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Arrests made following illegal whale meat smuggling from Japan to South Korea

Norway 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…

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Hundreds of whales killed as Norwegian hunt season ends

The end of the whaling season in Norway has been announced with 580 minke whales killed by 13 hunting vessels in just under six months. Norway’s minister of fisheries had set a quota (number that can be killed) of 917 whales for this season. Thankfully that number was not reached but this was still the deadliest…

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Over 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…

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Japanese 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…

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South 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,…

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Cuts in government funds to hit Japanese whale hunt industry

Reports in Japan suggest the whaling industry there is facing increasing challenges just a few years after the country withdrew from the International Whaling Commission (IWC – the global body that regulates whaling) and resumed hunting whales for commercial profit. Previously, Japan had slaughtered whales under the guise of ‘research’, even though next to nothing…

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Trapped minke whale slaughtered in Japanese cove

A young minke whale trapped in nets off Taiji, Japan, since Christmas Eve, was killed early today by local fishermen. The whale’s carcass was then taken to shore to be butchered for sale in local meat markets. It was hoped that the local fishing cooperative would try to free the whale however, Ren Yabuki, director…

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