Dear Friends and Colleagues,
This message is to invite you to sign onto the attached statement of concern, which we hope speaks for itself.
Many of us have worked on cetacean conservation for some time, and whilst there are some signs of population recoveries in some cases, the situation for many populations and species is still deteriorating and, for some, it is critical. So, it seems appropriate for those of us with expertise to now stand together, highlight this situation and call for more action.
If you would like to add your name onto the list of supporters of the statement, please send to us the following:
· your name as you would like it to appear;
· any letters that you would like to display after your name;
· the name of your institution; and
· your country.
Our emails are mark.simmonds@sciencegyre.co.uk and elsvermeulen5@gmail.com
The document has been reviewed and we are unable at this stage to accept any proposals for changes. Apart from personal support, we are also looking for people to help launch it, so that people in positions of influence take note of it. This will happen in about two weeks’ time.
A final copy of the statement will be published on the Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit’s website with an updated list of names in due course (www.mammalresearchinstitute.science/whale-unit)
Thank you for taking the time to look at this. We hope you will support it.
Apologies for any cross-posting.
Take good care,
Best wishes,
Mark and Els
We, the undersigned scientists, raise here our gravest concerns about the extinction risk to many species and populations of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises).
Each one of us is a cetacean specialist and each one of us believes this issue is now critical. The lack of concrete action to address threats adversely affecting cetaceans in our increasingly busy, polluted, over-exploited and human-dominated seas and major river systems, means that many, one after another, will likely be declared extinct within our lifetimes.
Even the large whales are not safe. The recent listing of the North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Critically Endangered reveals the serious failure of its relatively wealthy range countries to address a critical decline. Moreover, the factors driving this ongoing decline are well known, and, we believe, could be addressed. Only a few hundred North Atlantic right whale adults remain and, unless appropriate action comes soon, we will undoubtedly lose this entire species.
Similarly, the Critically Endangered vaquita, Phocoena sinus, of the Gulf of California, Mexico, sits poised on the knife-edge of extinction, with an estimated population size that may be as low as only ten individuals.
It is now almost inevitable that these two species will follow the baiji or Chinese river dolphin, Lipotes vexillifer, down the road to extinction. The baiji was identified as ‘Possibly Extinct’ by the IUCN in 2017 and, regrettably, there is little hope for this species. We believe, in all three cases, that enough was known about the situation of the species concerned for these dramatic declines to have been avoided, but that the political will to take action has been lacking.
The bleak outlook for these three species shows how often too little is done too late. Of the 90 living species of cetaceans, more than half now have a concerning conservation status according to the IUCN, with 13 species listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ or ‘Endangered’, 7 as ‘Vulnerable’ and 7 as ‘Near Threatened’, whilst 24 species are ‘Data Deficient’. These ‘Data Deficient’ species may also be imperilled. We simply do not know. This lack of clear information about so many species and populations is itself a major concern.
Additionally, there are 32 subspecies and other distinct cetacean populations which are presently either Endangered or Critically Endangered (please see the list below for further details), and with ongoing research we are recognizing more populations of cetaceans that are discrete and require conservation action. Regrettably, as the cases of the Lahille’s bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus gephyreus) of the subtropical western South Atlantic, the Gulf of Corinth common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) and the orcas (Orcinus orca) of the Strait of Gibraltar all illustrate, recognition of their distinctiveness may coincide with the realization that their population is already in danger of extinction.
Cetacean populations are adversely affected by many interacting factors, including chemical and noise pollution, loss of habitat and prey, climate change and ship-strikes. For many, foremost among these threats is incidental take in fishing operations.
Bearing these urgent matters in mind and with the knowledge that cetacean populations can be lost very quickly, we call on:
countries with cetaceans in their waters to take precautionary action to ensure these species and populations are adequately protected from human activities, including implementing appropriate and fully resourced monitoring. We note that improved monitoring technologies now offer new opportunities to observe and address activities at sea; and
all nations to both work with and strengthen the relevant international bodies that seek to address threats to cetaceans, including, but not limited to, the International Whaling Commission and the Convention for the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, both of which are generating important conservation initiatives at this time. Foremost among other relevant international organisations are the regional fisheries bodies, which can address fishing-related threats to cetaceans, noting the urgent need to address such impacts on many populations.
