Posts by Astrid Fuchs
The horror – reflecting on the massacre of 1,428 dolphins on the Faroe Islands
Like you and millions of people around the globe, I felt horrified by the news that 1,428 beautiful Atlantic white-sided dolphins had been slaughtered in a drive hunt on the shores of the Faroe Islands on 12th September 2021. This news and the staggering number of individuals massacred actually took some time to sink in.…
Read MoreA new opportunity to stop Japan’s whaling?
Last Wednesday, the European Parliament voted ‘yes’ to the EU-Japan free trade agreement (or Economic Partnership Agreement). It also agreed to a closely related strategic partnership agreement with Japan. This marked the end of our campaign to use these trade talks to get better protection for whales from the harpoons of Japanese whalers. Our aim…
Read MoreNo EU-Japan trade agreement unless Japan stops whaling!
When we launched our campaign in March 2016, calling on the EU to make whaling a deal breaker in the negotiations with Japan on a free trade agreement, we had a clear goal: to get the EU to use the trade talks as a powerful tool and put pressure on Japan to stop its whaling…
Read MoreWhales and whalers – how and why WDC is fighting to keep the whaling ban
Today, representatives of the world’s governments are gathered in Florianopolis, Brazil to discuss whales, whalers and whaling. This important ten-day summit of the International Whaling Commission, (IWC, the body that regulates whaling) happens every two years. WDC is at the meeting to provide expert advice to governments and to fight on the side of the…
Read MoreOur last chance to get the EU to save the whales
TAKE ACTION – SIGN OUR LETTER TO BERND LANGE NOW. YOU CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. Two years ago, we launched our campaign calling on the EU to make whaling a deal breaker in its trade negotiations with Japan. Our reasoning is simple: having a political and economic powerhouse like the EU clearly signal that the…
Read MoreJapan’s "Favourite Sashimi Act"
I have the pleasure of introducing another guest blog by Japanese whale and dolphin advocate Kame-Kujira-Neko. Kame is the author of the novel “Whales Ocean” and he regularly blogs about whaling and dolphin hunting, mainly in Japanese. On 16th June, the Japanese Parliament passed a terrible new law for wildlife and the marine environment. The…
Read MoreThe EU must shut its ports to whale meat!
More than 105,000 people responded to our call for the EU to ban the transit of whale meat through its ports. If you were one of them – thank you! The European Union actually has some solid laws against killing whales and trading in their meat and other body parts, so it should be a…
Read MoreTaiji – an inflated symbol of perceived culture
I have the pleasure of introducing a guest blog by Kame-Kujira-Neko, a Japanese whale and dolphin advocate and author. Kame regularly blogs about whaling and dolphin hunting, mainly in Japanese. His novel “Whales Ocean” was published in Japan in 1995. In Japan, “Alternative facts” about whaling are spreading. There is no longer any reflection on…
Read MoreTurtles, whaling and Japanese money
Last week, the prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) announced at an event held in Calliaqua, SVG, that from January 1st 2017 a complete ban on the hunting and killing of sea turtles and taking of their eggs would be imposed. This is certainly an unexpected but welcome step and great news…
Read MoreAnother IWC is over – Did we save some whales?
Once IWC is over and everyone is back home at their desks, something like the post conference blues sets in. The adrenalin rush of ten days packed with talks, negotiations, lobbying functions and votes is over and it’s time to take stock and look at the results. Last week, on the final day of the…
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