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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...

Lawsuit launched to protect Southern Resident orcas' coastal habitat

Following their 2014 petition to revise federally-designated critical habitat for the endangered Southern Resident orca population, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has filed a legal notice demanding the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) take action to protect the orcas’ ocean habitat off California, Oregon, and Washington.  The notice points out the unlawful delay by the administration in revising critical habitat.

The Southern Residents orcas live in coastal waters during the winter and spring, and may increasingly be found in this habitat as their usual summer prey, Chinook salmon from Canada’s Fraser River, becomes scarcer and the orcas spend less time in their summer habitat of the Salish Sea.

“The Southern Residents simply cannot afford to wait any longer for this much-needed protection,” said Colleen Weiler, WDC’s Jessica Rekos Fellow for Orca Conservation.  “With the looming threats of oil leases, rising vessel traffic, unmonitored activity by the Navy, and increasing development of the Pacific coastline, their ocean habitat must be protected.”

The Southern Resident orcas have just 76 individuals remaining in the wild, the lowest the population has been in more than 30 years.  They are threatened by declines in their preferred prey (Chinook salmon), toxic pollution and risk from oil spills, and acoustic and physical disturbance.

WDC has been supporting the 2014 petition to revise and expand critical habitat and working with CBD and other groups for more than four years.  A collaborative effort in support of an expedited revision resulted in nearly 106,000 petitions calling for immediate action to protect the orcas’ habitat.  WDC is currently encouraging additional public support and pressure on the administration and federal NMFS officials to avoid additional delay.  We look forward to continuing our work with CBD to ensure that the Southern Resident orcas, beloved around the world, have the protection they need to be saved from extinction.

Help WDC continue our work to secure additional critical habitat for Southern Resident orcas by signing on to our letter, becoming a Flippin’ Awesome member or using your change to make change.