Founded 1977
Save The Whales' purpose is to educate children
and adults about marine mammals, their
environment and their preservation.
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More Whales Are Dying
From Plastic Ingestion
All around the world, marine mammals are dying from eating our trash, mainly plastic. Sperm whales dying from eating plastics is a tragedy. This isn't the first time a sperm whale has been found with stomach full in inedible contents. The large pieces of plastic can kill the animal but the smaller pieces they ingest could cause more chronic problems for all marine species.
In August of 2014, a young female sei whale, which is an endangered species, was found dead in the Chesapeake Bay. A broken DVD case was identified as the cause of death.
In 2011, a young whale was found floating dead off the Greek island of Mykonos. Its stomach was so distended, biologists thought the animal swallowed a giant squid. However, its stomach contents revealed nearly 100 plastic bags and other pieces of debris.
In 2008, two male sperm whales were found stranded along the northern California coast, their stomachs full of pieces of fishing net, rope, and other plastic trash. One animal had a ruptured stomach; the other was emaciated, suggesting that it had been unable to get any nourishment as plastic blocked the opening to the stomach.
Eliminating plastic bags on a daily basis can help reverse this course. Eco-friendly reusable shopping bags help wildlife. Single use plastic bags put countless birds and other sea life at risk of death when they make it into their food supply. Communities around the world have banned the use of plastic bags while much of California and the Pacific Northwest, as well as Austin and Santa Fe, have followed suit. Do your shopping with reusable bags, use stainless steel water bottles instead of single-use plastic bottles, and participate in park and beach cleanups.
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Vaquita Featured on 60 Minutes
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Photos taken under permit (Oficio No. DR/488/08) from the Secretana de Medio
Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT) within a natural protected area
subject to special management and decreed as such by the Mexican Government
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On Sunday, May 22, 2016, 60 Minutes aired a segment on vaquita, a small endangered Mexican porpoise. The crew came to San Felipe in Baja, and interviewed Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho, a Mexican scientist, and Barbara Taylor, an American scientist, during the 2015 vaquita survey. Most importantly, they filmed vaquita themselves. Rojas-Bracho said, "We are watching this precious native species disappear before our eyes." In 2015, Mexico banned gillnets for two years where vaquita live in the northern part of the Sea of Cortez. That action has saved some but it hasn't helped the unrelenting killing for the illegal totoaba swim bladders which are sold to the Chinese at very high prices. The totoaba is a large endangered fish, almost as large as the vaquita, and the small porpoise gets tangled in the nets and drown. The airing follows news released recently that only around 60 vaquitas remain as calculated by the International Recovery Team for Vaquita (CIRVA). Results of the acoustic monitoring between 2011-2015 showed an 80% decline over that period and prompted the emergency two-year ban of gillnets that began on May 10, 2015. Although almost no gillnets were seen on the survey between October and early December, 42 illegal totoaba gillnets were removed by Sea Shepherd in collaboration with the Mexican Navy. Three vaquita calves died in March from gillnet entanglement. The time within which the vaquita can possibly recover is coming to an end. In addition to a fishing ban, Mexico, the United States and China need to take urgent and coordinated action to stop the illegal fishing, trafficking and consumption of the totoaba. CIRVA should ask that the gillnet ban be continued and that there are stricter enforcement efforts. Sign the Petition. Thank you.__________________________________________________________
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One Special Student Raises Funds
for Save The Whales
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Students Check Out Array of Items
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Students from Open Mind School in California learned about endangered arctic animals. One student, a 13-year-old with autism, took particular interest in learning about the whales. After many hours of careful planning, he decided to launch a school-wide fundraiser to raise money to help save the whales. As project manager he assigned responsibilities to classmates including treasurer, baker, marketing, etc. The students raised
$306.10 in a week-long effort to raise awareness about the whales.
Thank you to all the students for their dedicated effort to help the whales!
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Please join in one of the celebrations for Save The Vaquita Day, July 9, or start one of your own. The little "Panda of the Sea" needs all of our assistance if it is to survive. I fear it is going to slip away before we even get to know this shy little porpoise.
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Sincerely,
 Maris Sidenstecker I Executive Director, Save The Whales 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
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Albino Whale
Called "Gallon
of Milk" Sighted With Calf
Mexico's National Protected Natural Areas Commission, or Conanp, reported the sighting of an albino whale in waters of the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve more than five years ago when it was still a calf.
During the annual whale census taken by Conanp in that northwestern area of the country, the presence in the pod of the female gray whale dubbed "Gallon of Milk" was observed,
However, the albino whale was accompanied by a calf that was totally gray. She has become a mother!
Albinism is a genetic disorder caused by gene mutation, which produces a reduction or total absence of the melanin pigment. It is found in different taxonomic groups, in the wild and in captivity, but very few albino marine mammals have ever been found.
During the census, the seventh carried out to date, 2,211 specimens of the gray whale were counted in the Ojo de Liebre Lagoon reserve. Of the total, 1,004 were calves.
The discovery of the albino whale's calf resulted from monitoring by the personnel of El Vizcaino.
It has been done over the past 20 years in order to document the annual migration of the gray whale to Mexico's Pacific coast where they mate and reproduce.
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Volunteers with their eyes blackened (like a vaquta).
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Sites for
Save The Vaquita Day Celebrations
July 9, 2016
Attached is a link to the current Save The Vaquita Day Celebrations. Please attend one near you,
Save The Whales will be at Del Monte Boulevard in Monterey, CA at the Volleyball Courts.
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Your Contribution Helps
 | Graphic by
Nodar Kipshidze |
Save The Whales
1192 Waring St.
Seaside CA 93955
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