NOAA

• WASHINGTON, March 19, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Mobile Satellite Users Association ( MSUA ), a global not-for-profit organization focused on amplifying the voice of satellite mobile solutions users and innovators, today celebrated with organizations earning satellite mobile innovation awards during SATELLITE 2024.
• It was an honor to celebrate alongside all the finalists and the organizations that ultimately earned awards this year.
• These highlighted innovations are enhancing connectivity, making it more secure, reliable, and accessible to a diverse range of users.
• Aerospace Mobile Innovation – Iridium: Iridium Certus® aviation commercial service provides a secure cockpit domain with reliable voice and data capabilities.

• On Feb. 14, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that the whale was #5120 in a catalog that tracks individual right whales.
• Further, the agency said, rope that had been deeply embedded in the whale’s tail had likely come from lobster fishing gear in Maine.
• Entanglement in fishing gear is a deadly threat to these critically endangered animals.
• Scientists estimate that before commercial whaling scaled up in the 18th and 19th centuries, there may have been as many as 10,000 North Atlantic right whales.
• When whales become entangled in fishing gear, they use extra energy dragging it as they swim.

Smaller females are having fewer young

• By 2018 there were only about 73 breeding females left, representing roughly half of all females and a sixth of the entire species.
• Other research has shown that poor health and physical condition are making it harder for these females to even start breeding.
• Smaller whales have fewer calves.

• Many organizations are involved in tracking North Atlantic right whales, including government agencies, aquariums and conservation groups.
• Even females who have previously reproduced are less likely to breed again following an entanglement event.
• By identifying and photographing whales repeatedly over time, scientists can estimate different stages of their life, such as when females give birth.

Weakness of current regulations

• If they are larger and enter the blubber, they are classified as moderate.
• Our research makes it clear that such value-laden terms are potentially misleading because even minor entanglements can threaten whales’ successful reproduction.
• In our view, these measures do not give enough weight to preventing all types of entanglements, regardless of severity.
• And the plan closes trap fishing areas seasonally when whales are known to be present in those zones.

Coming back from the brink

• While these estimates seem promising, females need to start and continue producing calves to increase whales’ numbers.
• From our work, it is very clear that both lethal and sublethal impacts of entanglements are of grave concern for these whales.

• She also is a member of the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee.
• Peter Corkeron consults for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility on right whale conservation issues.
• Rob Harcourt receives funding from the Australian Federal Government Department of Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Water for research on right whales.

• Blersch will lead delivering Clearspeed's AI-powered risk assessment solutions across agencies, drive strategic development to meet stakeholder needs, and empower a team of government relations experts.
• View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240305247898/en/
  Blersch brings over 35 years of deep public sector experience in developing, implementing, and advising on technology-led programs to address the nation’s top global security challenges.
• “I’m honored to join the remarkable team at Clearspeed and eager to advance its mission to build trust faster with a reimagined approach to risk assessment,” says Blersch.
• Recently, Clearspeed appointed ex-U.S. Federal Government executive, Parker Wise , and retired British Army Brigadier General, Lance Mans , to its advisory board.

• Beginning in late March, the museum will hand out limited supplies of solar eclipse glasses at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and its Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.
• Solar eclipse glasses are provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA.
• On April 8, the museum will host the " Solar Eclipse Festival on the National Mall " in Washington, D.C.
• The National Air and Space Museum is part of the Smithsonian Institution and has locations in Washington, D.C., and Chantilly, Virginia.