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Southern Resident whales

Ambitious plan to free captive orca Lolita announced

The new owner of the Miami Seaquarium in the US has announced that it is...
Gray whale

UN adopts High Seas Treaty to protect the ocean

At the UN 'High Seas Treaty' negotiations in New York, a historic vote for the...

Hopes raised for whale and dolphin protection after last minute landmark nature agreement

WDC's Ed Goodall (far right) at COP15 with Thérèse Coffey (centre) UK Secretary of State...

WDC orca champion picks up award

Beatrice Whishart MSP picks up her Nature Champion award The Scottish Environment LINK, an organisation...
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...

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...

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...

Can space technology tell us how many whales there are?

A magical sperm whale encounter

One of the world’s leading professional services firms, Deloitte has joined with WDC in a bid to explore how space technology can tell us more about whales, and how to protect them. 

This exciting project is part of Deloitte’s Gravity Challenge, a global programme that encourages corporates, entrepreneurs and universities to use innovative space technology to solve real-world problems facing society, industry and the environment.

One of the challenges this year has been set by WDC and will centre on the use of technology to answer the mystery of global whale populations and unlock the opportunities of ocean-based solutions to the climate crisis.

Erich Hoyt, research fellow at Whale and Dolphin Conservation, said: 'The Gravity Challenge could be a game changer in helping us find satellite-scale solutions to map whale populations across the ocean. It will support our work to help whales recover from centuries of abuse, as well creating ocean-based solutions to the nature and climate emergencies.'

In addition to counting whales, WDC is partnering with the UK Hydrographic Office on another challenge to use satellite technology and environmental data to reduce ship strikes on marine mammals.  The project has the potential to help reduce the threat to whales and dolphins in busy shipping lanes across the world.

Registrations are now open for space technology companies and experts to express their interest in solving these challenges. The winners, announced in October 2021, will work with the challenge providers to turn the pilots into solutions.

Scott Campbell, partner in Deloitte Ventures, said: 'We have entered a new space race for innovation. The number of start-up and scale-up businesses looking to use data from space has soared, evolving an industry that previously had a high barrier for entry. This presents significant opportunities for businesses and communities across the world that are looking to space technology to solve some of the largest challenges they are currently facing.'

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