Tag: Whales

Whale’s Resurfacing Shows Danger Persists in the Options Market

Posted on by [email protected]_84

(Bloomberg) — Stock traders assessing the looming presidential election and a stalling economic recovery also need to keep an eye on the options market.

Loading...

Load Error

While the frenetic pace of speculation in derivatives has eased a bit recently, it hasn’t stopped, and a chorus of analysts warns the trading remains capable of exacerbating swings in equities. One proxy for the froth still latent in options, the percentage of overall volume represented by single-stock contracts, remains up 19% from a year ago, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. Most of it is concentrated in megacap technology and momentum-driven shares.

Meanwhile, a large buyer of tech calls dubbed the Nasdaq whale recently resurfaced, purchasing around $200 million worth of call contracts on tech stocks in a single day. The Nasdaq 100 Index has gained in all but two sessions this month and just notched its best week since July after last

… Read More Read More

‘Real and imminent’ extinction risk to whales

Posted on by [email protected]_84

Humpback whale
A humpback whale jumps to the surface of the Pacific Ocean

More than 350 scientists and conservationists from 40 countries have signed a letter calling for global action to protect whales, dolphins and porpoises from extinction.

They say more than half of all species are of conservation concern, with two on the “knife-edge” of extinction.

Lack of action over polluted and over-exploited seas means that many will be declared extinct within our lifetimes, the letter says.

Even large iconic whales are not safe.

“Let this be a historic moment when realising that whales are in danger sparks a powerful wave of action from everyone: regulators, scientists, politicians and the public to save our oceans,” said Mark Simmonds.

The visiting research fellow at the University of Bristol, UK, and senior marine scientist with Humane Society International, has coordinated the letter, which has been signed by experts across the world.

Growing threats

… Read More Read More

Australia saves 25 stranded pilot whales, rescue efforts continue

Posted on by [email protected]_84

By Byron Kaye

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Rescuers set free around 25 whales on Tuesday that were marooned on a sandbar off the remote west coast of Tasmania in one of Australia’s worst beaching events, and hope to save more in coming days.

Government scientists said about 90 of the 270-strong pod of pilot whales have died since they were spotted from the air in shallow water off the rugged coastline on Monday.

Footage showed large numbers of the animals prone on a wide sandbar at Macquarie Harbour, about 200 kms (120 miles) northwest of the state capital Hobart, while others floundered in slightly deeper water.

Rescuers had to get in the icy water to attach the whales, a species of oceanic dolphin that grow to 7 metres (23 ft) long and can weigh up to 3 tonnes, to slings and then guide the animals as boats dragged them out to

… Read More Read More

Hundreds of whales wash ashore in Tasmania, leaving scientists puzzled

Posted on by [email protected]_84

The deaths of nearly 400 pilot whales on the shore of Tasmania’s west coast has captured global attention, both for the rescue efforts from local agencies and for the puzzling cause behind such a tragic event.

Images captured by helicopters paint the stunning scene, as the bodies of the hundreds of massive sea creatures lay in the shallow waters of the Macquarie Harbor.

Whale carcasses are scattered along the water’s edge near Strahan, Australia, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020. Authorities revised up the number of pilot whales rescued from Australia’s worst-ever mass stranding from 50 to 70 on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020, as the focus shifted to removing 380 carcasses from Tasmania state shallows. (Patrick Gee/Pool Photo via AP)

According to authorities, 70 beached whales were rescued by locals and staff members from the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service. Marine and Conservation Program wildlife biologist Dr. Kris Carlyon said the stranding

… Read More Read More
Hopes fade for stranded whales in Australia [Video]

Hopes fade for stranded whales in Australia [Video]

Posted on by [email protected]_84

SHOTLIST

MACQUARIE HARBOUR, AUSTRALIASEPTEMBER 24, 2020SOURCE: AFPTV

1. Wide shot a stranded whale lies still in the shallow water2. Mid shot rescuers move a whale from a trailer back into deeper water3. Mid shot rescuers stand with a whale4. Mid shot a stranded whale splashes in the shallows5. Mid shot rescuers stand with a whale

///———————————————————–AFP TEXT STORY:

newseriesHopes fade for more survivors in Australia mass whale stranding By Mell Chun, with Andrew Beatty in Sydney

=(Picture+Video+Graphic)=

ATTENTION – ADDS quotes from rescuer, local community ///Macquarie Harbour, Australia, Sept 24, 2020 (AFP) – Only a few dozen of the 470 whales stranded on Australia’s coast can still be saved, rescuers warned Thursday, as they weighed euthanising those animals in most distress. At least 380 pilot whales have died since their pod was discovered beached on Tasmania’s rugged western seaboard four days ago — Australia’s largest-ever mass stranding.Around 70 of the

… Read More Read More

Australian rescuers forced to euthanise some beached whales as toll rises

Posted on by [email protected]_84

Only a few dozen of the 470 whales stranded on Australia's coast can still be saved, rescuers warned
Only a few dozen of the 470 whales stranded on Australia’s coast can still be saved, rescuers warned

Australian rescuers were forced Thursday to begin euthanising some surviving whales from a mass stranding that has already killed 380 members of the giant pod.


While 88 pilot whales have been saved since the pod was discovered beached on Tasmania’s rugged western seaboard four days ago, the death toll is expected to rise as the window for rescue closes.

“We still have a few more live animals that we think are going to be viable to move,” said Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service manager Nic Deka, praising the hard “yakka” (work) of rescuers who will continue until nightfall and into Friday.

“There is a likelihood that we’ll be continuing the rescue effort tomorrow… our focus has been on those that appear the most viable and have the most chance of success,” he

… Read More Read More

This New AI Technology Could Prevent Ships From Colliding With Whales

Posted on by [email protected]_84

Ship strikes are a leading cause of whale deaths worldwide and kill more than 80 fin, humpback, and blue whales on the U.S. west coast each year. Many of these ships are enormous – waterborne towers that are often unable to detect whales or their spouts.

This has led the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish speed reduction programs along both coasts to protect endangered right whales in the Atlantic Ocean (via “Right Whale Slow Zones”) and humpback, gray and blue whales in the Pacific Ocean (through a voluntary speed reduction program). These measures are highly effective at preventing vessels from fatally colliding with whales by 80 – 90 percent, but are not adopted by all maritime ships.

“One of our goals is to provide real-time whale presence data that will help

… Read More Read More