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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...

Whale meat shipments through Canada revealed

Politicians in Canada were shocked to discover this week that their country is being used as a trans-shipment destination for whale meat. Despite the fact that Canada is signed up to an international agreement that protects endangered fin whales (CITES), meat from the species has been shipped from Iceland to Canada and transported across the country via train on its way to Japan.

Japan and Iceland continue to kill and trade in whales even though an international ban on commercial whaling began in 1986. Bizarrely, it seems that Canada is not able to stop the shipments moving through its territory if customs documentation is correct.

Canada has to allow shipments under customs control to transit provided they meet normal documentation and other requirements,” Environment Canada spokesperson, Jirina Vlk said in a statement. “CITES clearly provides an exemption for shipments of CITES species in-transit through a country so long as such a shipment remains in customs control, that is, in bond or under seal.”

As a result, it seems that Canada is now an unwilling accomplice in the ‘banned’ commercial trade in whale meat alongside Japan, Iceland and Norway. WDC is currently campaigning to stop the EU from allowing ships carrying whale meat to dock in its ports, including Southampton in the UK.