Finally, we note that cetacean conservation, like much that relates to the marine environment, may be a concern that seems remote to many people. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, our connection to nature is a key component in our own wellbeing. Whales, dolphins and porpoises are seen and enjoyed all over the world, and are valued as sentient, intelligent, social and inspiring species; we should not deny future generations the opportunity to experience them. They are also sentinels of the health of our seas, oceans and, in some cases, major river systems and the role of cetaceans in maintaining productive aquatic ecosystems, which are key for our survival as well as theirs, is also becoming clearer.
Please bring this statement to the attention of the relevant policy makers in your country and help us to help the cetaceans.
The list shows only the species, subspecies and distinct populations labelled as ‘Critically Endangered’ (CR), ‘Endangered’ (EN) or ‘Vulnerable’ (VU) and displays the latest assessment by the IUCN (highlighted in red) and, where available, the previous assessment, with their dates.
‘Global population’ refers to the status of the whole species or subspecies.
The population trend is also noted: I = Increasing, D = Decreasing, S = Stable, ? = Unknown.
Balaenidae
Bowhead whale, Balaena mysticetus
East Greenland-Svalbard-Barents Sea subpopulation 2012: CR, 2018: EN, ?
Okhotsk Sea subpopulation 2012: EN, 2018: EN, D
North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis, Global population, 2018: EN, 2020: CR, D
European population, 2007: CR, ?
North Pacific right whale, Eubalaena japonica, Global population, 2008: EN, 2017: EN, ?
Northeast Pacific subpopulation, 2008: CR, 2017: CR, ?
Southern right whale, Eubalaena australis
Chile-Peru subpopulation, 2013: CR, 2017: CR, ?
Balaenopteridae
Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus, Global population, 2008: EN, 2018: EN, I
European population 2007: EN, ?
Antarctic blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus ssp. intermedia, Global population 2008: CR, 2018: CR, I
Bryde’s whale, Balaenoptera edeni
Gulf of Mexico subpopulation, 2017: CR, D
Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus, Global population, 2013: EN, 2018: VU, I
Mediterranean population 2011: VU, D
Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Oceania subpopulation, 2008: EN, I
Arabian Sea subpopulation 2008: EN, ?
Sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis, Global population, 2008: EN, 2018: EN, I
European population, 2007: EN, ?
Eschrichtiidae
Gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus
Western North Pacific subpopulation, 2008: CR, 2018: EN, I
Delphinidae
Atlantic humpback dolphin, Sousa teuszii, Global population, 2012: VU, 2017: CR, D
Australian humpback dolphin, Sousa sahulensis, Global population, 2015: VU, D
Australian snubfin dolphin, Orcaella heinsohni, Global population, 2008: NT, 2017: VU, D
Common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus
Mediterranean population, 2009: VU, D
Fiordland subpopulation, New Zealand, 2010: CR, D
Black Sea bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus ssp. ponticus, Global population, 2008: EN, ?
Lahille’s bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus ssp. gephyreus, Global population, 2019: VU, D
Hector’s dolphin, Cephalorhynchus hectori, Global population, 2000: EN, 2008: EN, D
North Island Hector’s dolphin, Cephalorhynchus hectori ssp. maui, Global population, 2000: CR, 2008: CR, D
Indian Ocean humpback dolphin, Sousa plumbea, Global population, 2015: EN, D
Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, Sousa chinensis, Global population, 2015: VU, D
Taiwanese humpback dolphin, Sousa chinensis spp. taiwanensis, Global population, 2008: CR, 2017: CR, D
Irrawaddy dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris, Global population, 2008: VU, 2017: EN, D
Ayeyarwady River, Myanmar subpopulation, 2004: CR, D
Iloilo-Guimaras, Philippines subpopulation, 2018: CR, D
Mahakam river, Indonesia subpopulation, 2000: CR, 2008: CR, ?
Malampaya Sound, Philippines subpopulation, 2004: CR, D
Mekong River subpopulation, 2004: CR, D
Songkhla Lake, Thailand subpopulation, 2004: CR, D
Peruvian dusky dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obscurus ssp. posidonia, Global population, 2019: VU, ?
Killer whale, Orcinus orca
Straits of Gibraltar subpopulation, 2019: CR, S
Short-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus delphis,
Mediterranean population, 2003: EN, D
Gulf of Corinth subpopulation, 2019: CR, ?
