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Dolphin in Brazil helping with fishing illustration

Dolphins and fishermen working together

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
Gray whale (eschrichtius robustus) Gray whale in Ojo de liebre lagoon Baja California.

Why we’re walking for whales to save the world

We've got enormous ambitions when it comes to fighting climate breakdown, and so two members...
Dolphins with keepers in the new Windsor Safari Park. Image: PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo

Three decades on from UK’s last dolphin show, what needs to change?

The UK hasn't had captive whales and dolphins on display for 30 years, but it's...
Fishers' involvement is crucial. Image: WDC/JTF

When porpoises and people overlap

We're funding a project in Hong Kong that's working with fishing communities to help save...
Whale evolution cover

How did whales end up living in the ocean?

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
Fishers chatting

Scottish fishers working with us to reduce risks to whales

Small changes to fishing gear could make a big difference to whales around Scotland, and...

Mindful conservation – why we need a new respect for nature

'We should look at whales and dolphins as the indigenous people of the seas -...
tins of whale meat

How Japan’s whaling industry is trying to convince people to eat whales

Japan's hunters kill hundreds of whales every year despite the fact that hardly anyone in...

What a wonderful day for whales!

I am beyond delighted at today’s ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which orders Japan to stop killing whales in the Antarctic under the banner of ‘scientific whaling’. It never was scientific and that falsehood – one that has cost the lives of thousands of whales this century alone – has now been exposed in no less a venue than the World Court, where legal decisions are taken on behalf of the United Nations. The ICJ’s decision is binding and cannot be appealed: Japan has already announced that it will abide by its decision.

Many of us listened to the verdict online with bated breath followed by tears in our eyes: the ruling went further than we had dared to hope. This is a day of celebration for whales and we all of us owe huge thanks to Australia and New Zealand for having the courage and confidence to bring this case to court, and to all those who crafted such a brilliant and coherent case against the travesty that was Japanese ‘scientific whaling’. Great to be able to put it in the past tense!

Now the tension mounts as we await the US decision on what action they propose to take over Icelandic whaling. The deadline is tomorrow, April 1st, and under the Pelly Amendment, President Obama has the authority to impose sanctions on Iceland for its whaling and trade in whale products. WDC is of course in the vanguard of those calling for the US to take strong and decisive action. Fingers crossed that this much-needed run of luck for whales continues.

About Vanessa Williams-Grey

Policy manager - Stop Whaling and Responsible Whale Watching