LOS ANGELES (AP) — The parent company and owner of a now-closed Southern California restaurant have pleaded guilty to serving meat from an endangered whale.
The Los Angeles Times reports (http://lat.ms/1xLJjIJ ) that Typhoon Restaurant Inc. and owner Brian Vidor each entered guilty pleas Monday to one count of unlawful sale of a marine mammal.
They were charged with serving meat from the endangered Sei (say) whale to undercover investigators at the restaurant The Hump at Santa Monica Municipal Airport.
Continued ...
Showing posts with label sei whale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sei whale. Show all posts
Wednesday, 19 November 2014
Wednesday, 27 August 2014
Rare sei whale spotted off Cornwall's coast in Penzance
A rare whale has been spotted off the coast of Penzance.
Experts believe these photographs show
a sei whale – the creatures rarely visit water around the UK.
a sei whale – the creatures rarely visit water around the UK. |
| Wikipedia file photo |
Sei whales are the third largest rorqual after the blue whale and fin whale.
These photographs were taken by Penzance-based marine wildlife tour company Marine Discovery.
Hannah Jones, from Marine Discovery, said: “We're usually the last people to try and make things sound rarer than they actually are - after all simply seeing any whales off the coast of Cornwall is exciting enough. Reasons we think this whale was a Sei Whale; very visible blow, but probably not dense or tall enough for a fin whale; blow and fin seen at same time; "chin up" surface with pronounced rostrum (the "seam" running from the blowholes to the tip of the upper jaw); spots! On one of the photos, there are visible pale spots behind the fin; swathes of pale colouration on the back (though minkes do often have this as well) Feasibly large, sickle shaped fin, though you can never ID rorqual whales from the fin alone.”
enough. Reasons we think this whale was a Sei Whale; very visible blow, but probably not dense or tall enough for a fin whale; blow and fin seen at same time; "chin up" surface with pronounced rostrum (the "seam" running from the blowholes to the tip of the upper jaw); spots! On one of the photos, there are visible pale spots behind the fin; swathes of pale colouration on the back (though minkes do often have this as well) Feasibly large, sickle shaped fin, though you can never ID rorqual whales from the fin alone.”Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Whale killed by cruise ship near New York amid upsurge in cetacean strikes
- Sei whale carcass dragged into Hudson River
- Strike is third in north-east waters in recent weeks
theguardian.com, Saturday 24 May 2014 14.13 BST
A cruise ship heading for New York this month struck and killed a whale and dragged it into the Hudson River, part of a higher-than-usual rate of strikes along the eastern seaboard for this time of year, a federal agency said.
There were three whale strikes recently, including one in which a cruise ship hit a sei whale and did not discover it until it reached port, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
In a similar case, a sei whale was found dead and attached to a container ship that was docking near Philadelphia, NOAA said.
The whales may be following food sources closer to shore, NOAA said. An increased food supply has recently been cited for a large increase in the number of humpback whales off Massachusetts.
The agency issued a reminder to mariners of measures already in place to protect whales, including speed limits and distances.
"Nobody wants to hit a whale," said Marjorie Mooney-Seus, a spokeswoman. "So we want people to have a greater awareness that they're out there now."
Monday, 25 July 2011
Sei whale spotted off Scotland
Mystery sighting intrigues international Scientists
July 2011. Aerial photos taken by a Scottish paramedic of a large whale between Islay and Gigha off the west coast of Scotland have intrigued international scientists on both sides of the Atlantic. On balance they believe the sighting is most likely to be of a very rare Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis).
Aerial photo
The story began when Danny Kerr and a team from the Scottish Ambulance Service based at Clyde Heliport were flying to Islay to pick up a patient. The pilot spotted a whale and Danny, an HEMS Paramedic, was able to pick up a camera and take a photograph of the surfacing animal as they went past. They were flying at about 500ft.
Unable to identify the animal himself, Danny contacted Sea Watch whose Research Director Dr Peter Evans was also puzzled by his description and the only picture of it from above the surface. He sought independent views from two other experts in species identification, both from the US - Dr Phil Clapham, co-author of Sea Mammals of the World, published in 2002, and Dr Tom Jefferson, co-author of another identification guide Marine Mammals of the World, published in 2008.
Danny said: "There is always excitement on board when the team spots a school of dolphins or other marine animals. This time I was lucky, there were no patients on board and I had a camera to hand and was able to get some shots. When I got home I looked at the pictures and my first impression was a humpback because I thought the pectoral fins were white but due to its body shape and broad tail, I then thought it looked more like a fin whale which is when I contacted Sea Watch."
Sei, Fin or Minke?
Dr Evans said: "This was a very important sighting and the picture has proved vital. We ruled out humpback whale because of the slim body shape and smooth back but I didn't understand how its pectoral fins could be white until Tom mentioned that from above these can appear very light. We then considered whether it could have been a fin whale (its large size - 20 metres or more ruled out Minke whale), which would itself have been unusual for the waters, but the picture showed that the dorsal fin curved backwards and was relatively large, two features that fit Sei whales but not fin whales. The three of us independently concluded it was most likely to be a Sei whale."
Not only are Sei whales extremely rare, and protected internationally, but they are one of the species that scientists know least about. They are usually spotted singly or in pairs and feed on schooling fishes, small crustaceans, other invertebrates, including squid.
