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Half a million net death petition handed to EU Commission

Half a million net death petition handed to EU Commission

Over half a million citizens have signed a petition to demand action to stop thousands of dolphins dying in fishing nets (bycatch) in the Bay of Biscay. The petition has been handed over to European Commission Deputy Director General of DG Environment, Patrick Child, the French Director of Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Eric Banel, and…

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Darwin Initiative boosts whale and dolphin protection work in Senegal

WDC’s work to protect significant numbers of whales and dolphins dying in fishing nets and gear in Senegal, as well as other threats they face, has received a substantial Partnership Project funding boost from the Darwin Initiative. The Darwin Initiative is a UK government grants scheme that funds projects to protect biodiversity and the natural environment in developing…

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Significant victory for WDC in fight to save world’s smallest dolphins

A significant victory in the fight to save dolphins in New Zealand from extinction has been achieved after stricter fishing and environmental protections for the critically endangered Māui and endangered Hector’s dolphins have been sanctioned by the government. The move comes after a long campaign by WDC and gives the Māui and Hector’s a fighting chance…

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80,000 dolphins dying each year in Indian Ocean nets

A new report has revealed the shocking figures behind dolphin deaths in fishing nets in the Indian Ocean, suggesting that populations may have dropped by over 80% in recent decades. The study, led by Dr Charles Anderson of the Manta Marine organisation and published in the journal Endangered Species Research, paints a catastrophic picture, revealing…

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WDC in talks with New Zealand‘s Minister for Conservation over dolphin protection

WDC team meets NZ Minister for Conservation Representatives from Whale and Dolphin Conservation have met with New Zealand’s Minister for Conservation, Eugenie Sage to discuss much-needed protection for Māui and Hector’s dolphins. The meeting was secured as part of WDC’s campaign to save these dolphins (collectively known as New Zealand dolphins) and took place as the…

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Are France and Spain looking to weaken protection for whales and dolphins?

As EU governments continue to negotiate the terms of the Technical Measures under the European Common Fisheries Policy, it is emerging that French and Spanish Ministers seem set to choose fishing interests over the legal protection of dolphins, and other protected marine life, from entanglement in fishing gear in European waters. Entanglement in fishing nets and gear…

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Urgent step change needed to stop dolphins suffering in fishing nets

Does sustainably caught fish mean no harm has come to dolphins? The quick answer to that question is ‘no’. If you buy fish with a ‘sustainably caught’ or ‘dolphin safe’ eco-label, unless caught with a pole and line, you have no way of knowing whether dolphins, porpoises or whales suffered and died in the process…

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