Skip to content
All articles
  • All articles
  • About whales & dolphins
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Green Whale
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Scottish Dolphin Centre
  • Stop whaling
We're at COP28 to Save the Whale, Save the World.

We’re at COP28 to save the whale, save the world

Ed Goodall Ed is WDC's head of intergovernmental engagement. He meets with world leaders to...
Gray whales from drone.

We’re taking steps to uncover the mysteries of whales

Vicki James Vicki is WDC's protected areas coordinator, she helps to create safe ocean spaces...
We must protect our non-human allies. Image: Tom Brakefield, aurore murguet, johan63

We’re urging governments to protect all of our climate heroes – CITES

Katie Hunter Katie supports WDC's engagement in intergovernmental conversations and is working to end captivity...
The Natütama Foundation are dedicated to protecting endangered river dolphins. Image: Natutama

Guardians of the Amazon: protecting the endangered river dolphins

Ali Wood Ali is WDC's education projects coordinator. She is the editor of Splash! and KIDZONE,...
Amazon river dolphins. Image: Fernando Trujillo/Fundacion Omacha

Amazon tragedy as endangered river dolphins die in hot water

Ali Wood Ali is WDC's education projects coordinator. She is the editor of Splash! and KIDZONE,...
Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin © Mike Bossley/WDC

WDC in Japan – Part 3: Restoring freedom to dolphins in South Korea

Katrin Matthes Katrin is WDC's communications and campaigns officer for policy & communication in Germany...
Wintery scene in Iceland

Seeking sanctuary – Iceland’s complex relationship with whales

Hayley Flanagan Hayley is WDC's engagement officer, specialising in creating brilliant content for our website...
Whaling ship Hvalur 8 arrives at the whaling station with two fin whales

A summer of hope and heartbreak for whales in Icelandic waters

Luke McMillan Luke is WDC's Head of hunting and captivity. Now that the 2023 whaling season...

WDC talks about whales with sailors at the Volvo Ocean Race

                                                                          

Last month WDC participated in the Volvo Ocean Race’s One Ocean Exploration Zone in Newport RI. Joined by our collaborators and an inflatable right whale named Rocky, we had a great time networking with sailors and teaching the public and school students about whale species in this area. Kids were given their own passport book to get stamped at each exhibit as they stopped to learn more about ocean sustainability. I don’t like to brag, but based on their reactions, I’m pretty sure we had the coolest stamp there! 

Sharing the Seas stamp

Our exhibit highlighted our Sharing the Seas program, which provides sailors with information on how to safely sail around whales to avoid dangerous collisions. We care deeply about whales, but we also care deeply about human safety, which can easily be compromised when the boat you’re on is the same size or smaller than most whales. Knowing how to spot whales on the water and how to better predict their behavior will lead to safer sailing.  And that is why, for the past two years, we’ve been trying to reach as many sailors as possible with this information.

Volvo Ocean Race FleetThe Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Newport drew a crowd of over 100,000 people over the course of 9 days, which was a great turnout and one of the largest events in which we’ve ever participated! Shortly after that event ended, we turned our attention to the Atlantic Cup Race which began in Charleston, SC and made their way north along the coast to Portland, ME. We participated in this event in 2016 and this year we once again provided crews of the 11 competing boats with customized information packets. The course took them through a known right whale feeding habitat southeast of Cape Cod, so we wanted to be sure they were on the lookout. The Atlantic Cup is nearing completion, at which point we hope to learn that our information was helpful for the sailors.

If you or someone you know sails, particularly along the US Atlantic coast, help us spread the word and share this information with them- for their safety and the whales’!