Brutal hunt leaves cruise line passengers distressed
Cruise ship docked in blood filled waters (Credit: Jackson McMuldren/CPWF) A cruise line company has issued an apology to passengers onboard one of it’s vessels after a brutal pilot whale hunt took place whilst the ship moored in the Faroe Islands. Those aboard the ship, Ambition, were left distressed as blooded filled the waters around…
Read MoreSuccess! Fin whaling in Iceland is suspended after officials say hunts are unlawful
Icelandic Fisheries Minister, Svandís Svavarsdóttir has called off this season’s fin whale hunt! The Icelandic government has suspended all fin whaling, with immediate effect, until at least the end of August, on the grounds that it breaks Iceland’s own animal welfare laws. On top of this, no new licences have been issued for 2024 onwards.…
Read MorePermit dispute delays start of hunt season in Iceland
Hvalur 8 arrives at whaling station This year’s whale hunt season in Iceland could be delayed by several weeks after a permit required by the company behind the hunts to kill hundreds of whales ran out, and a new permit has yet to be issued by government officials. This may mark the end of whaling…
Read MoreDead whale beauty products to be sold in Japanese vending machine stores
Antarctic minke whale alongside Japanese whaling ship. Photo © Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert Japanese whale hunting company, Kyodo Senpaku, is now promoting the sale of cosmetic products made from slaughtered whales via their vending machine stores. Advertised as luxury items, the company are marketing the grim cosmetics in an attempt to increase interest in and profit from…
Read MoreArrests 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 4.6 tonnes of whale meat (worth around €400,000) into the country from Japan between February 2021 and June 2022. Disguised as fish products, the whale meat entered South Korea via courier shipments and was eventually resold to whale meat restaurants…
Read MoreNew 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 Port A new report by the Icelandic government exploring welfare concerns around its own fin whale hunts has revealed that some of those killed can take as long as two hours to die. But the hunts may well be allowed…
Read MoreNorway ups whale kill numbers and removes whale welfare protections
The whale hunting season in Norway has begun on the back of disturbing announcements from the country’s government stating the number of whales that can be killed (quota) will increase, whilst measures in place to protect whale welfare will be removed. The number of whales that the government will allow hunters to slaughter will go…
Read MoreCriminal complaint filed following Yahoo! Japan poisonous dolphin meat sales
Our colleagues at Action for Dolphins (AFD) have filed a complaint against the internet service provider ‘Yahoo! Japan’ because the platform allows the sale of dolphin meat from the drive hunt in Taiji. Criminal charges were filed against the online retailer ‘Joreimaru Specialty Store’, which sells the products. A Japan-based investigator from Action for Dolphins…
Read MoreWhale meat fetches record high at Japan auction
Sei whale meat is being sold at a record high in Japan according media reports there. Ironically, whilst delegates from around the world at COP27 discuss ways to tackle climate change, tail meat from one of our biggest ocean allies in the fight against climate breakdown (whales) is fetching 500,000 yen (about $3,600) per kilo…
Read MoreMoves to overturn whaling ban rejected
Last week, the 68th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC, the body that regulates whale hunting) took place in Portorož, Slovenia. WDC has sent experts to participate in this forum for more than 25 years. For decades, whaling and whale conservation interests have clashed at the IWC and this year, once again, a motion…
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