Animal advocates have long been pushing for the creation of sea sanctuaries to give captive whales and dolphins a better, and more natural life. Now we can celebrate the official launch of the world’s first sanctuary, which will soon be home to two captive belugas. The sanctuary will be located in a secluded bay on […]
Tag: iceland
POLL: Should Iceland be sanctioned for resuming whaling?
Icelandic fishermen will resume their hunt for the endangered fin whale this year after a two-year pause and have set a target of 191 kills for the season. An apparent loosening of Japanese regulations on Icelandic exports had made the resumption of the hunting commercially viable again, the country’s only fin whaling company, Hvalur, announced. […]
POLL: Should Norway be sanctioned for boosting its whaling quota?
Norway has announced a 28% increase of its annual whaling quota to 1,278 whales in a bid to revive the declining hunt amid international controversy. Whalers have for several years failed to meet the quotas set by Oslo and the number of whaling boats has plunged. “I hope the quota and the merging of fishing […]
Super Whoopers
At the end of last month I visited the Pilling and Cockerham area of Lancashire. This area is visited in the winter months by large flocks of pink footed geese and whooper swans. There are rich pickings to be had in the fields with left over remains of potato and other vegetable crops. This winter […]
In Iceland You Can Watch Rare Whales by Day and Eat Whales (Rare) by Night
The harpoon had clearly done its job: All around its tip the fin whale’s flesh and organs were shredded, turned into a bloody pulp. “It was a good shot,” says Kristjan Loftsson, pointing to the gaping cavity. The grenade-tipped weapon was embedded deep inside the 60-foot mammal. The violence of the impact meant that – […]
Video: A future without puffins for south and west Iceland
Erpur Snær Hansen, director of ecological research at the South Iceland Nature Centre, has been investigating the puffin population of the Westman Islands since 2007. If surface sea temperatures remain at current levels or higher, Hansen says, the entire puffin population of south and west Iceland will disappear in the next 10 to 20 years. […]
POLL: Should whaling by Iceland and Norway be banned?
Icelandic whaling boats have left port to begin the 2015 whaling season, authorities said on Monday as more than 700,000 people signed a petition calling for an end to the hunt. Two whaling boats, Hvalur 8 and Hvalur 9, left on Sunday, Gunnlaugur Gunnlaugsson, the manager of the Hvalfjordur whaling station, told AFP. No whales […]
Iceland sends shipment of 1,700 tonnes of whale meat to Japan
A ship carrying 1,700 tonnes of whale meat left Iceland on Thursday bound for Japan, said a leading animal welfare group that is protesting against the controversial delivery. The website Marinetraffic.com also showed the vessel, known as Winter Bay, leaving the port of Hafnarfjordur in western Iceland just after 10.30 GMT. “Winter Bay has left […]