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 07 September 2008 02:55 BST

Climate change "final nail in the coffin" for whales

Tuesday, 22 May 2007 08:05
Species such as the southern right whale are at risk from climate change
Some of the world's most endangered species of whale are under increasing threat from the effects of climate change.

A new report published ahead of the 59th meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Anchorage, the US, states that all cetaceans – which include whales, dolphins and porpoises – are suffering from rises to sea temperature and levels.

The joint study from WWF and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) says that shrinking ice polar habitats and declining krill populations – the tiny shrimp-like marine animals that constitute the species' main food source – are the "final nail in the coffin" for entire populations of whales in the north Atlantic.

Other species directly under threat are the beluga or white whale and river dolphins in India's Ganges river, as well as white-beaked dolphins found off the coast of the UK.

"Whales, dolphins and porpoises already face huge threats from getting entangled in fishing nets, collision with ships and chemical and noise pollution and many of the great whales are heavily depleted from whaling," explained Emily Lewis-Brown, marine and climate change officer at WWF.

"Climate change comes on top of all this and could not only lead to dramatic declines of some species but could contribute to pushing some critically endangered cetaceans, such as the Yangtze river dolphin and vaquita porpoise, to extinction."

Mark Simmonds, international director of science at WDCS, added that the planet's limate was now changing at "such a fast pace" that it was "unclear to what extent whales and dolphins will be able to adjust".End of story


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