Posts by George Berry
Russia to give orcas greater protection
According to reports, Viktoria Abramchenko, the Deputy Prime Minister in Russia responsible for environmental affairs, has announced that transient orcas are going to be added to the country’s Red Data Book of endangered species. In recent years, Russia has allowed a number of orcas to be captured for sale to the captivity industry. The whales…
Read MoreOne year on – Japan’s return to whaling hurts us all
Japanese whalers have slaughtered 223 whales in the 12 months since the Japanese government announced that it would resume industrial whaling, a decision which marine charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation believes will contribute to the climate emergency. Japan’s withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission (the body that regulates whale hunting) at Christmas in 2018, was criticised…
Read MoreJapan’s government agrees to more funding for whale hunts
Japan’s Diet (parliament) has passed a law to help support commercial whaling through increased funding despite the falling demand for meat in the country. The government has said that it will promote the consumption of whale meat in schools as well as financially help the country’s whaling industry in securing hunting ships and crew. This…
Read MoreNew research shows bottlenose dolphins turn to the right
New research has revealed that dolphins have a dominant right-hand side. They are joining a group of other mammals that show this preference, including humpback and gray whales, humans and gorillas. The research shows that bottlenose dolphins appear to have an even stronger right-side bias than humans, discovered through crater feeding observations. Crater feeding is…
Read MoreScientists discover new humpback whale feeding technique
Humpback whales are renowned for the many different ways they catch their prey, such as lunge-feeding, kick-feeding, bubble-netting and many more. However, up-to-now scientists have been unable to work out how the whales might use their five-metre long pectoral flippers to help catch their food. Finally, using aerial observations and photographs, they have been able…
Read MoreJapanese whalers kill over 200 whales in commercial hunt
Japanese whalers returned to port today after completing the first commercial hunt since Japan left the International Whaling Commission (IWC) at the end of June. The whalers killed 187 Bryde’s whales, 25 sei whales and 11 minke whales, bringing back a total of around 1,430 tons of whale meat. The Japanese Government announced that it…
Read MoreNorway’s whaling future uncertain after survey shows little domestic appetite for whale meat
The future of Norway’s whaling industry appears to be in serious doubt as it struggles to deal with low catch numbers, falling prices for whale meat and declining interest in its products on the domestic market. The head of Norway’s Whalers’ Association, Truls Soløy, described the 2019 whaling season as “particularly disappointing” after a total…
Read MoreMore Success! WDC’s negotiations with travel giant TripAdvisor pay off
Online travel giant, TripAdvisor is to stop the promotion of whale and dolphin captivity shows, a move that follows many months of positive dialogue between the company and WDC. The news is the latest success for WDC’s tour operators campaign, which has targeted big travel industry names and challenged them to stop promoting this kind…
Read MoreNew beaked whale species discovered in Japan
A new species of beaked whale that lives in the North Pacific has been identified in Japan, according to scientists who have published their discovery in the scientific journal Nature. The whale is thought to possibly be a new member of the Berardius family, which would mean there are now three whales in this group,…
Read MoreEcuador introduces welcome measures to prevent dolphin imports for captivity shows
The Government of Ecuador has modified environmental legislation to prohibit the import of marine mammals by aquariums, as well as breeding and the display of individuals removed from their habitats. This is particularly positive news as it follows efforts in 2018 by a dolphinarium company in Venezuela to open a captive dolphin facility in Salinas,…
Read More