Icelandic whalers kill first fin whales in four years
As feared, whale hunters in Iceland have slaughtered at least two fin whales, the first to be killed in four years. Hopes remain that the cruel practice will end in 2023 after the country’s Fisheries Minister, Svandís Svavarsdóttir cast doubt over its future a few weeks ago, saying that there is now little justification for authorizing…
Read MoreHigh mercury levels found in slaughtered Japanese dolphin meat
According to reports from Japan, police there are investigating the sale of whale and dolphin meat containing potentially illegal levels of dangerous toxins. Action for Dolphins group say tests on samples of meat sold in the coastal town of Taiji reveal mercury levels up to 25 times higher that safe limits set by the government.…
Read MoreLatest Taiji slaughter season ends with many dolphins killed
Fishermen in the coastal town of Taiji, Japan have ended this season’s brutal dolphin hunt and, according to local sources, have killed or captured over 550 whales and dolphins. Species killed include Risso’s and striped dolphins as well as melon-headed whales and short-finned pilot whales. These drive hunts run from September to March or April…
Read MoreNorway’s government gives green light for slaughter of hundreds of whales this year
Just weeks after Iceland indicated it is moving away from cruel whale hunting, Norway’s government has announced that its whalers can kill hundreds of minke whales in 2022. Bjørnar Skjæran, Norway’s new Minister of Fisheries and Marine Affairs has set a quota (numbers that can be killed) of 917 minke whales for the upcoming hunt…
Read MoreFaroese Aquaculture Association calls for ban on dolphin hunts
The Faroese Aquaculture Association has joined calls for the country’s prime minister to ban dolphin hunting, following the terrible events last September when 1,423 Atlantic white-sided dolphins were killed in local waters. In a press release, the Association highlights the negative impact that criticism around the hunts has had on local businesses, which are very…
Read More50-Year Vision launched to save whales and dolphins from extinction
WDC has joined the world’s leading wildlife protection and conservation organisations urging the 88 member countries of the International Whaling Commission (IWC – the body that regulates whaling) to adopt a new 50-Year Vision to save whales, dolphins and porpoises from extinction in the face of increasing ocean threats. The vision document has been launched…
Read MoreOver 570 whales killed during 2021 hunts in Norway
The highest number of whales killed in Norway since 2016 has been announced just as WDC and partners have released the findings of a new poll showing that most Norwegians don’t want to eat whale meat, and have serious welfare concerns with the hunt. Despite low demand for whale meat Norwegian whalers killed the highest…
Read MoreJapanese whaling ships leave ports to hunt for whales
Two commercial whaling vessels departed on the 10th and 11th of June from the Japanese ports of Shimonoseki and Innoshima to kill up to 187 Bryde’s whales and 25 sei whales. Japan resumed commercial whaling three years ago after leaving the International Whaling Commission (IWC – the body that regulates whaling) and following widespread international…
Read MoreSouth Korea to get tougher on sale of whale meat
South Korea has toughened existing regulations on the commercial sale of whale and whale products as part of efforts to curb illegal whale hunting activities in local waters. Police in South Korea have frequently caught poachers involved in illegal minke whale hunting that is driven by the vast sums of money that the meat fetches,…
Read MoreNorway’s government allows hunters to kill over 1200 whales this year
Norway has announced that its whalers can once again kill up to 1,278 whales this year (the same quota number as 2020). Norway’s government allows the minke whale hunts to go ahead under an ‘objection’ to the global ban on commercial whaling, and whalers continue to carry out this slaughter despite falling demand for whale…
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