Posts by Vanessa Williams-Grey
Icelandic fin whales win a reprieve this summer
I can’t tell you how delighted I am at the news that fin whales will swim in peace off Iceland – this summer at least. Last summer’s whaling season was particularly chaotic and distressing as the whalers killed 146 fin whales, including two rare blue whale/fin whale hybrids, and numerous pregnant females. A majestic fin…
Read MoreParadise lost? Extraordinary encounters with sperm whales
A magical sperm whale encounter One morning back in 2015, in an ocean devoid of other vessels for at least a mile in every direction, I had an astounding encounter with a veritable armada of sperm whales. I was off the coast of northwest Sri Lanka with colleagues including WDC ambassador and professional underwater photographer,…
Read MoreIs Iceland’s old boys’ network responsible for killing whales?
There’s much anger in Iceland following the recent decision to renew whaling quotas – a decision which could see more than two thousand fin and minke whales killed over the next five years. Let me say right now that this was a decision that should never, ever, have been taken. Harpooning whales is cruel and…
Read More‘What do we want? TO SAVE THE WHALES! When do we want it? NOW!’
Last Saturday, I marched shoulder to shoulder with WDC colleagues as we braved the January cold to protest in central London with hundreds of like-minded people. The air rang with voices, accompanied by a merry cacophony of whistles, drums and tambourines as we headed along Regent Street, past Hamleys, through Piccadilly Circus and past The…
Read MoreThink twice before booking a luxury ‘snorkel with whales’ safari
Daydreaming about escaping the British winter for sunshine and adventure? If so, you are far from alone! Inevitably, as the nights draw in, many of us start to plan either an escape to the sun, or at the very least, a winter adventure. Often the ocean, like a talisman, beckons. Whale watching is, of course,…
Read MoreDid Icelandic whalers really kill a blue whale?
*Warning – this blog contains an image that you may find upsetting* They say a week is a long time in politics. Well it also feels a long time in whale conservation! A great deal has happened since we circulated a press release on July 11 which stated that Icelandic whalers, out hunting fin whales…
Read MoreEnd the whale hunts! Icelandic fin whaler isolated as public mood shifts
Here’s a sight I hoped never again to witness. A boat being scrubbed and repainted on Reykjavik harbour will generally arouse little attention from passing tourists, but this is different and far more chilling. This is the Hvalur 8. It is a fin whaling vessel and it is being readied to return to the high…
Read MoreMass gathering of sperm whales gatecrashed by boats in Sri Lanka
In 2012, WDC launched Project BLUEprint in Sri Lanka, a unique and exciting partnership with SriLankan Airlines and eco-tourism companies: Jetwing Hotels and Cinnamon Hotels. Our goal is to encourage responsible, community-based whale watching and to this end, we’ve run training workshops for local boat operators; worked with government agencies and the media to flag…
Read MoreSOS alert for whales off Norway!
I have to admit to bitter disappointment when I arrived in Tromsø, northern Norway, a few weeks ago, hoping to see orcas, only to find that I had missed them by a few days. Since 2013, the orcas have been seen really close to shore in the waters around Tromsø and neighbouring Kvaløya islands, towering…
Read MoreIceland: A new dawn for whales and dolphins?
Will 2018 be the year that I can finally visit beautiful Iceland purely as a tourist, rather than a campaigner? Maybe it’s not surprising that this fabled ‘land of fire and ice’ should offer visitors a host of contradictions, but the juxtaposition of whale watching and whale hunting in the same waters is surely one…
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