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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...

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...

Washington State's Lummi Tribe introduces new path to bring Tokitae home

A new angle is being explored in the ongoing effort to retire Tokitae (also called Lolita) and bring her back to her home waters in the Salish Sea.  Held captive at the Miami Seaquarium since she was taken from the endangered orca population known as the Southern Resident community in 1970, Tokitae was given the same Endangered Species Act protection as her family members in 2015.  This opened new legal avenues for addressing her captive living conditions and for securing her retirement to a seaside sanctuary.

The Lummi Nation, a Native tribe in Washington State, has long supported the movement to retire Tokitae and return her to the Pacific Northwest.  After decades of debate and in the midst of a court battle, a new effort using the 1855 Point Elliot Treaty, which allows the Lummi to protect their fishing areas and coastal lands, could be the intervention needed to finally free Tokitae as a member of an endangered orca population who share the Lummi Nation’s home waters.

At a press conference in Miami, representatives from the Lummi Nation were joined by Orca Network and former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, who introduced a resolution to the city commission calling for Tokitae’s retirement, to discuss the treaty and this new approach.  The treaty has precedence in court, most recently with the successful termination of a proposed coal export terminal in Cherry Point, Washington.

This news comes at the same time as local efforts to protect her family, the Southern Resident population, are increasing.  Multiple bills were introduced in the 2018 Washington State Legislative session, and an Executive Order from Washington Governor Inslee was introduced on March 14th, directing increased efforts for the recovery of the orcas and their primary food, Chinook salmon.