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
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...

What a wonderful day for whales!

I am beyond delighted at today’s ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which orders Japan to stop killing whales in the Antarctic under the banner of ‘scientific whaling’. It never was scientific and that falsehood – one that has cost the lives of thousands of whales this century alone – has now been exposed in no less a venue than the World Court, where legal decisions are taken on behalf of the United Nations. The ICJ’s decision is binding and cannot be appealed: Japan has already announced that it will abide by its decision.

Many of us listened to the verdict online with bated breath followed by tears in our eyes: the ruling went further than we had dared to hope. This is a day of celebration for whales and we all of us owe huge thanks to Australia and New Zealand for having the courage and confidence to bring this case to court, and to all those who crafted such a brilliant and coherent case against the travesty that was Japanese ‘scientific whaling’. Great to be able to put it in the past tense!

Now the tension mounts as we await the US decision on what action they propose to take over Icelandic whaling. The deadline is tomorrow, April 1st, and under the Pelly Amendment, President Obama has the authority to impose sanctions on Iceland for its whaling and trade in whale products. WDC is of course in the vanguard of those calling for the US to take strong and decisive action. Fingers crossed that this much-needed run of luck for whales continues.