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The White Sharks and Whales Expedition

Short stories – first time seeing whales and dolphins in the wild

First time seeing whales and dolphins in the wild Bri and humpback whales The White...
Gretchen_flukes

An incredible first time whale watch in the Azores

An incredible first time whale watch in the Azores © Gretchen Gretchen D's story Off...
Gray whales from drone.

We’re taking steps to uncover the mysteries of whales

Vicki James Vicki is WDC's protected areas coordinator, she helps to create safe ocean spaces...
WDC Breach and Provincetown

A first time whale watch that led to many more

A first time whale watch that led to many more © Susan, a very foggy...

Not again! Yet another drive hunt

Marna Olsen continues her reporting from Taiji, Japan

It was hard to believe, but again this morning hunting boats grouped together out by the horizon. Black smoke could be seen, which is an indicator of fast movement. Another drive hunt was happening.

The species hunted was Risso’s dolphins. The pod was very small, only 6-8 individuals. This was the 8th hunt of Risso’s since the beginning of the season on September 1st.

For a very short moment, when the boats had reached the coast, it looked like the pod actually would manage to escape. They were out of sight and had changed direction, but the swift moving boats quickly had the pod under control again. It didn’t take long before all dolphins had been driven in under the tarps where their lives ended. The whole process from drive formation to kill took about two hours.

It’s emotionally exhausting to witness three drive hunts within four days.