British and U.S. zoologists said this week a study of California sea lions had shown the more inbred they were, the more likely they were to be susceptible to diseases and die early.

CITES turns 30 this week, and of the more than 30,000 species since placed under its protection, not one of them has become extinct as a result of trade since the Convention entered into force.

Sir David Attenborough’s BBC series The Blue Planet is to be turned into a film billed as a “rollercoaster tour of the oceans”. Full Story

A group of transient killer whales, which have dined on Hood Canal harbor seals for an unprecedented eight weeks, departed Monday after swimming quickly under the Hood Canal Bridge.

A dead fin whale that has been on the beach by the Fourth Street access since late Thursday will be cut into pieces today and hauled off to the dump. Full Story

The Pacific Whale Foundation noted a 21 percent decrease in its Great Whale Count on Maui this year compared with last year’s figures. Full Story

Alaska mariners are being asked to keep track of cruising killer whales this week to find out how many swim near the state in the winter. Full Story

Cornish fishermen are joining forces with conservationists to monitor dolphin deaths around the coast. Full Story

Fearing that a lonely killer whale could injure or kill someone, a team of Canadian authorities and scientists is debating the whale’s fate, while police are cracking down on people who pet the creature.

A beached pygmy sperm whale died late Friday night, hours after being rescued from the flats near the Tea Table Relief Bridge. Full Story