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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

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...

An end to captivity in Canada?

After being stalled in the Canadian Senate since November 2017, a bill that would ban whale and dolphin captivity in Canada is finally moving forward.  If S-203 passes the Senate, it will be voted on by Parliament and be one step closer to becoming law.

The bill would criminalize holding whales and dolphins captive in Canada, but grandfathers in those already held.  Research and rescue are allowed under the bill, and a clause recognizing First Nations treaty rights was added.  Banning captivity in Canada has wide public support, with opposition to the industry increasing in recent years.

Public outcry against captivity led to Vancouver Aquarium’s recent announcement that they would no longer hold whales and dolphins captive, and now their CEO, John Nightingale, has announced he will retire at the end of 2018.  Nightingale oversaw the Aquarium for 25 years, through growing public oppostion to captivity and a sad series of deaths in the last few years.

The Aquarium’s announcement earlier this year followed a vote by the Vancouver Park Board to prevent any new whales and dolphins from being brought into captivity, citing ethical concerns.  The Vancouver Aquarium followed in the footsteps of other establishments in the captivity industry that enacted changes following the release of the documentary Blackfish and the resulting flood of opposition, including the National Aquarium in Baltimore and SeaWorld.

The Aquarium has just one dolphin remaining at the facility, and a reported four belugas on loan to other institutions.  These individuals are potential candidates to be moved to a more natural sanctuary environment, such as the sanctuary WDC is developing with Merlin Entertainments.