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A Baby Humpback Whale Plays Near the Surface in Blue Water

New report by Deloitte and WDC does a deep dive into the opportunities for businesses in embracing oceanic biodiversity

Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) and Deloitte have released a new report that shines a...

Dead whale beauty products to be sold in Japanese vending machine stores

https://au.whales.org/2023/05/12/dead-whale-beauty-products-to-be-sold-in-japanese-vending-machine-stores/

Arrests made following illegal whale meat smuggling from Japan to South Korea

Customs authorities in Busan, South Korea, have arrested six people for allegedly smuggling at least...

New report on Icelandic hunts reveals whale can take two hours to die

Fin whale with unexploded grenade harpoon embedded in his or her side. © Hard To...
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...

Preparations for beluga whale move to Iceland continue

Beluga whale

Ahead of the relocation of Little White and Little Grey to the world’s first open water sanctuary for beluga whales this April, yesterday we gave international media the opportunity to discover how this epic 6,000 mile journey will be delivered to plan and also speak to some of the expert team involved in making this a smooth trip for the two whales.

At the headquarters of Cargolux, our fantastic project transport partner, situated at Luxembourg airport, media were given the chance to step inside the specially branded Boeing 747-400ERF cargo plane that will carry Little White and Little Grey from Changfeng Ocean World in Shanghai, China, to the SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary located in a secluded bay on the remote island Heimaey, one of the Westman islands in Iceland.

We also offered those present the chance to speak to the two Cargolux pilots who will be responsible for helping to deliver this phase of this complex, landmark project, and so help to achieve our long term goal of giving the two whales a better future in their new natural ocean home, and also bring to reality a practical solution to whale and dolphin captivity.

At every step along the way, we have always sought the highest expertise available to ensure the sanctuary is success and that the welfare of the two belugas is paramount. That also extends to the pilots involved in the transportation phase, with Cargolux providing two of their most experienced flight team to fly the plane in April – Claude and Claude.

Speaking to WDC, Claude Zehren a 21-year veteran with Cargolux and captain on the 747 for the past 14 years, said he was extremely excited to be given the opportunity to be part of the team that would be bringing the belugas home to the sea. His colleague and fellow pilot, Claude Konsbrück, Vice-President Flight Operations at Cargolux said that in many ways the flight was pretty much standard but that this time they would have some very special guests onboard when the plane take off from China in a few weeks.

Check out the quick film here which also features our own captivity campaigner, Rob Lott and Rob Hicks from Sea Life.

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