"In 2017, I led a team of filmmakers to Antarctica to celebrate the beauty of the continent and assess the risks posed by humans to its ecosystems. Within the first few days, we came across a dead humpback whale with a massive gash on its back. It was clear that it had been hit by a ship. In fact, thousands of whales die every year from ship strikes.
Later that day, we saw a large cruise ship racing through the highest whale density area at 19 knots. I did a social media post calling attention to the situation and was immediately reprimanded as I was not able to prove the cause of death, even though all of the indicators were there. Soon after, there was a change to the rules in Antarctica on how fast ships can go through this critical feeding area for humpback whales. Were we the ones who made this rule change happen? We will never know, and it does not matter. What matters is that ships are forced to slow down and maneuver around whales in this area, allowing them to peacefully gorge on krill before traveling north to the warm waters to mate and give birth. I will never get tired of fighting for more protections for wildlife. Please follow along with @sealegacy as we continue our efforts to fight for our planet.
With @mitty @pattersonimages @ladzinski and @Andy_mann"
Article re-posted to Whale Guardians™ Blog with direct permission from Paul Nicklen. View the original post here.