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Common dolphin

WDC takes ‘A Walk in the Park…with Animal Friends’

Longstanding WDC partner Animal Friends returns with season two of their podcast 'A Walk in...
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...
All policy news
  • All policy news
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Stop whaling
  • Strandings
Sperm whale © Douglas Hoffman

Featured policy news item

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc magna elit, gravida at lectus vitae,...
sea_world_orlando_rob_lott

Holiday giant Thomas Cook stops selling tickets to Seaworld and Loro Parque

Holiday giant Thomas Cook stops selling tickets to Seaworld and Loro Parque Following a three...

Endangered Southern Resident orca loses newborn calf

In heartbreaking news from the Pacific Northwest, the Center for Whale Research has reported that...
srkw_shoup_2003_text

U.S. Defense Bill weakens protections for whales

24 July 2018, Plymouth, MA: The FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act conference report was released...
All news
  • All news
  • About whales & dolphins
  • Corporates
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Green Whale
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Scottish Dolphin Centre
  • Stop whaling
  • Stranding
  • Whale watching
Common dolphin

WDC takes ‘A Walk in the Park…with Animal Friends’

Longstanding WDC partner Animal Friends returns with season two of their podcast 'A Walk in...
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...
All policy news
  • All policy news
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Stop whaling
  • Strandings
Sperm whale © Douglas Hoffman

Featured policy news item

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc magna elit, gravida at lectus vitae,...
sea_world_orlando_rob_lott

Holiday giant Thomas Cook stops selling tickets to Seaworld and Loro Parque

Holiday giant Thomas Cook stops selling tickets to Seaworld and Loro Parque Following a three...

Endangered Southern Resident orca loses newborn calf

In heartbreaking news from the Pacific Northwest, the Center for Whale Research has reported that...
srkw_shoup_2003_text

U.S. Defense Bill weakens protections for whales

24 July 2018, Plymouth, MA: The FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act conference report was released...

US recommendations to save endangered North Atlantic right whales are grossly inadequate

Two and a half weeks after WDC and its conservation partners issued a Notice of Intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for failing to adequately protect right whales, NMFS released a revised species review report with proposed recommended actions to prevent the extinction of North Atlantic right whales.  WDC and its partners are currently reviewing the report and the associated recommendations to ensure they address the urgency of the current right whale crisis.  

In the review, NMFS cites research indicating that the population of North Atlantic right whales, after a decade of growth, has been declining since 2010 and only an estimated 458 individuals remain today.  The review reports that survivorship for females is lower than for males and the rate of calving is also declining for the species.  NMFS provides data indicating that entanglements in fishing gear and vessel strikes continue to impact the recovery of the species. Citing a number of peer reviewed research articles, NMFS points to an increase in rope strength and the high energetic costs of chronic entanglement as factors contributing to the increasing dilemma of entanglements. 

Concluding that right whale recovery has not improved, the Agency determined that right whales should remain listed as an endangered species and stated that “in many ways, progress toward right whale recovery has regressed”.  Yet, shockingly, NMFS also concludes that “more comprehensive evaluative research should be conducted and additional regulation action should be undertaken, if warranted” (emphasis added).

Of the eight recovery goals set by NMFS, the Agency acknowledges that only one, the reduction of impacts by researchers and whale watching, has been met. And after citing over 90 different research findings and concluding that human impacts are preventing this species from recovering, NMFS did not recommend the implementation of further conservation measures.  Instead, the Agency only suggested that further research is needed. 

According to Regina Asmutis-Silvia, WDC-NA executive director, “Additional regulatory actions are definitely warranted.  We have the data, we know the problems- the time for research is over and it’s time to take meaningful action.  Otherwise, we will be studying where we went wrong when we let a species unnecessarily go extinct.”  

Since its incorporation in 2005, WDC’s North American office has implemented a program specifically dedicated to the continued survival of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, a project which the Patagonia Outdoor Clothing and Gear company has helped to support since 2010. If you would like to help WDC and its work to save this species, please consider making a donation.  

About Regina Asmutis-silvia

Executive director - WDC North America