Breaking barriers for whales and dolphins at the Convention of Migratory Species
Many species of whales, dolphins and porpoises undertake long journeys, encountering human-made obstacles along the way. Danger lurks in various forms from fishing nets to harpoons, underwater noise to chemical and plastic pollution. I’ve just returned from a gathering of global scientists trying to find ways to allow them to travel freely. Species without borders A…
Read MoreWDC in Japan – Part 1: Finding allies in Tokyo
At the end of May, I embarked on an incredible journey to Japan on behalf of Whale and Dolphin Conservation. My mission was clear: Find allies and get an up-to-date impression of Japanese whaling and the dolphin hunt in Taiji. Over the coming weeks, I’ll share with you how I got on. My first stop…
Read MoreThe unicorns of the sea must be protected – CITES
The narwhal, is under threat. Often referred to as the unicorns of the sea, narwhals, are hunted for their meat, blubber and ivory tusks which are sold around the world. Populations are declining and they risk extinction in Greenland. To ensure their future, WDC is attending a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in…
Read MoreLoved and killed – whales and dolphins in Japan
Protests and criticism from outside Japan in response to the slaughter of whales and dolphins have not only failed to stop the killing, but also raised resistance within Japan to ending the slaughter. So at Whale and Dolphin Conservation we’re taking a different approach. WDC campaigner Katrin Matthes is on the ground in Japan working…
Read MoreWhy the Taiji dolphin hunt can never be justified
Supporters of the dolphin slaughter in Japan argue that killing a few hundred dolphins every year pales into insignificance compared with the millions of animals we slaughter for meat. WDC Germany campaigner Katrin Matthes gets under the skin of that argument and explains how we hope to end the hunts forever. At least 560 dolphins…
Read MoreSpeaking truth to power – my week giving whales a voice
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting is where governments come together to make decisions about whaling and whale conservation. Our team was at this year’s convention to speak up for the whales. Well, that was an eventful experience. The conference of the International Whaling Commission (IWC, the body that regulates whale hunts) in Slovenia at the…
Read MoreThe whale trappers are back with their cruel experiment
Anyone walking past my window might have heard my groan of disbelief at the news that, against all logic – rather like a bad Netflix series that has somehow been commissioned for a second season – the ‘minke whale trappers’ are back with their nets to have another go this summer! Starting tomorrow and despite…
Read MoreIs this the beginning of the end for whaling off Iceland?
I’m feeling cautiously optimistic after Iceland’s Fisheries Minister Svandís Svavarsdóttir wrote that there is little justification for authorising any further whaling when the current permits expire in 2023. Stating unequivocally that ‘it must be shown that it is economically justifiable to renew fishing rights’, Svandís reminds readers that whaling has damaged Iceland’s reputation and negatively…
Read MoreUnderstanding whale and dolphin hunts in the Faroe Islands – why change is not easy
Most people in my home country of the Faroe Islands would like to see an end to the kind of dolphin hunt that sparked an outcry in September last year. Yet a poll has shown that a staggering 83% are in favour of continuing the traditional grindadráp, the slaughter of pilot whales. This is not…
Read MoreThe Faroes dolphin slaughter that sparked an outcry now brings hope
Since the slaughter of at least 1,423 Atlantic white-sided dolphins at Skálafjørður in my home country of the Faroe Islands, many people have raised their voices in outrage and concern – internationally, but also from within the Faroese community. I am Faroese and I feel the same way. That’s why I have joined WDC as…
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