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Articles by Michael Fishbach
Humpback whales harbor a highly novel and endemic gut microbiome that adapts to periods of fasting during migration
Abstract Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are cosmopolitan in distribution and most populations migrate between foraging and breeding grounds each year1,2. As capital breeders, many humpbacks reduce foraging behavior and potentially fast for a few months of the year3. Here, we present a comparative genomic analysis of the gut microbiomes from humpbacks on two breeding grounds: Gulf of California, where feeding is common4-6, and Hawaii, where feeding is extremely rare7.
Changes in blue whale survival and abundance in the Gulf of California
1 INTRODUCTION Knowledge of the population ecology of a species is essential to inform conservation assessments and management actions. For species that are wide-ranging, assessment can be particularly challenging because trends in abundance from studies that are spatially limited can be difficult to interpret. Furthermore, changing environments can lead to shifts in the distribution of a species, requiring continued study to understand where important habitats are.
Oregon Derailment Highlights Ongoing Risks of Oil Trains
PORTLAND, Ore.— The derailment today of multiple oil tanker cars and resulting fire in the Columbia River Gorge reaffirms the danger that transporting oil by rail still poses to people and the environment — despite new safety rules meant to prevent such accidents.
Baja 2016: Warmer Waters, Thinner Whales
The El Niño year saw us begin the 2016 Baja season in early February. The waters were warm, but the whales were there. It was a fabulous whale season, and all concerns about El Niño disappeared as week after week saw us with lots of whales experiencing fabulous, varied encounters. Here are some of the final numbers. Especially interesting was the final count of Blue and Humpback whales, which we knew in advance was going to be a close call as to which species we identified more of.
Baja 2016: El Niño Invites the Whales to Stay Late!
It’s March 20th and the Blue whales are still here! What happened to the fear we all had that, in a warm El Nino year, the whales would come and leave early? There is just so very much we do not know and understand that, for me, it makes it all the more intriguing to work on the sea. We still have many of the regular whales that have been here now for close to two months. The Humpbacks have their own regulars this season, as do the Blue whales.
Baja 2016: Blue Whale Poop, Humpback Breaches and a Swarm of Mobula Rays
Michael Fishbach is the founder and Executive Director of the Great Whale Conservancy (GWC). The GWC is dedicated to helping the plight of the world’s great whales with a special emphasis on the largest of them all, the endangered Blue Whale. Michael has been doing fieldwork on Blue Whales in Canada, The Azores and off Baja California since 1992. His nineteen years of photo ID work on large whales in the Sea of Cortez remains ongoing.
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