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How to remove ghost gear?
Ghost gear – lost and abandoned fishing gear drifting at sea – is killing whales and dolphins in the most horrific ways. But we’re taking action to stop it.
Thanks to your incredible support, we funded Ghost Fishing UK to head out into the ocean and pull this deadly gear from UK seas before it harms more wildlife. While we wait to hear the results of their retrieval missions, Dr. Phoebe Hudson is here to share what a day in the life as a volunteer diver with Ghost Fishing UK is really like.
Last Amazon River dolphin held captive has died
The last captive Amazon River dolphin has died after suffering cardiac arrest. Huayrurín, was held at the Zoologico Quistococha tourist facility in Peru and was 19 years old. He had spent nearly all his life in captivity after being rescued in 2007 aged just six months when his mother was trapped in a fishing net…
Another orca dies at SeaWorld
A young orca has died at SeaWorld San Antonio after contracting an illness say the park’s owners. Kamea, who was 11 years old and the youngest held captive at the facility leaves behind her mother 33-year-old Takara, and her sister, Sakari, 15. Two other male orcas also remain at the park. Captive orcas live much…
Success! No whale hunting in Iceland at all this year
The only operational minke whale hunting vessel in Iceland has been put up for sale by its owner, which means there will be no minke whales slaughtered this year. Part of our long running campaign to stop these hunts has been centered on changing attitudes to eating whale meat, driving down demand and making operations…
Orcas and trainers put at risk in Japanese Seaworld parks
WDC is calling for the operators of marine park facilities in Japan to stop prioritising commercial interests over the welfare of orcas and staff after increasing numbers of videos circulating on social media have exposed alarming conditions at the Kobe Suma and Kamogawa parks, significant safety risk to trainers, and abnormal behaviour patterns from the…
New investigation – Yahoo! Japan selling toxic whale meat
WDC has joined an international coalition of environmental groups is calling on Yahoo! Japan and its parent company, the LY Corporation, to stop selling products containing whale and dolphin meat after a new investigation found high levels of toxins in some of the nearly 1,000 related food items available for purchase on the massive search…
Over 200 pilot whales killed in the Faroe Islands
The mass slaughter of at least 245 long-finned pilot whales has taken place in Leynar, Faroe Islands. Among those killed were 25 pregnant females and 13 juveniles, with the entire, cruel process taking approximately 30 minutes. Each year over 100,000 dolphins and small whales are killed in hunts across the globe but the Grind (hunt)…
What whale and dolphin research takes place in Japan?
My recent visit to Okinawa showed me a side of Japan that’s often overlooked. While the country is frequently associated with whaling, I found myself surrounded by people working to restore humpback whale populations in the waters nearby. It was a powerful reminder that Japan is home to many inspiring individuals deeply committed to celebrating and protecting whales and dolphins.
Eager to meet more likeminded individuals, I visited Osaka to speak with dolphin researcher Leanne Rosser.
UK government considers wider ban on destructive fishing method
After mounting pressure to take action against destructive bottom trawling, the UK government has announced that it will consider extending a ban on this type of fishing in some protected areas in English waters. The decision comes as our WDC team prepare to take part in the UN Ocean Conference that takes place in France…