Black Sea short-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus delphis ssp. ponticus, Global population, 2008: VU, Unspecified
Eastern spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris ssp. orientalis. Global population, 2008: VU, I
Striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba
Mediterranean population, 2010: VU, ?
Iniidae
Amazon river dolphin, Inia geoffrensis, Global population, 2011: DD, 2018: EN, D
Lipotidae
Baiji, Lipotes vexillifer, Global population, 2008: CR, 2017: CR, D
Monodontidae
Beluga, Delphinapterus leucas
Cook Inlet, United States subpopulation, 2012: CR, 2018: CR, D
Phocoenidae
Harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena
European population, 2007: VU, D
Baltic Sea subpopulation, 1996: VU, 2008: CR, D
Black Sea harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena ssp. relicta, Global population, 1996: VU, 2008: EN, D
Indo-Pacific finless porpoise, Neophocaena phocaenoides, Global population, 2012: VU, 2017: VU, D
Narrow-ridged finless porpoise, Neophocaena asiaeorientalis, Global population, 2012: VU, 2017: EN, D
Yangtze finless porpoise, Neophocaena asiaeorientalis ssp.asiaeorientalis, Global population, 1996: EN, 2012: CR, D
Vaquita, Phocoena sinus, Global population, 2008: CR, 2017: CR, D
Physeteridae
Sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, Global population, 2008: VU, 2019: VU ? European population, 2007: VU, ?
Mediterranean population, 2006: EN, D
Platanistidae
South Asian river dolphin, Platanista gangetica, Global population, 2012: EN, 2017: EN, ?
Ganges river dolphin, Platanista gangetica ssp. gangetica, Global population, 1996: EN, 2004: EN, D
Indus river dolphin, Platanista gangetica ssp. minor, Global population, 1996: EN, 2004: EN, ?
Pontoporiidae
Franciscana, Pontoporia blainvillei, Global population, 2012: VU, 2017: VU, D
Rio Grande do Sul/Uruguay subpopulation, 2003: VU, D
Ziphiidae
Cuvier’s beaked whale, Ziphius cavirostris
Mediterranean population, 2012: DD, 2018: VU, D
Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho PhD, Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP), Mexico
Mark Peter Simmonds OBE, University of Bristol, UK
C. Scott Baker PhD, Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, USA
Els Vermeulen PhD, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Erich Hoyt, co-chair, IUCN SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force, UK
Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara PhD, co-chair, IUCN Task Force on Marine Mammal Protected Areas, Italy
Ellen Hines PhD, San Francisco State University, USA
Pedro Fruet PhD, Museu Oceanográfico "Prof. Eliézer de C. Rios", Universidade Federal do Rio Grande-FURG & Kaosa, Brazil.
Laetitia Nunny MSc, Wild Animal Welfare, Spain
Eduardo R. Secchi PhD, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande-FURG, Brazil
Artur Andriolo PhD, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora/ Instituto Aqualie, Brazil
Stephanie Plön PhD, Bayworld Centre for Research and Education, South Africa
Elisabeth Slooten PhD, University of Otago, New Zealand
Alexandre N. Zerbini PhD, Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ecosystem and Ocean Studies, University of Washington & Marine Mammal Laboratory, AFSC/NOAA, USA - Instituto Aqualie, Brazil
Mariano A. Coscarella PhD, CESIMAR-CONICET, Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Argentina
Frank Cipriano PhD, California Academy of Science, USA
Juan Pablo Torres-Florez PhD, ICMBio/CMA, Brazil
Karen A Stockin PhD, Massey University, New Zealand
Olaf Meynecke PhD, Griffith University, Australia
Ada Natoli PhD, Zayed University, UAE Dolphin Project, UAE
Daren Grover, Project Jonah New Zealand
Steve Dawson PhD, University of Otago, New Zealand
Silvia Frey PhD, KYMA sea conservation & research, Switzerland
Dipani Sutaria, Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Network of India, India
Carolina Loch PhD, University of Otago New Zealand
Susan Bengtson-Nash, Assoc Professor, Griffith University, Australia
Isabel C. Avila PhD, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
Krista Hupman PhD, NIWA, New Zealand
Mike Bossley PhD, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Australia
Will Rayment PhD, University of Otago, New Zealand
Isabella Clegg PhD, Animal Welfare Expertise, Sydney, Australia
Meike Scheidat PhD, Wageningen Marine Research, University of Wageningen, The Netherlands
Fabian Ritter, President, MEER e.V., Germany
Naomi A. Rose PhD, Animal Welfare Institute, USA
Katharina J. Peters PhD, Massey University, New Zealand
Emma Betty PhD, Massey University, New Zealand
Raphaela Stimmelmayr PhD, University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA.
