For the first time, researchers have documented humpback whales engaging in coordinated, cooperative hunting on the seafloor, a behaviour previously only suspected from jaw scars. Using acoustic tags and cameras in the Gulf of Maine, scientists observed groups of whales descending to the bottom, adopting a star-shaped formation, and synchronising mouth openings to corral sand lance. The study, published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, found that 79 per cent of observed hunts involved a primary hunter accompanied by one to three co-hunters, with individuals maintaining consistent positions—evidence of structured teamwork rather than random aggregation.

In a separate study from the Gulf of California, marine biologists filmed orcas employing a hold-to-ram technique to process sunfish, which can weigh over two tonnes and have rubbery outer layers. A female orca holds the carcass by the tail fin while a male accelerates and rams it, causing an explosion of tissue that creates smaller, manageable portions for juveniles. Published in Frontiers in Ethology, the observations—drawn from two events in 2024 and 2025—suggest the behaviour serves both practical feeding and social play, as adults consumed organs while calves ate the fragments. Researchers note that such ramming had not been described before and adds to the region’s catalogue of specialist orca hunting strategies.

These discoveries coincide with reminders of the risks marine mammals face from human activity. Mexican environmental authorities freed a humpback whale entangled in a nylon gillnet off Baja California Sur, warning that such nets are a primary threat to cetaceans in the Gulf of California during the humpback season. The rescue, conducted with the National Whale Disentanglement Network, removed most of the material to reduce the risk of amputation or infection. Conservation programmes list additional pressures including ship strikes, acoustic disturbance, and habitat degradation from coastal development.

On land and in freshwater, human interactions with aquatic environments carried their own dangers. In Louisiana, the extreme fishing practice of noodling—using one’s limbs as bait for large catfish—is gaining popularity, with guides charging $400 per person. Biologists say participant numbers remain too low to affect fish populations, but the activity exposes individuals to alligators and venomous snakes. Meanwhile, in Ohio, five adults drowned in the Scioto River after one struggled and others attempted rescues in an area known for steep drop-offs; a passing boater photographed the group shortly before the incident.

Further field observations will be needed to determine whether the humpback benthic hunting tactic is specific to the Gulf of Maine sand lance fishery or occurs elsewhere. Mexican authorities continue disentanglement operations, while safety officials in the US review river hazards as summer recreation peaks.