In a landmark case, a Canadian film company and its drone pilot have been slapped with a $22,500 fine for operating a drone too close to a pod of Northern Resident Killer Whales (NRKWs) off Vancouver Island. This is the first time a fine was issued in Canada for the unlawful use of a drone to capture killer whale footage.
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The killer whale whose deteriorating health in the fresh waters of the Seine River led officials in Normandy to deploy a drone in their efforts to lure it back to sea. The whale has been euthanized after it was determined the creature’s state had declined too greatly to survive.
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Officials in France’s Normandy region are to deploy a drone as likely their best and probably last chance to save a killer whale that has strayed far up into the fresh waters of the Seine River.
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Marine biology researchers have for several years used drones for periodical collection of data to evaluate the health of whales, but now they’ve developed a way to pilot a DJI M210 to gently and discreetly attach electronic tags to monitor the creatures for extended periods.
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A drone pilot in Canada recorded uplifting video footage Saturday of officials freeing a young gray whale that had been tangled in fishing nets. The effort to liberate the 26-foot mammal spanned several days up to the moment, which was captured by the hovering drone, that the majestic creature shook off the binds and swam away.
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English researchers say video taken by drones has allowed them to uncover unprecedented information on the social behavior of killer whales. Among those findings: Orcas form best friends with specific individuals in their pod.
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Drones have captured rare footage of migrating humpback whales off Australia, including unprecedented shots of them “bubble-net feeding” so far north.
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It’s no match for a Freddy Kruger flick – much less Jaws – in the gallons of gore per minute ranking. But drone footage captured off Scotland’s northeast coast last week does offer a rare view of orcas on a seal hunt.
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A video of a whale trapping prey in the Gulf of Thailand is by far the best drone whale video of the year. And maybe of any year.
The whale is open-mouthed – and you will be too once you see this thing.
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In a drone video captured last week by Captain Domenic Biagini from Gone Whale Watching San Diego, we get the first look at a Beluga whale off the California coastline. The video is especially special as its the first time a Beluga whale has been spotted in Californian waters.
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Every once in a while, a drone happens to be in the right place at the right time to capture something truly spectacular. Luckily for us, that happened again recently — and the results are truly breathtaking. Just wait until you see this drone whale video.
Drones bring us some of the most amazing video footage. Just take a look at this drone video showing a grey whale casually swimming underneath a group of surfers at Doheny. And the crazy part is that hardly anybody seems to notice the massive creature.
We reported briefly on Ocean Alliance before, but this video that the non-profit organization provided us with is simply too good not to be shared. The drone footage of the whales is amazing and also the innovative way these researchers have been able to use drones, is a great example of how these unmanned aircraft can be used for good in the world. DJI has acknowledged this as well and is an official partner for the not-for-profit. The organization uses an Inspire drone, called the SnotBot to capture the droplets with DNA as the whales exhale by flying the drone through the spray. Fascinating stuff!
Check out this spectacular drone footage of a blue whale mother and her calf. The footage was shot by Domenic Biagini near San Diego on June 26. Reportedly the whales were circling their boat and according to the San Diego Whale Watch, the calf might have been nursing.
In this latest video from DJI, we see how drones have become an invaluable tool in freeing whales from ocean debris such as lines and fishing nets. The people from Oceans Unmanned have teamed up with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and have started to use drones to assess the whale and the way the lines are wrapped around its body. The unmanned aerial systems provide a clear picture of the situation, before they approach the whale, minimizing the risk to the people on board the boat.
