NEW YORK (July 20, 2023) – A small, shy porpoise species has been detected year-round in the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary, the largest and busiest port on the U.S. East Coast, according to a research team with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) publishing in the Journal Frontiers in Marine Science. This research confirms for the first time that harbor porpoises, which are vulnerable to ocean noise and human disturbance, are surprisingly living in...

The following tribute to Dr. Roger Payne, who died June 10, was issued today by the Wildlife Conservation Society:

A team of scientists used an emerging genetic tool that analyzes DNA in water samples to detect whales and dolphins in New York waters.

Gabon's network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) provides a blueprint that could be used in many other countries, experts say.

Ratifying its global commitments, the Government of Colombia has recently declared Isla Ají a new marine protected area (MPA). Spanning 24,600 ha (95 square miles), this important and beautiful nature reserve will serve to protect threatened wildlife and safeguard the wellbeing of local coastal communities who depend on the area for food and their livelihoods. 

The Government of Bangladesh has declared a new marine protected area (MPA) spanning 1,743 square kilometers (672 square miles) around Saint Martin’s Island, a region which represents 1.5 percent of Bangladesh’s exclusive economic zone.

The Wildlife Conservation Society thanks the U.S. House of Representatives for including key amendments that address global pandemics of zoonotic origins at the source, biosecurity and marine mammal protection in the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed yesterday.

A new study finds that that some large whale species (humpback, fin and minke whales) use the waters off New York and New Jersey as a supplemental feeding area feasting on two different types of prey species. 

WCS's Ocean Giants experts will speak at the Hudson River Foundation's Edward A. Ames Seminar on Monday, December 7th from 2-3:30 pm ET.

Scientists examining levels of ocean noise in the Bering Sea—an important migratory seascape for whales, walruses, seals, and other acoustically sensitive animals—have confirmed that the presence of sea ice plays a central role in the soundscape of these Arctic waters.

A growing concern is that the disappearance of sea ice due to a changing climate could mean a marine realm increasingly filled with shipping and other human-related ocean noise, according to scientists from Southall Environmental Associates, WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), and other groups in a new study.