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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...

WDC asks Dutch government to halt loud underwater surveys

WDC is demanding an immediate halt to on-going underwater surveys for oil and gas in Dutch waters, close to the German border and a special area of protection for a vulnerable harbour porpoise population.

‘Air guns’ are used in these surveys and fire loud pulses of sound down into the seabed to locate deposits of crude oil. Noise levels from these ‘guns’ are extreme and sound from them can travel thousands of kilometers through the water.

The nearby German marine protected area, called the Borkum Reef Ground, is a known habitat for the harbour porpoise, a species strictly protected under Europoean Union law (EU Habitats Directive).

For whales, dolphins and porposes, ‘listening’ is as important as ‘seeing’ is for humans. Noise pollution interrupts their normal behaviour, driving them away from areas important to their survival, and at worst injuring or sometimes even causing their deaths.

Importantly, summertime is known as the most sensitive period for harbour porpoises, as they give birth to their young, which are especially vulnerable to such loud noise pollution.

WDC has written to the Dutch government requesting that these surveys stop immediately.