O&G alarm bells over GoM whales

Global scientists are sounding alarm bells over a threat that oil and gas exploration poses to an exceedingly rare Rice's whale recently found to be a unique species that lives only in the northern Gulf of Mexico. In an open letter to President Joe Biden’s administration, more than 100 marine scientists from as far away as Norway and New Zealand said stronger protections are needed to avoid the extinction of a species that has only about 50 individuals left. The whale is commonly referred to as the Gulf of Mexico whale that prefers deep, dark waters of DeSoto Canyon, one of the busiest commercial areas of the norther GoM located east of Louisiana's coast, where O&G development pose a “clear, existential threat,” the letter says. Despite the whale's challenges, scientists seem to believe it can recover, but it would take significant changes in the way the Gulf is managed. (NOLA.com 10/16/22) World's 'most endangered' whale under threat from Gulf oil industry, scientists say | Environment | nola.com