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Scottish government proposes new protected areas for marine life, including whales and dolphins

Really, Norway, you want to kill even more whales though no one wants to eat them?

Norwegian Fisheries Minister, Per Sandberg, has confirmed that Norway has allocated itself a quota of 999 minke whales for the 2017 catch, an increase of 119 whales on last year’s quota of 880. Norwegian whalers hunt minke whales for commercial purposes, exploiting a loophole around the Norway’s ‘objection’ to the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) global ban…

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Why minke whale meat is far from traditional in Iceland

I was really sorry to see minke whale meat included in a recent list in the Icelandic press of ‘top delicacies that are favourites amongst locals’.  The author starts by exorting readers to “forget about the fermented shark used to shock tourists” but after listing lamb, local bread and freshly-caught fish, ends with a dish…

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How your restaurant order can save whales!

We are fortunate to have A-level student, Xavier Tobin, working with us as a volunteer with the Stop Whaling team. Here, Xavier introduces some new resources which ask visitors to whaling regions not to be tempted to eat whale meat or purchase whale products during their stay. I am currently working with WDC (Whale and…

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Iceland’s minke whaler vows to continue hunting this year

Whilst fin whales off Iceland have a reprieve from the harpoons this summer, minke whales in those waters are less fortunate as minke whaler, Gunnar Bergmann Jonsson, defiantly declares ‘business as usual’. His company, Hrafnreydur ehf, killed 29 minke whales last year although he could have taken as many as 229 under Iceland’s self-allocated quota,…

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Why whales can help save our planet – if we let them

As Icelanders spend today assessing the damage caused by last night’s “double hurricane force” winds which battered their island, and people in north west England and southern Scotland begin the grim process of mopping up after widespread flooding in the wake of Storm Desmond, few are likely to link these extreme weather events with whales…

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Minke whale baby boom

Increased sightings of juvenile minke whales off western Scotland during 2015 could be down to a mini baby boom according to experts. A survey team from the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) have recorded 28 young minke whales in the area, three times the average compared with previous years. They also recorded the highest…

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