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Icelandic hunting vessels in port

Whaling boat kept in port after more hunt cruelty exposed

Icelandic whale hunting fleet One of the whaling boats involved in the latest hunts in...
Commerson's dolphin

New Important Marine Mammal Areas added to global ocean conservation list

Commerson's dolphin Experts from a number of countries have mapped out a new set of...
Fin whale shot with two harpoons

Whalers kill just days after Iceland’s hunt suspension is lifted

Whalers in Iceland have claimed their first victims since the lifting (just a few days...
Fin whale

Icelandic government lifts suspension on cruel hunts

The Icelandic government is to allow fin whales to be hunted again after lifting a...

European Union agrees ban on some single-use plastics

Representatives from the European Union’s 28 member states have agreed to a ban on some single-use plastics, including plastic cutlery, plates and straws, as part of a plan to cut plastic pollution in the ocean and increase the use of recycled plastic.

Back in May, the European Commission put forward the proposal for a European Directive on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment.

Also included in the ban will be plastic cotton buds, drink stirrers, and single-use plastic and polystyrene food and drink containers.

Once the ban is formally approved, countries will have two years to implement it.

Almost 60% of the 25.8 million metric tonnes of plastic waste produced in the EU bloc each year comes from packaging. A large percentage is exported to third world countries rather than recycled.

Nearly all plastic found in the ocean is blown there from land where it then has a dramatic effect on marine wildlife. Whales and dolphins can suffer or even die after swallowing or becoming entangled in this manmade debris.

‘This is a milestone in efforts to reduce plastic litter, but the national governments still have a lot to do to make this work,’ says WDC’s plastics policy lead Pine Eisfeld-Pierantonio.

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