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Vaquita. Photo Thomas Jefferson

Scientific Committee gives first ever official species extinction warning

Photo: Thomas Jefferson We have welcomed the urgent call by experts to protect the vaquita...
blue whale

Whale fossil from Peru may have been heavier than blue whale

Scientists examining the bones of a 39 million-year-old ancient whale have concluded that it may...
Humpback whale © Christopher Swann

Humpback whales breach in synchronisation

Humpback whales are renowned for their incredible acrobatic displays, but a family in the USA...
Long-finned pilot whale

Unusual activity witnessed before pilot whale stranding

Just days after a pod of long-finned pilot whales stranded on an island in the...
All policy news
  • All policy news
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Stop whaling
  • Strandings
Port River dolphins

New report reveals 100,000 dolphins and small whales hunted every year

When you hear the words ‘dolphin hunts’ it’s likely that you think of Japan or...

Minke whale hunts stop in Iceland

Iceland’s commercial hunt of minke whales has ended for this year. The common minke whale is the...

Australian Government to block Japanese whaling proposal

Japanese Government officials have reportedly confirmed that they will propose the resumption of commercial whaling...

Did Icelandic whalers really kill a blue whale?

*Warning - this blog contains an image that you may find upsetting* They say a...

Icelandic whalers breach international law and kill iconic, protected whale by mistake

Icelandic whalers out hunting fin whales for the first time in three years appear to...

Pregnant whales once again a target for Japanese whalers

Figures from Japan's whaling expedition to Antarctica during the 2017/18 austral summer have revealed that...

Doubts remain after Icelandic Marine Institute claims slaughtered whale was a hybrid not a blue

Experts remain sceptical of initial test results issued by the Icelandic Marine Institute, which indicate...

Japan set to resume commercial whaling

Reports from Japan suggest that the government they will formally propose plans to resume commercial...

End the whale hunts! Icelandic fin whaler isolated as public mood shifts

Here’s a sight I hoped never again to witness. A boat being scrubbed and repainted...

Norway increases whaling quota despite declining demand

Norway's government has announced an increase in the number of minke whales that can be...

Norway's whaling season begins

April 1st saw the start of the whaling season in Norway. Despite a widely-accepted international moratorium...

SOS alert for whales off Norway!

I have to admit to bitter disappointment when I arrived in Tromsø, northern Norway, a...

Little protection for whales and dolphins in Government’s new UK Marine Conservation Zones

Whilst WDC welcomes the Government’s announcement over the weekend to create 23 new Marine Conservation Zones, we remain critical of the decision not to include any sites that would protect species of whale, dolphin or porpoise.

Thirty species of whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans) are known to occur in UK waters, twelve of which are resident seasonally or year-round in English waters, meaning that these waters are vital to them for breeding, feeding and other biologically important activities.

What is surprising is that the original consultation document states that ‘The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (the Act) requires government to establish a network of MPAs that protects habitats and species which are representative of the range of habitats and species in our seas’, yet none of the cetacean species living in UK waters have been included.

Originally, 37 sites were supposed to be consulted upon in April 2015 but, disappointingly, 14 sites were undemocratically dropped without proper consultation with the general public.

WDC’s Pine Eisfeld-Pierantonio says; “MPAs are an important tool in protecting critical habitats of wide ranging species like whales and dolphins. There is no doubt in my mind that the Government should be including these amazing and important creatures in designated protected areas in UK waters.”