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Fishers' involvement is crucial. Image: WDC/JTF

When porpoises and people overlap

We're funding a project in Hong Kong that's working with fishing communities to help save...

Mindful conservation – why we need a new respect for nature

'We should look at whales and dolphins as the indigenous people of the seas -...
A dolphin called Arnie with a shell

Dolphins catch fish using giant shell tools

In Shark Bay, Australia, two groups of dolphins have figured out how to use tools...
Common dolphins at surface

Did you know that dolphins have unique personalities?

We all have personalities, and between the work Christmas party and your family get-together, perhaps...
Leaping harbour porpoise

The power of harbour porpoise poo

We know we need to save the whale to save the world. Now we are...
Holly. Image: Miray Campbell

Meet Holly, she’s an incredible orca leader

Let me tell you the story of an awe-inspiring orca with a fascinating family story...
Humpback whale. Image: Christopher Swann

A story about whales and humans

As well as working for WDC, I write books for young people. Stories; about the...
Risso's dolphin at surface

My lucky number – 13 years studying amazing Risso’s dolphins

Everything we learn about the Risso's dolphins off the coast of Scotland amazes us and...
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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Norway's whaling season begins

April 1st saw the start of the whaling season in Norway. Despite a widely-accepted international moratorium...

Norway increases whaling quota despite declining demand

Norway's government has announced an increase in the number of minke whales that can be...

Icelandic fin whale hunting to resume

Iceland’s only fin whaling company, Hvalur hf,  announced today that it will resume fin whaling...

Save the whales, save the world – convincing governments that whales will help us fight the climate crisis

Whales and dolphins are awesome. They are intelligent, self-aware, socially complex and they need and deserve our protection. But, did you know they are also our allies in fighting the climate crisis?

As we begin a new year with hope and optimism, we’re thinking big like a whale and setting our ambitions high.

Blue whale © Andrew Sutton

Help save the world by saving the whales with a donation

Whales store harmful carbon

Like trees, these magnificent giants remove harmful carbon from our atmosphere and store it in their bodies and they do this simply by eating their favourite food - tiny plant-like creatures called phytoplankton. These little marvels absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by photosynthesis, then fish and other plankton eat them, and then whales eat the fish and plankton. And so the carbon moves up the food chain. The carbon that is not released as carbon dioxide by the whales when they breathe, is concentrated in their bodies over time.

Whale fall low res UPDATED 23.06.2020

Planet-saving poo

As if that isn't incredible enough, whales also help save the planet with their poo! Whale faeces is packed full of nutrients which fertilise phytoplankton and as well as absorbing carbon, phytoplankton also release half the world’s oxygen. You could say they give you every other breath you take. If you think of forests as one of the Earth’s lungs, the ocean is the other.

Whale pump infographic

More whales means a healthier planet

When humans slaughtered more than three million whales in the 20th century, we didn’t just kill sentient, intelligent individuals with families, societies and cultures, we removed huge carbon stores and these whales’ contribution to fighting climate change.  Allowing whale populations to recover will have an enormously beneficial impact on climate change. More whales mean more carbon can be removed from our atmosphere and more whale poo to keep the ocean healthy and ‘breathing’.

We need whales in our climate plans

Our Green Whale project is dedicated to ensuring that climate policymakers understand the enormous role of whales and dolphins in helping us achieve our climate targets by restoring a healthy ocean and a healthy planet.

Whales and humans are in this together – if we save the whales, we will help save the world. They are doing their bit so it’s time we humans honoured our part by making sure they can thrive.

Will you help to make a big impact on one of the world’s biggest challenges, by getting behind the world’s biggest creatures? Donate today and you'll help fund more research into the contribution whales make in maintaining a healthy planet. The more compelling evidence we have, the more effectively we can lobby governments and policymakers to include whale conservation in their climate plans.

Every whale and dolphin counts.

Every pound you can donate today counts too and will make a difference.

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