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Amazon river dolphins leaping

Endangered river dolphins die in Amazon drought

Over 100 endangered pink river dolphins have died in an area of the Amazon over...
Fin whale

Short and cruel hunt season ends in Iceland

The shortened Icelandic fin whale hunts season has finished with a final total of 23...
Bottlenose dolphins breaching

Landmark report reveals UK wildlife’s devastating decline

With whales and dolphins already facing many threats, a landmark report released this week reveals...
Dolphins with oil rig

Go ahead for new UK oil and gas exploration threatens whales and dolphins

Permission has been granted for the development of the UK's biggest untapped oilfield off Shetland,...
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
Amazon river dolphins leaping

Endangered river dolphins die in Amazon drought

Over 100 endangered pink river dolphins have died in an area of the Amazon over...
Fin whale

Short and cruel hunt season ends in Iceland

The shortened Icelandic fin whale hunts season has finished with a final total of 23...
Bottlenose dolphins breaching

Landmark report reveals UK wildlife’s devastating decline

With whales and dolphins already facing many threats, a landmark report released this week reveals...
Dolphins with oil rig

Go ahead for new UK oil and gas exploration threatens whales and dolphins

Permission has been granted for the development of the UK's biggest untapped oilfield off Shetland,...
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...

Japan officially re-enforces intention to resume commercial whaling

Following an announcement this week by Japan that it intends upgrading its ageing lead whale hunting ship, Japan’s prime minister has made his intentions clear regarding a desire to resume commercial whaling.

Currently, Japan gets around the international ban on commercial whaling by killing whales under the guise of scientific research despite the fact that this scientific whaling has been heavily criticised by expert scientist at the International Whaling commission (the body that regulates whaling), by the International court of Justice, the EU parliament and by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – the global authority on the status of the natural world. Much of the whale meat from these ‘scientific’ hunts actually ends up on general sale in Japan.

On Wednesday, prime minister, Shinzo Abe confirmed his government’s commitment to an eventual resumption of commercial whaling. When asked to comment on the nation’s policy he told the Japanese parliament; ‘We will pursue all possibilities in order to resume commercial whaling, including opportunities at the September meeting of the IWC.   He then went on to say that he ‘favoured a continuation of Japan’s traditional use of whale meat, fat, and baleen in a sustainable manner based on scientific evidence, just like other marine resources.’

The Japanese whaling fleet left port for Antarctica last November to kill up to 333 Antarctic minke whales by next March for ‘research’. 

 

This announcement comes at a time when the European union is finalising talks on the new Economic Partnership Agreement between the two parties. WDC has been campaigning to make whaling a central part of any trade discussions with Japan and we are continuing to work with, and urge EU Member States and the European Parliament not support the trade agreement whilst Japan continues to slaughter whales. Our campaign took a positive step forward a few weeks ago after representatives from WDC were invited to talk directly with the EU representatives.

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