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© New England Aquarium and Canadian Whale Institute under DFO Canada SARA permit

Scientists unveil new names for 19 North Atlantic right whales

December 6, 2023 - Contact: Regina Asmutis-Silvia, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, (508) 451-3853, [email protected] Pam...
© Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, taken under NOAA permit #26919. Funded by United States Army Corps of Engineers

Birth announcement! First right whale calf of the 2024 calving season spotted

November 29, 2023 - On November 28th, researchers from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute...
© Peter Flood

Two New England-based nonprofits awarded nearly $400k federal grant

© Peter Flood November 20, 2023 - Contact: Jake O'Neill, Conservation Law Foundation, (617) 850-1709,...
Right whale - Regina WDC

North Atlantic right whale population has stabilized

WDC attends Ropeless Consortium and North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium WDC was in Canada this...

Prison sentences handed to whale hunters in South Korea

A South Korean court has jailed over 30 men for illegally hunting minke whales and selling their catch to local restaurants.

The Daegu District Court handed down prison terms ranging from 10 to 18 months to two ships captains, a delivery driver and 30 fishermen, and also issued them with fines of up to 5 million won.

Police in South Korea are continuing to catch more and more poachers involved in illegal minke whale hunting that is being driven by the vast sums of money that the meat fetches, and demand from many local restaurants. A single minke whale can sell for up to 60 million won (around £35,000).

Despite minke whales being protected in South Korea, it is legal to sell meat from whales that are accidentally caught in nets.  However, it is reported that these particular whalers were deliberately hunting whales on a mass scale, using six ships to catch about 40 minke whales in waters off the eastern coast over a two year period.

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