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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
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...

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...

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...

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...

Japan to withdraw from International Whaling Commission and start hunting whales for commercial profit

The Japanese government has decided to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC – the international body that regulates whale hunting) so that it can begin hunting whales for commercial profit.

In doing so, Japan has effectively turned its back on international co-operation around the regulation of whale hunting.

In 1982, the IWC introduced a ban on all commercial whaling after it became apparent that the numbers of whales being killed were unsustainable and jeopardized whale populations. But Japan went on to utilise a loophole in the regulations and continued to hunt whales for what it called research purposes, despite the fact that most of the meat from these hunts ends up on commercial sale and that little scientific value comes from them.

Japan announced its intentions to consider leaving the IWC earlier in the year, with Japanese government representatives stating that some whale populations have become large enough to justify commercial slaughter.

The government is believed to be making preparations for commercial whaling to be restarted in Japan’s nearby waters and exclusive economic zones.

‘With this move the Japanese government is officially turning its back on international cooperation around conservation measures, and one of the greatest conservation agreements ever made – the ban on commercial whaling,’ comments Astrid Fuchs, programme lead at WDC. ‘It is possible other countries will follow Japan’s example and resume commercial whaling in their coastal waters. This is devastating news for the whales and we can only hope that conservation-minded countries like the UK will take appropriate measures to respond to Japan’s decision, including the threat of sanctions.’

Humans have inflicted enormous damage to the planet including culling millions of whales and wiping out up to 90% of some populations.  Yet few people, let alone governments, are aware that recovering whale populations can help fight the damage we cause.

Read more here on why saving whales not killing them is so important.