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WDC2023-007 NMLC Release (16)

Seal Rescued in Marshfield Released Back Into The Wild

For Immediate Release, May 31, 2023 PLYMOUTH, MA - A young male grey seal that...

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...

Public support for whaling drops in Iceland

As of today, the number of fin whales killed by Icelandic whalers has risen to 111, whilst 35 minke whales have also been killed. However there are strong signs that public support for the whalers within Iceland is melting away.

A recent (June 2013) Gallup poll commissioned by the Ministry of Fisheries reveals that only 58% of the Icelandic public now supports whaling. This is highly significant, coming as it does after a poll conducted for IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) in October 2012 showed 67% of respondents in favour of whaling.

This fall in support is even more telling as the June poll asked: “Are you for or against whaling by Icelanders?” a question more likely to trigger a defensive, nationalistic response (whereas the IFAW poll merely asked whether respondents were for or against whaling). Hence we can trust that public support for whaling is genuinely down.

Commentators on the ground in Iceland believe that people are starting to question whaling at long last and hopefully this trend will continue.