Skip to content
All news
  • All news
  • About whales & dolphins
  • Corporates
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Green Whale
  • Prevent bycatch
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Science
  • Scottish Dolphin Centre
  • Stop whaling
  • Stranding

Norway ups whale kill numbers and removes whale welfare protections

The whaling season in Norway has begun on the back of disturbing announcements from the...
Image taken from an unmanned hexacopter at >100ft during a research collaboration between NOAA/SWFSC, SR3 and the Coastal Ocean Research Institute. Research authorized by NMFS permit #19091.

Southern Resident orca petition to list them under Oregon Endangered Species Act advanced

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted today to advance a petition seeking to protect...
Hysazu Photography

WDC and Conservation Partners Continue to Seek Oregon Endangered Species Protection for Southern Resident Orcas

On Friday, April 21st, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will determine whether the petition...
WDC Seal Rescue April 2023 (1)

WDC conducts milestone seal rescue in Marshfield

For Immediate Release, April 10, 2023 MARSHFIELD, MA - A young grey seal was found...

Australia questions the science behind Japan’s whaling

Australian officials have questioned the scientific basis behind Japan’s Antarctic whale hunts on the opening two days of the public hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

The Australian government has taken Japan to the court in a bid to expose the true nature Japanese ‘scientific’ research programme under which it kills large numbers of whales.

During the first few days of the hearing, Australian representatives outlined how useless Japanese whaling is in scientific terms, stating that the ‘research’ programme only makes use of a small part of the whale, whilst the rest is turned into edible products and a third discarded – thus confirming that these hunts are effectively commercial whaling in disguise and just an excuse for Japanese whalers to get around the current international ban on such hunts.

In reference to the scientific merits of the slaughter, the Australian legal team pointed out that Japan has never explained why it needs to kill thousands of minke whales undermining the claim that its in the name of research. Australian scientific experts at the trial told the court that the only thing the Japanese so called research has offered following the killing of more than 7’000 whales is that ‘Antarctic minke whales eat a whole lot of krill’! This, they explained, is something we can learn in biology class at school.

Australia also criticized Japan for consistently failing to acknowledge the danger of these hunts to whale populations, and will continue to lay out its case against Japan’s whaling in the Antarctic this week.

You can follow the trial on our blog.

Watch proceedings from day – Part 1 and Part 2.