WDC Fights Back as Maine Delegation Strips Protections for Endangered Whales
Image credit: Peter Flood UPDATE: On December 29th, 2022, President Biden signed the omnibus appropriations bill. As a result of public opposition, the final language was modified and shortened the delay from ten years to six years. It also included similar language used in the proposed Right Whale Co-Existence Act of 2022 to provide grant…
Read MoreWDC funded research shows ‘pingers’ could save porpoises from fishing nets
Underwater sound devices called ‘pingers’ could be an effective, long-term way to prevent porpoises getting caught in fishing nets without having negative effects on their everyday behaviour. Newly published research part funded by WDC shows that porpoises in the seas off Cornwall were 37% less likely to be found close to an active pinger. Pingers…
Read MoreSignificant Victory for WDC in Fight to Save World’s Smallest Dolphins
A significant victory in the fight to save dolphins in New Zealand from extinction! This comes in the form of stricter fishing and environmental protections for the critically endangered Māui and endangered Hector’s dolphins that have been sanctioned by the government. This gives the Māui and Hector’s a fighting chance of survival and comes after…
Read MoreFrom the Pacific Coast to the North Atlantic Right Whale
WDC’s internship is designed to give interns a taste of life at a marine mammal non-profit. Interns are exposed to everything from science, policy, outreach and even supporter relations. I think internships are the best way to test the waters and find out if a particularly career path is the right one. There are fewer…
Read MoreSenate Leaders Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Save the North Atlantic Right Whale
After a deadly summer for North Atlantic right whales, Senators Booker (D-NJ), Isakson (R-GA) and Carper (D-DE) lead bipartisan bill to support their recovery. (Washington) – Senators Cory Booker, D-N.J., Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Tom Carper, D-De., today introduced a bipartisan bill, the Scientific Assistance for Very Endangered (SAVE) Right Whales Act (S. 2453), to…
Read MoreRecord numbers of dolphins dead on French beaches
According to reports from France, huge numbers of dolphins have been washing up dead on French beaches once again. Since the start of 2019, up to 600 dead dolphins have drifted onto beaches along France’s Atlantic coast due, it seems, to incidental capture in in fishing trawls and static fishing nets offshore (also known as bycatch).…
Read MoreUkrainian ship's crew held after 46 porpoises die in nets
Illegally nets from a Ukrainian fishing boat have killed nearly 50 porpoises off the Crimean coast. The porpoises died after becoming entangled in almost six miles of nets and investigators believe that were deliberately targeted for illegal export. The crew of the trawler named YaMK-0041 was detained and the captain faces up to five years in jail…
Read MoreNew Zealand government to undertake net review after dolphin deaths
The government in New Zealand is reviewing the use of commercial set nets (a type of gillnet that is attached to the seabed) after the deaths of five Hector’s dolphins in one net in February. The incident took place off the Banks Peninsula off the east coast of the South Island. A complete ban on…
Read MoreEndangered porpoise could be even closer to extinction than first thought
Unconfirmed reports on the plight of the vaquita suggest that no more than 12 now remain. Vaquitas are the world’s smallest and one of the most endangered species of whale, dolphin or porpoise on the planet. Found only in Mexico’s northern Gulf of California, the population has declined by more than 75% in the past three…
Read MoreNew UK report calls for action on animal welfare after Brexit
A new report backed by WDC has been released today calling on the UK Government to turn words into action when it comes to the welfare of whales, dolphins and many other creatures. ‘Brexit – getting the best deal for animals’ is supported by 41 of the UK’s best-known animal welfare charities who have joined…
Read More