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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...

Community in Canada advised not to eat beluga whale meat after woman dies

A community in Quebec, Canada have been advised by local officials not to eat beluga whale meat after a woman died and her daughter was taken seriously ill in Inukjuak.

Dr. Francoise Bouchard, the director of public health for the region, said both cases have been diagnosed as botulism.

“It is probably from beluga meat,” said Dr Bouchard. Tests confirming the source have been carried out the local community has been told to keep clear of the frozen, dried or cooked meat. 

Botulism can cause severe vomiting, difficulty breathing and swallowing and overall weakness. It can also lead to complete paralysis and death.

High levels of pollutants like mercury, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and PFCs (perfluorinated compounds) from the world’s oceans also end up in sea mammals like whales and dolphins, and are eaten in the Faroe Islands, Greenland, parts of Siberia as well as Canada. 

Recently, Chief Physician at the Department of Occupational Medicine and Public Health in the Faroes reiterated warnings to the country’s population not to eat whale meat due to the risks of developing Parkinson’s disease, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, and other medical issues caused by the contaminants in the meat and blubber.

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