8 sightings in 50 years
There have been only eight confirmed sightings in Scotland in the last 50 years, some of which may have been of the same individual: in July 1980 there was a report off Handa Island; in Aug 1993 off Out Skerries in Shetland; in Sept 2006 off Greenstone Point at the entrance to Loch Ewe; in June 2007 at St Kilda; in June and October 2008 near Gairloch; in July 2008 east of Stronsay and in July 2010 off Auskerry, Orkney. All but the July 2010 Auskerry sighting have involved single animals, the latter being a sighting of two.
13,500 Sei whales alive
It is thought there may be only around 13,500 Sei whales in all of the North Atlantic. Those in the eastern North Atlantic winter off North-west Africa, Spain and Portugal and in the Bay of Biscay, and then migrate northwards primarily to summering grounds north of Shetland, and around the Faroes, northern Norway, Bear Island and Svalbard. Their numbers were severely depleted by whaling and fishing.
National Whale and Dolphin Watch - August 5th to 7th
Sea Watch is appealing for members of the public to send in their sightings of all whales, dolphins and porpoises, particularly during National Whale and Dolphin Watch that takes place from August 5- 7. Details of how to take part in the national watch, which will occur across the Scottish, English Welsh and Northern Ireland coastlines and coastal waters, are on their web site www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk Sightings and photos can also be sent to sightings@seawatchfoundation.org.uk
Sea Watch is a marine conservation research and education charity that works to help develop effective conservation policies with the UK Government and other national and international bodies. Understanding the distribution, strength and diversity of cetacean populations is vital to their work.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/sei-whale.html
July 2011. Aerial photos taken by a Scottish paramedic of a large whale between Islay and Gigha off the west coast of Scotland have intrigued international scientists on both sides of the Atlantic. On balance they believe the sighting is most likely to be of a very rare Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis).
Aerial photo
The story began when Danny Kerr and a team from the Scottish Ambulance Service based at Clyde Heliport were flying to Islay to pick up a patient. The pilot spotted a whale and Danny, an HEMS Paramedic, was able to pick up a camera and take a photograph of the surfacing animal as they went past. They were flying at about 500ft.
Unable to identify the animal himself, Danny contacted Sea Watch whose Research Director Dr Peter Evans was also puzzled by his description and the only picture of it from above the surface. He sought independent views from two other experts in species identification, both from the US - Dr Phil Clapham, co-author of Sea Mammals of the World, published in 2002, and Dr Tom Jefferson, co-author of another identification guide Marine Mammals of the World, published in 2008.
Danny said: "There is always excitement on board when the team spots a school of dolphins or other marine animals. This time I was lucky, there were no patients on board and I had a camera to hand and was able to get some shots. When I got home I looked at the pictures and my first impression was a humpback because I thought the pectoral fins were white but due to its body shape and broad tail, I then thought it looked more like a fin whale which is when I contacted Sea Watch."
Sei, Fin or Minke?
Dr Evans said: "This was a very important sighting and the picture has proved vital. We ruled out humpback whale because of the slim body shape and smooth back but I didn't understand how its pectoral fins could be white until Tom mentioned that from above these can appear very light. We then considered whether it could have been a fin whale (its large size - 20 metres or more ruled out Minke whale), which would itself have been unusual for the waters, but the picture showed that the dorsal fin curved backwards and was relatively large, two features that fit Sei whales but not fin whales. The three of us independently concluded it was most likely to be a Sei whale."
Not only are Sei whales extremely rare, and protected internationally, but they are one of the species that scientists know least about. They are usually spotted singly or in pairs and feed on schooling fishes, small crustaceans, other invertebrates, including squid.
8 sightings in 50 years
There have been only eight confirmed sightings in Scotland in the last 50 years, some of which may have been of the same individual: in July 1980 there was a report off Handa Island; in Aug 1993 off Out Skerries in Shetland; in Sept 2006 off Greenstone Point at the entrance to Loch Ewe; in June 2007 at St Kilda; in June and October 2008 near Gairloch; in July 2008 east of Stronsay and in July 2010 off Auskerry, Orkney. All but the July 2010 Auskerry sighting have involved single animals, the latter being a sighting of two.
13,500 Sei whales alive
It is thought there may be only around 13,500 Sei whales in all of the North Atlantic. Those in the eastern North Atlantic winter off North-west Africa, Spain and Portugal and in the Bay of Biscay, and then migrate northwards primarily to summering grounds north of Shetland, and around the Faroes, northern Norway, Bear Island and Svalbard. Their numbers were severely depleted by whaling and fishing.
National Whale and Dolphin Watch - August 5th to 7th
Sea Watch is appealing for members of the public to send in their sightings of all whales, dolphins and porpoises, particularly during National Whale and Dolphin Watch that takes place from August 5- 7. Details of how to take part in the national watch, which will occur across the Scottish, English Welsh and Northern Ireland coastlines and coastal waters, are on their web site www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk Sightings and photos can also be sent to sightings@seawatchfoundation.org.uk
Sea Watch is a marine conservation research and education charity that works to help develop effective conservation policies with the UK Government and other national and international bodies. Understanding the distribution, strength and diversity of cetacean populations is vital to their work.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/sei-whale.html
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