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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...
Irrawaddy dolphin

Helping fishers protect dolphins in Sarawak, Borneo

Fishing nets are bad news for dolphins and porpoises, so we're working with local fishers...
Dolphin watching from Chanonry Point, Scotland. Image: WDC/Charlie Phillips

Discovering inner peace – whale and dolphin watching and mental wellbeing

Guest blog If you've ever seen whales or dolphins in the wild, you'll know that...
Whale tail

An ocean of hope

In a monumental, jaw-dropping demonstration of global community, the nations of the world made history...
The infamous killing cove at Taiji, Japan

Why the Taiji dolphin hunt can never be justified

Supporters of the dolphin slaughter in Japan argue that killing a few hundred dolphins every...
Image: Peter Linforth

Tracking whales from space will help us save them

Satellite technology holds one of the keys to 21st century whale conservation, so we're exploring...
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 -...

Will New Zealanders Vote for Dolphins?

New Zealand has a national election campaign running until 20 September. Until now it was difficult to tell where each political party stood on the matter of saving the endangered New Zealand (Hector’s and Māui) dolphin. This smallest of all the dolphins with the rounded dorsal fin is beloved around the world but they’re being wiped out by fishing nets.

Working with groups in New Zealand, WDC has put together a Voters’ Guide to rate the parties and to show how to vote for healthy seas and healthy dolphin populations.

In WDC’s recent economic study with Economists at Large, we found that New Zealanders by a large majority want to save their iconic dolphin and most would be willing to pay more for fish and chips and even a dolphin tax to help the species recover. Now with this Voters’ Guide everyone knows precisely where the parties stand — which ones are willing to help and which are not. The ruling National Party, for example, and Act are the worst! Of course any party can change their stance if they don’t like their position in the guide. It’s up to them. But after the election, WDC will be working hard to help ensure that whoever wins takes action to help save these dolphins.

For more information, about each Party and their position, go here.