{"id":2601224,"date":"2026-05-11T12:42:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T16:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scientist-warns-of-threats-to-whales-due-to-shipping-route-changes\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T12:47:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T16:47:17","slug":"scientist-warns-of-threats-to-whales-due-to-shipping-route-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scientist-warns-of-threats-to-whales-due-to-shipping-route-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientist warns of threats to whales due to shipping route changes"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fscientist-warns-of-threats-to-whales-due-to-shipping-route-changes%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2601224&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Scientists warn that <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >rerouted cargo shipping tied<\/a> to the Iran war is increasing traffic around the southern tip of Africa, potentially leading to a surge in undetected whale deaths. They point to \u201ccryptic mortality,\u201d where whales die far from shore or sink without being recorded, making the true impact easy to underestimate.<\/p>\n<p>New research reported that ship numbers traveling around south Africa\u2019s coastline rose sharply-doubling between March and April this year compared with 2023-after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed. Researchers say this heightens the risk of ship strikes, especially for large whales that surface slowly and may not avoid fast container ships and tankers. Prior studies suggest that reducing ship speeds can help lower both collision risk and harmful noise that disrupts whales.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists involved say they need more offshore surveys (by plane or boat) to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/1-in-10-k-12-students-has-been-sexually-abused-by-a-teacher\/\" title=\"1 In 10 K-12 Students Has Been Sexually Abused By A Teacher\">gather reliable data<\/a> on whale populations and better assess the danger.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>Scientists are warning that changes to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/shipping\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"216\">global <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chinese-arctic-incursion-spooks-lawmakers\/\" title=\"Chinese Arctic Incursion Spooks Lawmakers\">shipping routes<\/a><\/a> due to the war in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"100\">Iran<\/a> could create a hidden wave of whale deaths as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-carrier-makes-rare-visit-to-vietnamese-port-amid-tensions-with-china\/\" title=\"US carrier visits Vietnamese port amid China tensions.\">vessels sail<\/a> around <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/africa\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"792\">Africa\u2019s<\/a> southern tip for trade between Europe and Asia. <\/p>\n<p>Researchers say the danger stems from what they call \u201ccryptic mortality\u201d: whale deaths that occur far from shore or sink undetected, making them difficult to count and potentially masking the true scale of harm to populations. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4562887\/trump-calls-pause-federal-gas-tax-ease-prices-pump\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump calls to pause federal gas tax in bid to ease prices at the pump<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a 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<\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>The warning follows new research reported Monday that found cargo traffic around <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/south-africa\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"546\">South Africa\u2019s<\/a> southern coastline has increased as shipping companies reroute vessels to avoid instability and attacks in Middle Eastern waterways. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Graphic by Grace Hagerman \/ Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Ships were already using the alternate route around the Cape of Good Hope after Houthi rebels attacked a British-owned vessel near Yemen, but the Iran war, which led to the closure of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/strait-of-hormuz\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"21488\">Strait of Hormuz<\/a>, has made the situation worse.  <\/p>\n<p>The number of ships sailing around the cape between March and April this year has doubled that in 2023, from 44 ships to 89. <\/p>\n<p>Scientists say the changes raise the risk of ship strikes, one of the leading causes of whale deaths worldwide. <\/p>\n<p>Els Vermeulen, chief scientist of the Whale Unit at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cz02dkkd9j9o\">told the BBC<\/a> that her team overlaid the distribution of different whale species in the area with the shipping routes to find where whales could collide with boats. <\/p>\n<p>Large whales are especially vulnerable because they surface slowly and may not be able to avoid fast-moving container ships and oil tankers. Vermeulen said many collisions were unrecorded, meaning mortality figures may significantly understate the true toll on whale populations. <\/p>\n<p>Research has shown that slower ship speeds can sharply reduce the likelihood of deadly strikes and lessen the underwater noise pollution that disrupts whale communication and feeding behavior, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. <\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4558854\/gulf-countries-reliance-strait-of-hormuz-iran-war\/\"><strong>GULF COUNTRIES SEEK TO WEAN THEMSELVES OFF STRAIT OF HORMUZ<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Vermeulen said that her team needs support to conduct surveys by plane or boat of whale populations offshore. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been nice to see how much people want to come together to solve this,\u201d she said. \u201cSo now the onus is on the scientific community to come up with reliable data on the offshore whale population.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scientists warn Iran war shipping changes may cause hidden whale deaths<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4130,"featured_media":2601226,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/istock-891200678-e1778516586555.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[51667,79476,9328,15492],"class_list":["post-2601224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-climate-change-2","tag-marine-conservation","tag-shipping","tag-whales"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/istock-891200678-e1778516586555.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4130"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2601224"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2601228,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601224\/revisions\/2601228"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2601226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2601224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2601224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2601224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}