in krill in their feeding grounds in the Southern Ocean

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
A Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) is seen at Ribanceira Beach, Imbituba, Santa Catarina state, Brazil on July 09, 2019. (Photo: EDUARDO VALENTE/AFP via Getty Images)
ARGENTINA

Whale makes unprecedented 10 000km journey from SA to Argentina

Scientists believe she travelled that far to find good food sources, which is a ‘worrying trend’

  • Sheree Bega
4 min read
Killer ships: About 60% of the ships involved in whale strikes are container vessels. (Xiao Jinsong/Visual China Group/Getty Images)
ELS VERMEULEN

Campaign aims to stop ship strikes to save whales

In South African waters, these collisions may be a growing menace, but are not yet a major threat to populations

  • Sheree Bega
3 min read
Shell’s recent announcement that it is leaving the country is likely to set off mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity as the oil and gas company sells its refinery and service stations during the divestiture. (photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)
DR JUDY MANN

‘Nature not designed for seismic blasting’ – marine expert

Shell has appointed Shearwater GeoServices to conduct a three-dimensional offshore seismic survey from Morgan Bay to Port St Johns

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
Southern Right Whale and her calf. (Photo by Emiliano Lasalvia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
AERIAL SURVEY

South Africa’s southern right whale population is falling, research finds

Researcher Els Vermeulen has a whale of a time conducting an annual aerial survey of the country’s southern right whales. But decreasing numbers reveal the depressing nature of…

  • Sheree Bega
1 min read