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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...

WDC warns of crunch time for the whales as IWC65 opens

WDC campaigners are in Portoroz, Slovenia for the 65th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) which opens today.  The IWC currently meets every two years to consider issues relating to whaling and whale conservation.

WDC has fielded a team at each IWC meeting for the past 25 years; however, we believe that this year will present an exceptional challenge as there are several proposals tabled by the whaling nations which give great cause for concern and which we believe must be strongly opposed.

This year’s meeting is expected to be dominated by discussions on:

  • The repercussions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in March that Japan’s Antarctic whaling was illegal; and Japan’s attempt to create a new category of ‘small-type coastal whaling’ 
  • Greenland’s attempts to obtain an Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling (ASW) quota, despite clear evidence of increasing commercialization of its hunts

Some notable omissions from this year’s formal agenda include:

  • Iceland’s commercial whaling, despite ongoing hunts of endangered fin whales, as well as minke whales
  • Norway’s escalating minke whaling, despite declining demand

The main meeting starts on Monday 15th. We will be posting regular updates at whales.org/IWC2014 and also reporting live on Twitter at #IWC2014