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A vaquita. Photo: Thomas Jefferson

Scientific Committee gives first ever official species extinction warning

Vaquita. Photo Thomas Jefferson

Scientific Committee gives first ever official species extinction warning

Photo: Thomas Jefferson We have welcomed the urgent call by experts to protect the vaquita porpoise following the first ever official warning of the imminent extinction of a species by the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC)  – the global body that regulates whale hunting, and conservation of whales, dolphins and porpoises. Its…

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Moves to overturn whaling ban rejected

Last week, the 68th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC, the body that regulates whale hunting) took place in Portorož, Slovenia. WDC has sent experts to participate in this forum for more than 25 years. For decades, whaling and whale conservation interests have clashed at the IWC and this year, once again, a motion…

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50-Year Vision launched to save whales and dolphins from extinction

WDC has joined the world’s leading wildlife protection and conservation organisations urging the 88 member countries of the International Whaling Commission (IWC – the body that regulates whaling) to adopt a new 50-Year Vision to save whales, dolphins and porpoises from extinction in the face of increasing ocean threats. The vision document has been launched…

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Will whale poo help save whales?

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was founded to regulate whale hunting. But the release today of a new IWC workshop report represents a significant potential shift in its focus, from the slaughter of these magnificent creatures to the important value of live whales for the health of our shared planet. The report confirms the great…

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Will nationalism trump conservation in a ‘post-truth’ world?

Is the new US Administration’s apparent negative attitude toward environmental protection an open door for renewed Japanese commercial whaling? If you have read the WDC blog regularly, you will know that we have often discussed the issue of Japanese vote buying at the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Japan has even admitted to using overseas development…

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