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WDC2023-007 NMLC Release (16)

Seal Rescued in Marshfield Released Back Into The Wild

For Immediate Release, May 31, 2023 PLYMOUTH, MA - A young male grey seal that...

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...

Japan faces possible trade sanctions after violating international wildlife convention’s trade rules

Japan’s import and sale of sei whales products from its controversial “scientific” whaling programme in the North Pacific has been deemed as illegal by the global body entrusted with protecting endangered species from trade.

WDC has been pressing for action on this issue and our team at the annual meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Sochi, Russia was delighted when government representatives attending voted nearly unanimously that Japan was acting in violation of the convention by slaughtering sei whales, and then landing thousands of tonnes of sei whale meat primarily for commercial purposes in Japan.

Sei whales are listed on Appendix I by CITES, which means that international commercial trade in their products is banned. As Japan mostly hunts sei whales on the high seas beyond its national jurisdiction, under CITES rules, bringing these products into Japan is considered international trade (so-called “Introduction from the Sea”). Currently, Japan hunts as many as 134 sei whales each year (the third biggest creature on the planet) but does so under its “scientific” whaling programme in the North Pacific.

Although some specimens, including the whales’ eyes, testes and ovaries, are preserved for scientific research, the vast majority of each whale – about 12 tonnes – is frozen and vacuum-sealed for sale for human consumption in Japan.

The Committee’s decision now places Japan in a difficult position. The Japanese government has been asked to take immediate remedial action to address this issue. If Japan fails to comply fully, a recommendation could then be made that the other 182 governments impose trade sanctions on Japan.

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