Kerstin Bilgmann PhD, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
Miguel Iñíguez Bessega MSc, Fundación Cethus, Argentina
Vanesa Reyes Reyes PhD, Fundación Cethus, Argentina, and Whale and Dolphin Conservation, UK
David G Kaplan Esq, Cetacean Society International, USA
Claudio Campagna, WCS, Argentina
Joan Gonzalvo PhD, Tethys Research Institute, Italy
Diego Rodríguez PhD, Mar del Plata University, Argentina
Fernando Trujillo PhD, Fundacion Omacha, Colombia and Correspondence Member of the Science Academy of Colombia
Danielle Kreb PhD, Yayasan Konservasi RASI, Indonesia
George Sangster PhD, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, The Netherlands
Jolanda Luksenburg PhD, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, The Netherlands
Cornelis J. Hazevoet PhD, Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Lisbon, Portugal
Cristina Milani PhD, Italy
Alexander Werth PhD, Hampden-Sydney College, USA
Caroline Weir PhD, Ketos Ecology, United Kingdom
Colin D. MacLeod PhD, GIS IN Ecology, UK
Prof. Giovanni Di Guardo, DVM, Dipl. ECVP, University of Teramo, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Italy
Robin W. Baird Ph.D., Cascadia Research Collective, USA
Jeremy J. Kiszka PhD, Florida International University, Miami, USA
Arda M. Tonay PhD, Faculty of Aquatic Sciences, Istanbul University / Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV), Turkey
Rebecca M Boys, Massey University, New Zealand
Giovanni Bearzi PhD, Dolphin Biology and Conservation, Italy
Marta Hevia, Fundación Cethus, Argentina
Mariano Sironi PhD, Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas, Argentina
Paulo H. Ott PhD, Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Sul – Uergs & Grupo de Estudos de Mamíferos Aquáticos do Rio Grande do Sul – GEMARS, Brazil
Lindsay Porter PhD, IUCN Species Survival Commission-Cetacean Specialist Group, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Emmanuelle Martinez PhD., NorthTec, New Zealand
Lindy Weilgart PhD, Dalhousie University, Canada and OceanCare, Switzerland
Beatrice Jann, President Swiss Whale Society SWG, Switzerland
Enrico Gennari PhD, Oceans Research Institute, South Africa
Simone Panigada PhD, President, Tethys Research Institute
Marijke Nita de Boer PhD, University of Wageningen, The Netherlands
Maria Jiménez A. MSc, Fundación Conservaré, Colombia
Hanna Nuuttila PhD, Swansea University, UK
Meredith Thornton, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Michael Stachowitsch PhD, University of Vienna, Austria
Joan Giménez PhD, University College Cork, Ireland
Draško Holcer PhD, Blue World Institute of Marine Research and Conservation, Croatia
Liliane Lodi PhD, Instituto Mar Adentro, Brazil
Sarah Dolman MSc, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, UK
Pablo Denuncio PhD, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata / CONICET, Argentina
Patricia Burkhardt-Holm Dr. rer.nat., Professor of Ecology, University of Basel, Switzerland
Patrick Lyne C.Mar.Sci., IWDG, DMAD, MMOA, Ireland
Paulo C. Simões-Lopes, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Aquatic Mammals Lab (LAMAQ) BrazilSharon Young MSc, Humane Society of the United States, USA
Janet Mann PhD, Georgetown University, USA
Leonardo L. Wedekin PhD, Socioambiental Consultores Associados, Brazil
Lars Bejder PhD, University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA
Milton Marcondes DVM, Research Coordinator – Humpback Whale Institute, Brazil.
