Marine mammal

The Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation filed a criminal complaint that has prompted an investigation into the death of four dolphins whose bodies washed up on the shores of Samos in the eastern Aegean Sea. 

The complaint was lodged in May and the official probe was ordered on Wednesday by the Athens Prosecutor's Office.

Greenpeace has urged the government to abandon a deep-sea gas exploration project in the Mediterranean, citing newly published research to argue that its impact on endangered whales and dolphins would be greater than previously believed.

Dolphins have always attracted attention with their playfulness and intelligence, and they are the subject of intense scientific research. Now, there is a whole centre dedicated to the marine mammals on the Slovenian coast.

Greece is to establish the first National Coordinated Network of Observing and Managing Stranded Wildlife, the Environment Ministry stated on Monday, following an agreement with environmental and scientific organizations.

A beluga whale that swam up France's Seine river appears to be underweight and officials are worried about its health, regional authorities said.

The protected species, usually found in cold Arctic waters, had made its way up the waterway and reached a lock some 70 kilometres (44 miles) from Paris.

The health of a whale that was freed after getting stuck in London's River Thames was failing on Monday, with rescuers reporting the sea mammal was "not really going anywhere" and could be euthanised.

The small Minke whale, believed to be up to 4 metres long, was first seen at Richmond Lock Bridge, south-west London, late on Sunday.

A marine conservation institute on Wednesday reported the recent death of seven protected Mediterranean monk seals and said that there was evidence to suggest they had been deliberately killed.

Recent images of whales and dolphins swimming in the Adriatic Sea have gone viral on social networks, prompting suggestions that nature has "finally got some peace" during the coronavirus pandemic, which has greatly reduced maritime traffic.

A whale found on the coast of Norway, carrying a special Russian harness and probably trained by the Russian navy, said a Norwegian expert, quoted by the BBC.

Marine biologist Professor Awund Rickardsen explained that the harness has a GoPro camera holder and a label that points to St. Petersburg. Norwegian fisherman managed to remove it from the whale.

Federal officials have declared an "unusual mortality event" after finding a high number of dead whales washing ashore on the East coast. Scientists are investigating the cause, which could provide greater insight into larger environmental issues.