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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

By Pine Eisfeld-Pierantonio | 22nd August 2023
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

By Nicola Hodgins | 17th August 2023
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

By Katrin Matthes | 8th August 2023
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

By Nicola Hodgins | 4th July 2023
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

By Hayley Flanagan | 27th June 2023
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

By Katie Hunter | 20th June 2023
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

By Ed Goodall | 6th June 2023
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

By Katrin Matthes | 30th May 2023
Protests and criticism from outside Japan in response to the slaughter of whales and dolphins...
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Inaugural Race to Save a Species = Success!

By Regina Asmutis-silvia | 9th May 2013

Written by Emily Moss, WDC Campaign Officer and Race Director…

Race to Save a Species start

We thought we were pushing our luck hoping for 60 participants and everyone in our office reached out to people and organizations they knew in an effort to meet that goal. On Saturday morning, I was in disbelief when we had 126 runners lined up to start the first Race to Save a Species 5k.

Here in Massachusetts, the right whale is the state’s designated marine mammal. This is because of its long history in these waters and, because now that there are fewer than 500 remaining, we are so very lucky to still have them in the bay during their seasonal migration. Most people will never get the chance to see a North Atlantic right whale, let alone watch them from their backyards. So it was truly heartening to stand in front of the surprisingly large crowd on Saturday and thank everyone for being there and supporting WDC in their efforts to protect this critically endangered species.


While this was our first race, our organization has had an office in Plymouth MA for 8 years. However most of our work keeps us in the office or out on the water and very few residents of Massachusetts know who we are or what we do. More importantly, there have been North Atlantic right whales travelling through Cape Cod Bay for as long as people have been here to observe them and too many people have no idea that they are here and that their species is in peril. The ACT RIGHT NOW campaign was launched last December to change that; to rally support to make sure this species can survive. The Race to Save a Species was a part of this campaign meant to bring Massachusetts citizens together in support of these efforts and to let people know that WDC is here and doing important work that everyone can be a part of. Because of the overwhelming success of this year’s Race to Save a Species, we have already set the date for next year’s race- Saturday, May 3rd!

To learn more about what you can do, please visit whales.org, contact us at (508) 746-2522 or [email protected]