A large number of blue whales, humpback whales, gray whales and vulnerable southern resident killer whales are being killed by speeding ships along the West Coast of the United States. According to the Los Angeles Times, Cargo and cruise boat traffic has increased over the last several decades to the point where ships have become […]
Tag: Fin Whale
Fin Whales Dying in Agony After Being Harpooned With Multiple Grenades
Whales are dying in agony after being harpooned with grenades that don’t immediately kill them and fail to explode inside of them. Icelandic whalers have long used grenade harpoons skewers to kill whales and according to experts, whalers use the weapons on an “alarming” number of fin whales before they drag them to shore, where […]
2 Whales Killed By Visiting Naval Destroyer
Two whales were found lodged in a naval destroyer in California, CNN reported. The naval destroyer was visiting from Australia. While it’s rare to have ships strike whales, it shows the amount of traffic that happens along the busy Pacific Coast. “The Navy takes marine mammal safety seriously and is disheartened this incident occurred,” a […]
Iceland won’t be killing any whales this year
Icelandic whaling company IP-Utgerd announced April 24 that it is stopping whaling completely, while the country’s largest whaling firm, Hvalur hf., says it won’t be hunting any whales for the second year in a row. IP-Utgerd, which mainly targeted minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), cited financial difficulties after no-fishing zones were extended off the Icelandic coast, […]
Victory for Whales as Iceland Delays Whaling Permit
In a significant win for cetaceans, the government of Iceland has not issued a permit to allow Hvalur Hf to hunt fin whales this year, sparing over 150 whales from slaughter. The Fisheries Minister published regulations setting whaling quotas in February but did not actually issue the permit to Hvalur allowing it to use the […]
Conservation Efforts are Paying off for Fin Whales, Gray Whales and Mountain Gorillas
While conservationists continue to sound the alarm for species moving closer to the brink of extinction, there’s some good news to celebrate for fin whales, gray whales and mountain gorillas with the latest update of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. According to the Red List, there are […]
POLL: Would you eat whale or dolphin meat after visiting a marine sanctuary?
Should you eat whale meat? Reports on Iceland’s new retirement home for beluga whales note that, after viewing the animals – rescued from a Shanghai marine park – tourists can then visit a harbourside restaurant where they can dine on whale meat. Last week, Iceland resumed whaling after a three-year hiatus, killing a 20-metre fin […]
POLL: Should Iceland be sanctioned for continuing to slaughter whales?
Iceland’s lone whaling company’s ongoing defiance of an international ban on commercial whaling is outrageous and offence enough as it continues to target endangered fin and minke whales, but now it’s reached a new low after having illegally slaughtered the first blue whale in decades. After a two year break from whaling, Hvalur hf announced […]