Mauricio Cantor PhD, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina & Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Brazil
Peter Mackelworth PhD, Blue World Institute, Croatia
Hal Whitehead PhD, Dalhousie University, Canada
Ida Carlén, Coalition Clean Baltic, Sweden
Nicola Hodgins, Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) & University of Exeter, UK
Ignacio Benites Moreno PhD, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Monique Pool, Green Heritage Fund Suriname, Suriname
Marina Costa PhD, Tethys Research Institute, Italy
Simon Elwen PhD, Sea Search Research and Conservation, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Tess Gridley PhD, Sea Search Research and Conservation, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Randall Reeves, chair, IUCN/SSC Cetacean Specialist Group, Canada
Bill Fulton BSc Dip Aut Comp, Living Ocean Inc, Australia
Camila Domit PhD, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Paraná, Brazil
Jose David Palacios Alfaro Lic, Fundación Keto, Costa Rica
Gianni Pavan, University of Pavia, Italy
Suwat Jutapruet PhD, Prince of Songkla University, Surat Thani Campus, Thailand
Denise Risch PhD, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Scotland, UK
Anoukchika D Ilangakoon MSc, IUCN SSC - Cetacean Specialist Group, Sri Lanka
Gianna Minton PhD, Megaptera Marine Conservation, The Netherlands
Fredrik Christiansen PhD, Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Denmark
R. Ewan Fordyce, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
Vic Cockcroft PhD, Nelson Mandela University. South Africa.
Graham John Pierce, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas (CSIC), Spain
Manuel E. dos Santos PhD, MARE-ISPA, Portugal
Shane Gero PhD, Dalhousie University, Aarhus University, and The Dominica Sperm Whale Project, Canada/Dominica
David Gruber PhD, City University of New York, USA
Michael J. Tetley PhD, IMMA Coordinator, IUCN SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force, UK
Frants H. Jensen PhD, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA
Robert Wood PhD, Harvard University, USA
Florent Nicolas, Groupe d´Etude des Cétacés du Cotentin, France
Nicholas Tregenza DCH, University of Exeter, UK.
Anastasia Miliou, Scientific Director, Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, Greece
Sandra Hörbst MSc, Gansbaai South Africa
Steven Benjamins PhD, Scottish Association for Marine Science, UK
Trish Franklin PhD, The Oceania Project and Southern Cross University, Australia
Wally Franklin, PhD, The Oceania Project and Southern Cross University, Australia
Kevin Robinson PhD Cetacean Research & Rescue Unit, Scotland
Jimena Belgrano, Fundación Cethus, Argentina
Jörn Selling, firmm.org, Spain
Caterina Fortuna PhD, National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (Italy)
Isabel García-Barón PhD, Institution: AZTI, Spain
Natacha Aguilar de Soto PhD, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
Jean-Luc Jung PhD, HDR, ISYEB, UMR 7205, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, et Université de Brest, France
Gill Braulik PhD, University of St. Andrews, UK
Mario Acquarone PhD, Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, Norway
Peter Corkeron PhD, Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, New England Aquarium, USA
Alana Alexander PhD, University of Otago, New Zealand
Rochelle Constantine PhD, University of Auckland | Te Whare Wananga o Tāmaki Makaurau, New Zealand
Laura J May-Collado PhD, Smithsonian Research Tropical Institute,Panama and CIMAR-Universidad de Costa Rica
Astrid Frisch Jordán, Ecología y Conservación de Ballenas (ECOBAC), México
Krishna Das PhD, University of Liège, Belgium
Thibaut Bouveroux PhD, University of South Alabama, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Alabama, USA
Philippa Brakes, Research Fellow, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, New Zealand
Ursula K. Verfuss PhD, SMRU Consulting, UK
Marta Azzolin PhD, University of Torino and Gaia Research Institute Onlus, Italy
Maša Frleta - Valić, Blue World Institute of Marine Research and Conservation, Croatia
Michael Stocker, Director, Ocean Conservation Research, California, USA
Natacha Aguilar de Soto, PhD, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
Paola Tepsich PhD, CIMA Research Foundation, Italy
Weerapong Laovechprasit DVM Thailand Fulbright Fellow, University of Georgia, Thailand
Emma Carroll PhD, Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau University of Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand
Alexandros Frantzis PhD, Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute, Greece
Javier Almunia PhD, Loro Parque Fundación, Spain
Katrina Johnson, Bates College, USA
Sarah Dwyer PhD, Far Out Ocean Research Collective, New Zealand
Rodrigo García Píngaro, Organization for Cetacean Conservation of Uruguay, Uruguay
Andrew Stanworth PhD, Falklands Conservation, Falkland Islands
Helena Herr PhD, University of Hamburg, Germany