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Meet the 2023 Interns: Kaylee McKenna

I'm excited to introduce Kaylee McKenna as WDC's summer Marine Mammal Conservation Intern. Kaylee has...
Lasting legacies

Lasting Legacies: Orca Action Month 2023

Each June we celebrate Orca Month and the unique community of Southern Resident orcas, and this...
North Atlantic right whale - Peter Flood

Whale AID 2023: A Night of Music and Hope for North Atlantic Right Whales

The inaugural Whale AID concert to support Whale and Dolphin Conservation's (WDC's) work to protect...
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Meet the 2023 Interns: Thomas Zoutis

I'm happy to introduce WDC's first Marine Mammal Conservation Intern of the year, Thomas Zoutis!...
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Double Your Impact for Marine Animal Rescue & Response

On a chilly day this past December, the WDC North America team celebrated the first...
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WDC’s Education Wishlist = Cleared!

To the WDC Community, I want to thank you so much for your support of...
Hysazu Photography

Looking forward for Southern Resident orcas in 2023

Hysazu Photography 2022 was a big year for Southern Resident orcas - 2022 brought the...
Credit: Seacoast Science Center

The Unlikely Adventure of Shoebert, a Young Grey Seal Who Visited an Industrial Park Pond

Credit: Seacoast Science Center In mid-September, our stranding partners in northern Massachusetts were inundated with...

Congratulations to Hapag Lloyd, a shipping company that puts ethics before profits!

 Whale meat

At a time when headlines are made as hundreds of tonnes of whale meat are shipped across the globe, and friendly lions killed for fun by wealthy trophy hunters, it is refreshing to be able to report on a company which still believes that ethics deserve a look-in!  

Congratulations, then, to shipping company, Hapag Lloyd, for compiling a list of products that they won’t allow on board. Importantly, their blacklist includes species or products which, in the company’s view “deserve to be safeguarded even if they aren’t yet protected by international laws.”

Their ‘no-go’ list therefore includes whale and dolphin meat and products, as well as shark fin, sealskins and hunting trophies such as lions or other large animals.

And Hapag-Lloyd goes even further: recognizing that customers sometimes make false declarations when registering their cargo, the company uses special software to scan documents and raise red flags when hazardous or banned materials are suspected.

Back in July 2013, we reported that two other shipping companies, Evergreen Line and Samskip, had vowed never to carry whale meat again following a massive public outcry which saw fin whale meat returned to Iceland. 

My hope of course, is that all companies transporting live animals, or meat or products from protected species, will adopt the same stance and refuse to carry cargo that conflicts with their ethical values.

Support our campaign to stop whale products transiting European ports