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Trade sanctions announced after Mexico fails to protect near extinct porpoise

The international body behind the treaty that protects endangered plants and animals from the threats...

WDC exposes failure of Government scheme to protect whales and dolphins from net deaths

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First cases of bird flu in dolphins discovered in the UK

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Kiska the ‘world’s loneliest whale’ dies at Canadian theme park

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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

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Endangered Southern Resident orca loses newborn calf

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Narwhals and Bowhead whales threatened by new Arctic shipping routes

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Iceland flouts international ban to slaughter first protected fin whale of new hunting season

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Southern Resident orca L92 missing as community returns to the Salish Sea

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New actions in the Northwest to help Southern Resident orcas and salmon

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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

Trade sanctions announced after Mexico fails to protect near extinct porpoise

The international body behind the treaty that protects endangered plants and animals from the threats...

WDC exposes failure of Government scheme to protect whales and dolphins from net deaths

Following our investigations, we have revealed that a UK Government scheme to protect whales and...

First cases of bird flu in dolphins discovered in the UK

The UK Government has announced that two dolphins and a harbour porpoise have died from...
Kiska the orca

Kiska the ‘world’s loneliest whale’ dies at Canadian theme park

Kiska, dubbed the loneliest whale in the world, has died at Marineland, a zoo and...
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...

Doubts remain after Icelandic Marine Institute claims slaughtered whale was a hybrid not a blue

Experts remain sceptical of initial test results issued by the Icelandic Marine Institute, which indicate...
f0k5103-2

Did Icelandic whalers really kill a blue whale?

*Warning - this blog contains an image that you may find upsetting* They say a...
iron_gate_dam_klamath

One step closer to more salmon for endangered Southern Resident orcas

On June 28, 2018, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) filed “The Definite Plan” for...
monodon_monoceros-wdc3

Narwhals and Bowhead whales threatened by new Arctic shipping routes

A NASA-funded study has warned that marine creatures like whales and dolphins will be exposed...
japanese_whaling_2005_-_minke_whales_credit_jeremy_sutton-hibbert_for_use_until_28.2.17_1

Japan set to resume commercial whaling

Reports from Japan suggest that the government they will formally propose plans to resume commercial...
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Iceland flouts international ban to slaughter first protected fin whale of new hunting season

Icelandic whaling company Hvalur hf has slaughtered an endangered fin whale today in defiance of...
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Southern Resident orca L92 missing as community returns to the Salish Sea

We are very sad to share news announced today by the Center for Whale Research...
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New actions in the Northwest to help Southern Resident orcas and salmon

As the Washington State Task Force starts to examine threats to the endangered Southern Resident...

WDC in talks with New Zealand‘s Minister for Conservation over dolphin protection

WDC team meets NZ Minister for Conservation
WDC team meets NZ Minister for Conservation

Representatives from Whale and Dolphin Conservation have met with New Zealand’s Minister for Conservation, Eugenie Sage to discuss much-needed protection for Māui and Hector’s dolphins.

The meeting was secured as part of WDC’s campaign to save these dolphins (collectively known as New Zealand dolphins) and took place as the New Zealand government is undertaking a review of the way it manages threats to the Māui and Hector’s populations.

A public consultation is now underway and thousands of WDC supporters have already taken part. WDC  will also submit its own detailed response to the proposals. WDC’s Philippa Brakes and Mike Bossley, together with dolphin biologist Associate Professor Karen Stockin, met with the Minister to discuss our contribution to the review process.

We pushed for protection of these dolphins from entanglement in fishing nets (bycatch) throughout their known habitat. We also expressed our concerns about the apparent shift in attention from bycatch to toxoplasmosis infections in the dolphins – a disease carried in cat faeces. We know that the only real solution is to remove fishing nets from the dolphins’ habitat.

The science is still out on the significance of toxoplasmosis and there are no known practical ways of dealing with this threat for the dolphins. In fact, toxoplasmosis is itself an indicator that these dolphins may be compromised by a range of different contaminants within their habitat. We urged the Minister to consider all the threats to the dolphins and their environment, but not to get too distracted, and to address the most urgent threat that we know can be managed - fishing.

We also provided evidence that the dolphins make an important contribution to the NZ tourism industry, that a high percentage of New Zealanders would be prepared to pay more for their fish in order to see these iconic dolphins protected and that the NZ tourism levy could be used to compensate fishers to bring about a more equitable solution and help ensure that Hector's dolphins tourism is sustainable.

Minister Sage listened carefully to our concerns and we are hopeful they will be taken on board when the plan is finally released.

Have your say...

Take part in the New Zealand government’s public consultation

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1 Comment

  1. Muriel in Servaege on 22nd August 2019 at 7:27 pm

    Good luck!

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