Listening for Whales

4:17

Passive acoustic monitoring uses sound to study the ocean. It’s one tool NOAA Fisheries uses to track North Atlantic right whales and other marine mammals so we can learn about and protect them. New technologies can track whales in near real-time.

History of the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program

0:59

NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, formalized in 1992, coordinates emergency responses to sick, injured, distressed, or dead seals, sea lions, dolphins, porpoises, and whales.

Marine Mammal Entanglement Response

0:58

Marine mammal entanglement response networks, administered by NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, were established to safely and effectively respond to reports of entangled marine mammals.

What Does it Mean to Have Whale SENSE?

4:28

Watching whales in their natural habitat is an incredible experience—but it must be done in a way that doesn't disturb or harm them. Learn how to find a whale watching company that is committed to safe and respectful whale-watching practices.

Injured North Atlantic Right Whale

0:26

North Atlantic right whale Juno and her injured calf swimming off Sapelo Island, Georgia in February 2024. The calf dives underwater, likely to nurse. Juno has scars from an entanglement and presumed boat strike. Credit: Georgia DNR/NOAA permit 24359

Climate Change & Marine Animals: A Conservation Challenge

4:34

Climate-driven changes such as higher ocean temperatures and extreme weather events are affecting the health of marine animals—and their ability to survive. Learn how our scientists are using the best available science to conserve these species

Using Tags to Understand North Atlantic Right Whales

2:26

Fisheries and our partners put tags on North Atlantic right whales to learn about an individual’s movement and behavior. This video captured by a tag gives a little insight into what it is like being a North Atlantic right whale.

How NOAA Prepares for Large Whale Entanglements in Hawaiʻi

2:55

Every year, NOAA Fisheries and partners go through rigorous and comprehensive large whale disentanglement training in Hawaiʻi. This ensures they're familiar with the gear, processes, and animals, and have the muscle memory to help whales in need.

Drone Footage Shows Trained Responders Freeing Entangled Whale

2:50

Fishing rope wrapped around the rear part of the whale in front of the tail, or fluke. The rest of the gear trailed about 50 feet behind the whale with several masses of entangled lines just behind the tail.

Response Team Removes Fishing Lines from Entangled Humpback Whale

1:00

Whale watching boats helped locate and track the entangled whale so our expert teams could respond. This is the third entangled humpback whale detected off Southern California in about 2 weeks.

Stranding Network Frees Entangled Humpback Whale near Dana Point, in Southern California

1:11

A team from NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center removed fishing line entangling a humpback whale near Dana Point, in Southern California, on Sunday, October 9, 2022.