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Dominica announces new protections for sperm whales

Dominica has placed almost 800 square kilometers of sea off the west coast of the...
Commerson's dolphin

New Important Marine Mammal Areas added to global ocean conservation list

Commerson's dolphin Experts from a number of countries have mapped out a new set of...
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...
All policy news
  • All policy news
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Stop whaling
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Minke whale hunts stop in Iceland

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

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...

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...

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...

Icelandic fin whale hunting to resume

Iceland’s only fin whaling company, Hvalur hf,  announced today that it will resume fin whaling...

Huge protected area for whale and dolphins in African waters announced

Africa’s largest network of marine protected areas, has been announced by the central African nation of Gabon.

Marine protected areas, or MPAs are stretches of ocean where harmful activities such as oil and gas exploration and certain types of fishing are restricted, or ships are required to slow down so they don’t hit whales. They can be close to shore or far from land on the high seas.

The new African network of protected area will consist of 20 marine parks and aquatic reserves and will protect 26 percent of Gabon’s territorial seas and extend across 20,500 square miles (53,000 square kilometres).

The vast area is home to a wide variety of threatened marine life, including many species of whales and dolphins.

Fishing is one of the biggest problems for whales and dolphins and the Gabon government is looking to create a protected area that has the most sustainable fisheries management plan in West Africa —an area infamous for overfishing and abuses by foreign fleets. The MPA will have separate zones have been established for commercial and artisanal fishing fleets, in an effort to restore sustainable fishing.

A massive 70% of the Earth’s surface is water. Yet only a little more than 5% of the ocean is protected. WDC is working with governments, international bodies, local communities, scientists and other stakeholders to locate, design and implement protected areas in the places whales and dolphins need them most.

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