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Dolphins captured for captivity in Taiji. Image: Hans Peter Roth

Loved and killed – whales and dolphins in Japan

Protests and criticism from outside Japan in response to the slaughter of whales and dolphins...
Narwhal with beluga whales

Unusual Whale Adoptions

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Irrawaddy dolphin

Helping fishers protect dolphins in Sarawak, Borneo

Fishing nets are bad news for dolphins and porpoises, so we're working with local fishers...
Dolphin watching from Chanonry Point, Scotland. Image: WDC/Charlie Phillips

Discovering inner peace – whale and dolphin watching and mental wellbeing

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Whale tail

An ocean of hope

In a monumental, jaw-dropping demonstration of global community, the nations of the world made history...
North Atlantic right whale Porcia and her calf.

Critically Endangered Right Whale Babies Spotted

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
The infamous killing cove at Taiji, Japan

Why the Taiji dolphin hunt can never be justified

Supporters of the dolphin slaughter in Japan argue that killing a few hundred dolphins every...
Image: Peter Linforth

Tracking whales from space will help us save them

Satellite technology holds one of the keys to 21st century whale conservation, so we're exploring...

North Pacific home to five distinct humpback whale populations

Earlier this year, the Hawai’i Fishermen’s Alliance for Conservation and Tradition, Inc. submitted a petition to the federal government seeking to identify the North Pacific population of humpback whales as one distinct population segment (DPS) and then have this DPS removed from the Endangered Species Act (ESA). WDC North America subsequently submitted comments (attached as PDF below) to the government outlining the case for why these whales should remain protected under the ESA.  WDC emphasized that the North Pacific humpback whales appear to be composed of more than just one population, and therefore would not qualify as a DPS. Now a recent study has been published that supports these claims, and proposes that there are actually five distinct populations of humpback whales in the North Pacific.

Researchers collected tissue samples from humpback whales across the North Pacific, and were able to identify five distinct groups based on DNA analysis. They concluded that these whales have high site fidelity, meaning that they return to the same feeding and breeding grounds each year, usually based on where their mothers first brought them as calves. Although a few whales might go to a different feeding or breeding ground each year, there is not enough genetic mixing involved to result in a single population of North Pacific humpback whales.

WDC is hopeful that this new research, along with our comments,  will result in a denial of the petition to delist the North Pacific humpback whale from the ESA, as these populations are still facing many threats to their recovery including entanglements in fishing gear, vessel strikes, habitat degradation and climate change, and cannot afford to lose the protections that they receive as an officially recognized endangered species.

About George Berry

George is a member of WDC's Communications team and website coordinator.