News

In early November, our partners at OCEANO Whale Watching repeatedly observed a family of pilot whales, among which a calf had become entangled in a line, presumably from fishing gear. The line had already tightly constricted the dorsal fin, causing significant deformation. Despite several attempts, it was not possible to approach the calf, as the evidently distressed young whale avoided all interaction. As a result, a search and rescue team from the neighboring island of Tenerife was contacted. It turned out that the animal had already been sighted there several weeks earlier. After several more reports of sightings off the... Continue Reading

About two years ago, in collaboration with the company Pegenau, we launched our digital sighting data app. Since then, it has been continuously developed by our software developer Stefan Werfling and our biologist Tina Sommer. We can now display multiple map layers simultaneously, such as a frequency map of marine mammals and the outlines of official marine protected areas. The next step will be to automate the start and end of sighting recordings using GPS data. Information about the structure, development, and collaboration opportunities for the project can be found here: https://m-e-e-r-e-v.gitbook.io/mwpa

The office of MP Daniel Schneider organized a Future Workshop for Marine Conservation on September 27, 2024. It provided an opportunity for NGO representatives and scientists to approach marine conservation topics together in an innovative way and to develop project ideas based on these insights. Fabian Ritter participated on behalf of M.E.E.R. and specifically advocated for “New Narratives” in marine conservation. A key part of the workshop included constellations, during which participants were asked to step into the roles of various human and non-human stakeholders. This method helped make the diverse and complex dynamics within the field visible.

On September 26, 2024, during the teech Inspiration Days for youth, Fabian Ritter provided insights into his career path and work as a marine biologist. During the interview, titled “Passion for the Sea and the Protection of Whales and Dolphins,” he introduced the work of M.E.E.R. e.V. to over 3,900 listeners.

On September 24, the second meeting of the Parliamentary Circle on Marine Policy took place in the German Bundestag. Fabian Ritter participated on behalf of M.E.E.R. by invitation. While the circle aims to promote marine protection at the political level, marine conservation was unfortunately neglected during this session in favour of use-oriented discussions regarding offshore wind power and marine spatial planning. We made this criticism clear in a follow-up conversation with Daniel Schneider.

On May 30, the film “Whale Nation” was shown at the opening of the Green Visions Film Festival in Potsdam. Fabian Ritter was invited as an expert and contributed his expertise during various discussions throughout the festival. Green Visions took place for the first time this year, aiming to combine cinematic art with science while setting positive accents for climate and environmental protection. The films shown were designed to offer solutions alongside identifying problems—such as in the fashion industry, food production, or deep-sea mining. The film “Whale Nation,” based on the classic book of the same name, poetically describes the... Continue Reading

On April 16, Fabian Ritter met with Member of Parliament Daniel Schneider (SPD) and his staff in Berlin. Schneider, head of the Parliamentary Circle on Marine Policy, had expressed interest in an in-depth discussion on overarching themes in marine policy. The conversation focused on integrated and holistic policy approaches as well as “New Narratives” for civilization. How can we actively shape the paradigm shifts that modern, nature-exploiting social systems so desperately need to address multiple global crises? Possible approaches include the recognition of Rights for Nature, the adequate use of language (e.g., referring to “populations” rather than “stocks”), and the... Continue Reading

On April 19, 2024, the New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness was published by New York University. It addresses the capacity of non-human animals to have conscious subjective experiences and emphasizes the implications that new knowledge from behavioral and neurobiology should have on human actions. There is now a wealth of research and publications demonstrating high levels of sensitivity—such as pain and emotions—as well as higher cognitive performance, complex behavior, and cultural behavior, not only in mammals but also in birds, fish, reptiles, and even invertebrates. Scientific evidence strongly suggests that even insects exhibit traits such as self-recognition, play behavior,... Continue Reading