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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...
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  • All policy news
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Prevent deaths in nets
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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...

EU says Japan's whaling won't stop trade deal

In October 2016, WDC and Care2 represented almost 270,000 EU citizens when we submitted a petition to the European Parliament. The petition called on the EU to raise the issue of whaling in its trade negotiations with Japan and to say ‘no’ to a Free Trade Agreement while Japan kills whales.

In June last year, MEPs echoed our campaign and voted overwhelmingly in support of stronger EU measures against Japanese whaling.

We would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to those of you who added your voice to our campaign. 

The EU Commission has now considered our petition and has responded.  But, sadly, it has stated that Japan’s whale hunting will not be a factor in the trade deal negotiations.

This is not welcome news. The EU needs to demonstrate that it will use every opportunity to deliver on its public commitments to protect whales. If it doesn’t, the European public will have no choice but to assume that the EU’s conservation policies are trumped by economic imperatives.

On 31 March, 2017 the Japanese fleet returned from the Antarctic, having killed 333 minke whales – 178 females and 155 males.  After the outcry it sparked last year, the Japanese government hasn’t yet released figures on how many of them were pregnant but if we go by the 2016 figures then we can guess that well over 100 of the whales they killed could have been carrying a baby.

The Japanese whaling fleet will shortly start whaling in the North Pacific under a whaling programme condemned by the global community and unsanctioned by the International Whaling Commission (the body that regulates whaling).

According to recent media reports, the Japanese National Diet (parliament) will soon be debating a draft law on whaling, which is calling for ‘stable and continuous research whaling in order to resume commercial whaling and protect the Japanese whale meat food culture’. The Japanese government is also discussing the construction of a new industrial whaling ship.

Given this situation, WDC has written to the EU Commission to urge it to reconsider its position and raise the subject of whaling in the next round of trade talks with Japan.

If you’d like to support our campaign, please make a donation. Thank you.