In the last century the world’s oceans have become major hubs of
activity, with large number of ships traversing the globe each
year. Along with the increased presence of mere ships in the sea
has been the increase in fishing, which has led to great numbers
of nets, trawls and other such devices. Add to this the use of
sonar and you will begin to understand why whale species are
under more stress than ever before. Ship strikes and
entanglements with nets are a major issue for whales across the
globe. The mere presence of ships, even without sonar use, has
caused significantly elevated noise pollution in the world’s
oceans. All of the action in the seas can make merely going to
typical feeding and calving grounds difficult for whales. Amidst
concerns regarding ship strikes and interference with local
whales, Panama is taking action to change shipping routes near
the Panama Canal. The recent International Whaling Commission
held their annual meeting in Panama City. The area is not widely
known for their whale p