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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...

How not to save a species!

Less than a week after the International Whaling Commission (IWC) urged the Government of New Zealand to do more to save the critically endangered Maui’s dolphin there has been a dramatic turn of events.  Instead of establishing more protective measures to save this endemic species, the NZ Government have in fact opened up a potential 3,000 square kilometres of the West Coast North Island Marine Mammal Sanctuary – the Maui dolphins home – for oil and gas drilling. 

New Zealand dolphin (Hector's dolphin)

This decision demonstrates the NZ government’s complete indifference to the plight of this population of the New Zealand dolphin. At this stage however, the most important threat to these dolphins remains being caught in nets. If these are not eliminated from the dolphin’s habitat there will probably be no dolphins left by the time the oil rigs start drilling.

In the meantime, as there will be an election in New Zealand in late September, WDC is busy lobbying politicians to advocate policies designed to protect the dolphins, namely the declaration of a real sanctuary (and not one that can be opened up for industry on a whim) which provides protection from nets, oil and gas extraction, sea bed mining and other threats – let’s just hope it’s not too late.