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Orca Lulu's body contained PCB levels 100x above the safe limit. Image: SMASS

Toxic tides, troubled whales: the toll of chemical pollution

In last week's blog, we examined the challenges whales and dolphins face as they travel...
Group of orcas at surface

Breaking barriers for whales and dolphins at the Convention of Migratory Species

Many species of whales, dolphins and porpoises undertake long journeys, encountering human-made obstacles along the...
Tokyo

WDC in Japan – Part 1: Finding allies in Tokyo

At the end of May, I embarked on an incredible journey to Japan on behalf...
Amazon river dolphins leaping

The state of river dolphin conservation

At Whale and Dolphin Conservation, we partner with conservationists and communities fighting to save river...
Researchers in Southeast Alaska studying whale poo

We’re funding crucial research on whale poo to combat the climate crisis

The ocean is one of the lungs of our planet, and whales help it to...
Narwhal surfacing

The unicorns of the sea must be protected – CITES

The narwhal, is under threat. Often referred to as the unicorns of the sea, narwhals,...
Sperm whales

We’re pushing governments for action for our climate heroes – whales

The climate crisis is the greatest threat to all life on Earth. But there is...
Dolphins captured for captivity in Taiji. Image: Hans Peter Roth

Loved and killed – whales and dolphins in Japan

Protests and criticism from outside Japan in response to the slaughter of whales and dolphins...

Progress of the Convention on Migratory Species Cetacean Agreement in the Pacific Islands Region

In 2006, governments from the Pacific Islands Region made some very strong steps towards protecting whales and dolphins by establishing the Convention of Migratory Species Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (CMS Pacific Cetaceans MoU). This is one of only three CMS agreements dedicated specifically to cetaceans in the world – and is by far the largest in size. What makes the progress of this agreement more laudable is that knowledge of cetacean diversity, threats and habitat is relatively low in this region (with a majority of cetacean species being considered ‘Data Deficient’ by the IUCN) and furthermore that there is a limited amount of resources available by many of the governments in this region. Hence, the purpose and motivation for this agreement is proactive and risk averse for real conservation gains. A recent paper we wrote [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13880292.2013.764775] outlines the initiation and development of the CMS Pacific Cetaceans MoU.

We also look at the strengths, challenges and proposed next steps for the agreement while emphasizing the importance of ongoing support, strong national engagement, and effective collaboration and synergy in order to ensure the long-term goals and objectives of this agreement are met. For additional details on this initiative please see www.pacificcetaceans.org