• Don Sineti, shantyman, sings songs of the sea Nov 12, 2009
And he drew what came naturally-sperm whales, bowhead whales and humpback whales. Encouraged by Hugill, who saw a shantyman in Sineti, he left construction and accepted a job offer at Mystic Seaport. (Juneau Empire)
Lawsuits have Shell debating Arctic drilling Nov 5, 2009
Environmentalists and North Slope governments sounded the alarm about potential impacts on bowhead whales and the possibility of oil spills. Both sued successfully to block the drilling during the past two summers. (Anchorage Daily News)
Polar bear tourism is growing on Alaska's North Slope Nov 1, 2009
We pass the "bone pile" -- the place where the unused remains of Native-caught bowhead whales are left -- as we arc around a sandy point and into the adjacent lagoon ... The greatest numbers of bears loafing in the area are typically found in September and October, just prior to, during and after the time Kaktovik residents hunt bowhead whales. (Anchorage Daily News)
Barrow boy may be youngest to harvest whale Oct 12, 2009
The crew landed the whale Tuesday as Barrow hunters approached the city's annual quota of 22 bowhead whales in what has quickly become a successful fall season. With each successful strike on a whale, several boats haul the bowhead back to the old Barrow airport runway where the animals are butchered and shared throughout the Arctic city of 4,100. (Anchorage Daily News)
Alaskans bank on annual oil royalty dividend Sep 24, 2009
This year, two bowhead whales were caught. Some people, however, can't help but splurge around dividend time, at least in Anchorage, where car dealers and retailers lure buyers with big "PFD" deals. (Anchorage Daily News)
Understand the Arctic before exploiting it Sep 21, 2009
That same year, a Shell Oil seismic report estimated there were as many as 5,000 bowhead whales in an area of the Chukchi Sea, where the company hopes to begin offshore oil development. An endangered species, the total population of b 00004000 owhead whales in the Chukchi-Beaufort-Bering seas is only about 11,800. (Herald Online, SC -- Opinion)
Love Songs Of Bowhead Whales Aug 3, 2009
But now the situation has changed and adult bowhead whales, which can grow up to 18 metres long and weigh 100 tons, have returned to the bay ... This gives bowhead whales from the northern Pacific a chance to reach Disko Bay and mate with the small local population ... It turns out that bowhead whales change their songs from year to year and never repeat songs from previous years. (Science Daily)
Whaling body skirts divisive Greenland request Jun 26, 2009
Greenland has a quota to hunt 200 mink whales, 19 fin whales and 2 bowhead whales every year. Some conservation groups believe humpback whales are a vulnerable species, while others say that Greenland is abusing its aboriginal's rights for subsistence whaling. (Scientific American)
Interior seeks clarification of offshore leasing ruling May 12, 2009
But Natives along the northern coast worry the noise of offshore development could chase away bowhead whales and other subsistence foods. They, along with environmentalists, are concerned about the limited technology for cleaning up oil spills in icy water. (Anchorage Daily News)
Shell Oil withdraws Beaufort drilling plan May 7, 2009
Drilling disrupts bowhead whales, seals, polar bears and other wildlife, he said. More important, he said, the petroleum industry has not demonstrated it can clean up a crude oil spill in icy ocean conditions. (Anchorage Daily News)
Alaska drilling ruling vacated, future uncertain Mar 10, 2009
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - An appeals court has vacated a decision that blocked Shell Oil's planned exploratory drilling program in the Beaufort Sea, but representatives of the company and the environmental and Native groups challenging the development said Monday they had no indication whether any change in policy would result. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, in a two-page order issued Friday, said it will replace its November 20 ruling with a new opinion. (Scientific American)
Court vacates Shell Alaska drilling decision Mar 9, 2009
The 9th Circuit panel in November said MMS did not provide convincing reasons why Shell's exploratory drilling plans at specific sites would have an insignificant effect on bowhead whales and their migratory routes. The judges concluded that the agency's attempt to rely on a monitoring program as a mitigation measure was "ill-founded.". (Anchorage Daily News)
Protecting the Arctic marine ecosystem Feb 16, 2009
The Arctic Ocean is home to marine mammals such as polar bears, narwhals, bowhead whales, walrus, and ringed seals, which are remarkably well-adapted to these extremes and are found nowhere else on earth. Millions of birds and various species of whales migrate great distances to the Arctic to raise their young and sustain their populations on the explosive summer burst of food. (Boston Globe)
10 glacier getaways Feb 13, 2009
They admired bowhead whales and polar bears from the ships deck, explored the many fjords of Baffin Island and made stops ashore to hike the tundra, look for wildlife and visit local communities. There are other trips, too, including one that crosses the fabled Northwest Passage and retraces the paths of some of the worlds most notable (and ill-fated) explorers. (MSNBC -- Travel)
Polar attraction Feb 8, 2009
It might have been the bowhead whales, or an endangered ivory gull, or a polar bear, or a herd of musk oxen; there were a lot of "holy cow" moments on the trip. For me, many of them took place off the boat, walking on the land and discovering just how close Nunavut is to its own history. (Boston Globe)
