Skip to content
All articles
  • All articles
  • About whales & dolphins
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Green Whale
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Scottish Dolphin Centre
  • Stop whaling
Fishers' involvement is crucial. Image: WDC/JTF

When porpoises and people overlap

We're funding a project in Hong Kong that's working with fishing communities to help save...

Mindful conservation – why we need a new respect for nature

'We should look at whales and dolphins as the indigenous people of the seas -...
A dolphin called Arnie with a shell

Dolphins catch fish using giant shell tools

In Shark Bay, Australia, two groups of dolphins have figured out how to use tools...
Common dolphins at surface

Did you know that dolphins have unique personalities?

We all have personalities, and between the work Christmas party and your family get-together, perhaps...
Leaping harbour porpoise

The power of harbour porpoise poo

We know we need to save the whale to save the world. Now we are...
Holly. Image: Miray Campbell

Meet Holly, she’s an incredible orca leader

Let me tell you the story of an awe-inspiring orca with a fascinating family story...
Humpback whale. Image: Christopher Swann

A story about whales and humans

As well as working for WDC, I write books for young people. Stories; about the...
Risso's dolphin at surface

My lucky number – 13 years studying amazing Risso’s dolphins

Everything we learn about the Risso's dolphins off the coast of Scotland amazes us and...

Summer Fun

For the past two years Plymouth Chamber of Commerce has hosted the Plymouth Maritime Day and we have participated and watched it grow in success. Prior to Maritime Day, summer was still celebrated in Plymouth with a Blessing of the Fleet. (one of my favorite years was when the Plymouth Harbor Masters agreed to sit in the dunking booth as a fundraiser for us). Maritime Day however, combines the Blessing of the Fleet with a number of other Plymouth traditions. So needless to say this past weekend, was busy and filled with fun.

Maritime Day was started off with Boston Police Gaelic Column of Pipes & Drums, who were amazing and included one of our own harbor masters playing the bagpipes (sorry I was too slow in getting a photo). And in booth after booth organizations and vendors were educating the community about their services and missions. We auctioned off three whale adoptions – two regular and one deluxe, as well as had a number of different educational activities for kids. My favorite was having children write how they are helping the marine environment and whales on the back of a humpback fluke photos and string them up for everyone to see. I also had probably more fun then i should admit to walking around with an inflatable dolphin strapped to myself – to raise awareness of course.

I even took the dolphin onto the Blessing of the Fleet which is an old tradition from Mediterranean fishing communities where vessels were blessed by a priest to ensure a safe and bountiful season. Today the blessing varies from port to port and has changed a bit over the years – so much so that the minister blessed us, our ship and our inflatable dolphin….all very cool. At 7:00 we broke down our table and displays and hustled over to Easterly which was already decorated for the Parade of Lights, a very fun event when the boats in the harbor compete for best lit decorations. Last year we won the Harbor Master’s Cup so the pressure was on, but this year we were beat by a flame throwing volcano. However we had a great time representing whales and dolphins and had an amazing, one-of-a-kind lit whale and dolphins rigged up to the boat. And of course to have a winning team everyone has to participate……We were also very pleased to have Pine Dubios director of Jones River Landing and Meg Sheehen from Cape Cod Bay Watch with us for the Boat Parade. We recently have been working with both organizations and submitted comments asking NOAA to consider impacts to critically endangered NA right whales from the operation of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant. The plant was re-licensed in-spite of our comments, but we are committed to continuing to monitor the effects the plant has on the Cape Cod Bay which has been designated critical habitat for critically endangered right whales and is important for many other endanger cetacean species.