Shipping Company Changes Route To Protect Whales

Good morning! It’s another Monday and we’re ready to give you some Good News. From a Greek shipping company helping to save an endangered whale species to Finland building a huge eco-friendly heat pump to England finally ending the culling of badgers. Yep, a lot of positive stories today, so read on and enjoy!

• 🐋 Shipping Company Changes Route To Protect Whales

• 🚀 SpaceX Launches First Civilians For Spacewalk

• 💧 Finland Building The Largest Eco-Friendly Heat Pump

• 🦡 England Aims To End Badger Culling By 2029

• 🔆 Renewable Energy Sector On Track To Hit Net-Zero Goals

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION 🦁

Shipping Company Changes Route To Protect Whales

• Sperm whale numbers have decreased since the 1980s

• Commercial whaling suspended but numbers still low

• Whales around the Hellenic Trench often get struck by ships

• Greek shipping company rerouting to avoid hitting whales

During the 19th and 20th century, global sperm whale populations have greatly decreased at the hands of the whaling industry. Sperm whale populations are found all over the world, and these super-sized whales have little oil sacs in their heads that’s been used to make oil lamps, candles and lubricants. The International Whaling Committee suspended commercial whaling in the 1980s, but sperm whales are still trying to recover their lost numbers. The graphic below shows the estimated trajectory of global sperm whale populations, with the red line indicating the best estimate of how these populations have dwindled.

So why are they struggling to gain numbers if commercial whaling has been reduced? In today’s climate, these whales have to deal with fishing gear entanglement, accidental swallowing of marine debris, oil spills and getting hit by ships trafficking our oceans. That is why a big Greek shipping company called Arcadia Shipmanagement recently announced that they’ll be changing their ocean routes to help protect the east Mediterranean sperm whale population living in and around the Hellenic Trench.

The Hellenic Trench is situated south of Crete, a Greek island. It’s one of the busiest shipping routes in the East Mediterranean and makes up almost a third of all global shipping traffic. Conservationists have been sounding the alarm, saying that too many endangered sperm whales are getting fatally hit by ships passing through this territory. It’s estimated that there are less than 200 east Mediterranean sperm whales left in the Hellenic Trench, which is why protecting them has become critical. 

The Arcadia Shipmanagement is committed to rerouting their shipments and avoiding the Hellenic Trench altogether. They join several international companies, including the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), that are already rerouting their ship traffic away from this precious sperm whale habitat. These companies are also vocally advocating for better sea routes within their industry so that everyone can protect our ocean wildlife, together.

GOOD NEWS PREMIUM

Hey there! 😊

We hope you're enjoying the good news so far! If you're looking for more positivity in your inbox, consider upgrading to our premium subscription and get access to all 5 good news stories.

For just $1 a week (that’s less than a coffee! ☕️), you’ll get uplifting news delivered every Monday and Friday, designed to brighten your day and boost your mental well-being.

It’s easy to sign up, and you can cancel anytime — but we’re confident the good news will keep you coming back for more.

Ready to make the switch? Click here to upgrade and join the positive corner of the internet!

What our YouTube subscribers are saying:

Start and end your week on a positive note
with Good News Premium for less than $1 per week!

We are happy to welcome you to the positive side of the Internet!

Luis, Freddy, Raphael, Zanandi, and Stevan
The Good News Team

That’s it for today! We hope this Good News made you as happy as a whale frolicking in the ocean. Have a great week, and we’ll see you again on Friday.🌻

We want to do even better!
Feel free to share some feedback!