The body responsible for conserving Antarctic marine life has failed to agree on new marine protected areas and taken a substantial step backward on krill fisheries management at its annual meeting in Hobart.

There is still much we don’t know about the Caribbean’s 33 known cetacean species – more than one-third of the world’s total.

Ti Whale An Nou – the whale and dolphin research programme that gets its name from a mix of French and English Creole meaning ‘our little whales’ – is starting to fill in these gaps.

Today, nine countries agreed to establish a network of ecologically interconnected marine protected areas (MPAs) along the Pacific coast of the Americas, from Alaska to Patagonia.

One of the busiest shipping lanes in the world puts Mediterranean fin whales in the direct path of the massive tankers, cargo ships, and high-speed ferries that criss-cross their waters.

We need more of these MPAs in the ‘right places’ – where the conservation need is most urgent and where the potential for their contribution for humans and wildlife at its highest.