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Japanese whaling ship

Infamous whale slaughter ship docks for the final time

The whaling ship, Nisshin Maru has returned to the port of Shimonoseki for the final...
Sperm whale

Dominica announces new protections for sperm whales

Dominica has placed almost 800 square kilometers of sea off the west coast of the...
Porpoise dies after becoming entangled in fishing net

UK government rejects chance to protect whales and dolphins

The government has formally rejected almost all of the crucial recommendations made in a House...
Common dolphins © Christopher Swann

Ocean areas selected for conservation are now in danger says task force

The international task force celebrating 10 years of work mapping out Important Marine Mammal Areas...

Sanctuary Brings Hope For Freshwater Dolphins In Asia

The Government of Bangladesh has recently declared three new wildlife sanctuaries for endangered freshwater dolphins in the world’s largest mangrove ecosystem – the Sundarbans.

The sanctuaries, which were officially declared on January 29, will protect the last two remaining species of freshwater dolphins in Asia; the Ganges River dolphin and the Irrawaddy dolphin. Although there is no global population estimate for either species, both have been in decline. But, they occur in the Sundarbans in sufficient numbers, and so the sanctuary may serve to prevent their extinction. The dolphins are under threat from entanglements in fishing nets used by local fishermen and also reduced prey to feed on. News of the declared sanctuaries is particularly welcome following the recent extinction of the Yangtze River dolphin whose last confirmed sighting was in 2002. Similar threats killed off this species after having survived in the Yangtze River of China for more than 10 million years.

For more information on our protected areas and sanctuaries campaign click here