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...

‘Cat and mouse’ as Icelandic fin whale cargo sets off for Japan via Africa – yet heads north?!

 

 After weeks of confinement in the harbour at Hafnarfjordur, south of Reykjavik, reportedly due to ‘mechanical problems’, the Winter Bay, the vessel chartered by fin whaler Kristjan Loftsson to carry 1,700 tonnes of fin whale products to Japan finally set off yesterday. At the last minute, she changed her destination from Luanda (Angola) to Tema (Ghana).

Just over a year ago, Loftsson managed to ship 2,000 tonnes of fin whale aboard the Alma, taking a circuitous route around the west coast of Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope, stopping briefly off Port Louis, Mauritius, before heading on up through the Indian Ocean and South China Sea, finally arriving the port of Osaka, Japan, some seven weeks later.

Whilst these shipments rightly disgust millions of people, they are entirely legal, provided that all paperwork is in order and the meat is properly refrigerated and conforms to hygiene regulations. Iceland and Japan have both taken out reservations against the listing of fin whales under Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and therefore, they can legally trade this endangered species with each other.

Last year, the Alma had notified her intention to stop off at Durban but major public protests there caused her skipper to abruptly change course and continue onwards.

The Winter Bay is already employing some devious tactics: whilst continuing to display her destination as ‘Tema’, her course from Hafnarfjordur has been resolutely northwest and as I write, she is off the north of Iceland. It is quite possible that Loftsson is playing ‘cat and mouse’ as he will be aware that the conservation community will be tracking this cargo from Iceland. You can be sure that we will be monitoring marine traffic frequencies and we will be doing all that we can to notify authorities at likely stopping off points along the route to request them not to allow the vessel entry to their waters to refuel or take on supplies.  We will also, of course, be seeking opportunities to have the vessel’s paperwork and cargo examined – ideally of course, we want to see it confiscated and shipped back to Iceland.

Track of Winter Bay with whale meat for JapanUpdate: Track of the Winter Bay as of approximately 14:30 (BST) Friday 5th June.

Winter Bay track on Marinetraffic.com NorwayUpdate: Winter Bay in Norwegian Port of Tromso as of 05:00 (BST) Thursday 11th June