Articles About Marine Life

Please see the below articles about Marine Life from past editions of the AWI Quarterly magazine.

Orcas Ramming Rudders: It May Just Be Play

A critically endangered population of orcas, numbering only 40 individuals, inhabits the outer coastal waters of the Iberian Peninsula. Since spring 2020, these whales have been dramatically interacting with boats—mostly sailing yachts. These interactions started...

NMFS Nixes Quick Steps to Protect Rice’s Whales

The Rice’s whale was initially listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 2019 as a subspecies—the Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale—but was reclassified as a unique species in 2021. Its primary threats include...

Death Precludes Deliverance for Orca Tokitae

For 53 years, the captive orca Tokitae (a.k.a. Toki, Lolita, and Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut) lived in a tiny tank at Miami Seaquarium. She was a Southern Resident orca, a Pacific Northwest population listed as endangered in 2005...

Pet Trade Empties Reefs of Banggai Cardinalfish

The global trade in ornamental fish is a multibillion-dollar business involving the annual global export of around 2 billion fish from 2,500 freshwater and marine species. Many are captured from the wild, often via inhumane...

Using DNA in Footprints to Track Polar Bear Populations

The Arctic is warming faster than anywhere on Earth, and polar bears—listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act—are at risk due to decreasing sea ice habitat. Monitoring polar bear populations is important for their...

Gray Whales in Steep Decline

After peaking at nearly 27,000 whales in 2016, the population of eastern North Pacific gray whales has plummeted to around 14,500 in 2023—a startling 46 percent decline and nearly 7,000 fewer animals than when the...

Advocating End to Cetacean Captivity in Europe

Since 2014, AWI has supported the work of Dolphinaria-Free Europe (DFE), a coalition of European NGOs who work to help the approximately 300 whales, dolphins, and porpoises held for display and research in the European...