Shrinking Antarctica puts whales in danger: 23-06-2008
Migratory whales are being put at risk by the effects of global warming, according to new research released ahead of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting.
According to the research - Ice breaker: Pushing the boundaries for whales - migratory whales, such as the blue whale and the humpback whale, will be forced to travel up to 500 kilometres further south to find their "frontal" feeding zones, if global warming continues to melt the ice at its current rate.
The feeding zones are also getting smaller, meaning there are less krill to go around, which will lead to a drop in the number of whales.
"Essentially, what we are seeing is that ice-associated whales such as the Antarctic minke whale will face dramatic changes to their habitat over little more than the lifespan of an individual whale," said WWF-UK species officer Heather Sohl.
"The impact on whales is one more imperative for the world to take decisive action to reduce the risk of catastrophic climate change."
The blue whale is the world's largest mammal, while the humpback whale has only recently started to recover from the brink of extinction after commercial whaling in the 20th century decimated its numbers.