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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...
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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...

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...

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...

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...

SOS alert for whales off Norway!

I have to admit to bitter disappointment when I arrived in Tromsø, northern Norway, a...

The Winding Way of Whales & Wind Farms

I recently attended a two-day workshop on Long Island on offshore wind development projects. You could say I was “blown away” (I’m a sucker for a good pun) by the number of people involved in the workshop-over 180! While we were primarily focusing on the wind farms planned for development off the coast of New York, there was a broad range of stakeholders in attendance. Most of the world’s existing wind farms are off European and UK coastlines, and while listening to the accented voices telling us about their experience in these areas, I set out to learn as much as I could about these wind energy projects and how they might potentially impact whales and other marine animals. If you’re wondering how these animals will be impacted, I will share the most common response that the experts shared: “It depends”.State of the Science Workshop

We don’t know much yet, and it DOES depend on a lot of things. Each wind farm and its impact to the surrounding environment varies based on a number of factors including: the type of seafloor (rocky vs. sandy), the number and size of the turbines, the number and size of substations (machines responsible for preparing the generated power for transfer to land via buried cables), the amount of pile driving involved for installing the wind turbines, the time of year at installation, proximity of certain marine animals, and the particular species found in each region, among many other things. What we do know is that whales and dolphins are acoustic animals, and so careful consideration is needed to make sure that their necessary communications are not disrupted; this goes beyond just offshore wind development, too – think seismic testing for oil, loud ship engines, etc.

The truth is that, when it comes to marine mammals at least, we don’t know the extent of potential wind farm impacts to large, migratory whales because this is the first time that wind farms are being built along a known migratory corridor. The Block Island Wind Farm, America’s first offshore wind farm, has only been operational for less than two years, which isn’t enough time to get a big picture understanding of how whales might be affected. It is located only a few miles from Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island, an area where endangered North Atlantic right whales, among other species, have been seen in recent years. 

Additionally, a number of different environmental factors and human activities are having a cumulative impact on whales, making it hard to determine the specific impacts from each factor. Throwing offshore wind farms into the mix won’t make it any easier. And while the short-term impacts from the Block Island Wind Farm aren’t fully known thus far, there could be cumulative impacts that result from having multiple wind farms installed along the Atlantic migratory corridor. 

One thing that was made very clear during the workshop is that these offshore developments are proceeding and at a rapid pace. There are many steps (and years!) involved in building offshore wind farms, but currently there are 13 different leases issued to companies who are underway with this process. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is the federal agency responsible for issuing these leases and monitoring the progress of each wind farm site. It is important that we work with our fellow conservation partners to make sure whales and dolphins are being considered every step of the way. This includes attendance at these types of meetings, connecting with members of the industry, and submitting comments, based on many hours of careful data analysis to assess potential impacts, for BOEM’s consideration. Will you support us in this effort?