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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
  • 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...

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...

Icelandic fin whale hunting to resume

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

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...

WDC campaign to stop whaling receives significant boost from EU

WDC’s campaign to have Japan’s continued whale slaughter raised as part of future trade negotiations between the EU and Japan took a big leap forward today after representatives from WDC were invited to address the EU’s own petitions committee.

The opportunity to talk directly with the EU representatives came as a result of our petition (asking for Japan’s whale hunts to be raised in any future trade talks with the EU), which was supported by over 270,000 people,  and which was later requested by some members of the European Parliament to be kept open due to their strong concerns on the issue of whaling.

Representing WDC at the EU Committee session, David Pfender used the opportunity to raise the issue of Japan’s continued violation of the international ban on whaling and its additional flaunting of the international Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

During the discussion a number of MEPs took to the floor in support of WDC. They all raised grave concerns over Japan’s ongoing whale slaughter and asked the Commission in no uncertain terms to get more creative in order to convince Japan to stop whaling and abide by international agreements.

As a result, the Committee chairperson then took the unusual decision to keep the petition open and for the Committee to write a personal letter to the EU Trade Commissioner, Cecilia Malmström, to raise concerns over the silence on whaling in the trade talks and to point out the strong stance the EU Parliament has already taken on the matter.

WDC’s stop whaling programme lead, Astrid Fuchs said: ‘This is really good news.  The EU Parliament does have the power to say “no” to the conclusion of the current trade agreement with Japan. We remain firm on the need to use these economic talks to pressure Japan on its whaling. Japan has demonstrated that they won’t abide by international environmental agreements. So the EU needs to use the leverage of the trade talks to convince Japan to stop killing whales.’

We thank all of our supporters who signed the petition, and who were specifically mentioned by the Members of the EU Parliament today! With your continued support, we can stop whaling once and for all.

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