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Southern Resident whales

Ambitious plan to free captive orca Lolita announced

The new owner of the Miami Seaquarium in the US has announced that it is...
Gray whale

UN adopts High Seas Treaty to protect the ocean

At the UN 'High Seas Treaty' negotiations in New York, a historic vote for the...

Hopes raised for whale and dolphin protection after last minute landmark nature agreement

WDC's Ed Goodall (far right) at COP15 with Thérèse Coffey (centre) UK Secretary of State...

WDC orca champion picks up award

Beatrice Whishart MSP picks up her Nature Champion award The Scottish Environment LINK, an organisation...
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...

WDC welcomes significant move by European Commission on single-use plastics

The European Commission has put forward a proposal for a European Directive on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment.

The objective of this Directive is to prevent and reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, in particular, the aquatic environment, and on human health.

The various plastic items are split into seven categories (Parts A – G in the Annex of the proposed Directive) and will be dealt with via consumption reductions, market restrictions (i.e. bans), product design requirements, marking requirements, extended producer responsibility, separate collection objectives and awareness-raising measures.

This means that:

– Plastic straws, cutlery, plates, stirrers, cotton bud sticks and balloon sticks will be banned!

– The Member States must achieve a ‘significant’ reduction of takeaway containers and beverage cups within 6 years

– All beverage containers must have the lid attached to the container

– Sanitary items, wet wipes and balloons must be labelled with a warning about the impact on the environment

– Extended producer responsibility schemes for food containers, packets and wrappers (such as for crisps and sweets), drinks containers and cups, tobacco products with filters (such as cigarette butts), wet wipes, balloons, and lightweight plastic bags

– New target for separate collection of plastic bottles of 90% by 2025, to be achieved by deposit schemes or better separate collection

– Data collection on the consumption of these items to measure reduction.

WDC welcomes this proposal and hopes that it will be accepted as soon as possible across the EU. WDC also welcomes the fact that countries are now seeing action on these issues as essential, for example, the UK announced in February a consultation on banning plastic straws in the UK.

Plastic pollution of the environment, especially the marine environment is a pressing issue, as the amount of plastic litter in our oceans is growing to the detriment of ecosystems, biodiversity and potentially human health.

You can help whales and dolphins by supporting WDC work through WDC’s notwhalefood site. Be a plastic hero!