In a rare win for whales, Iceland‘s largest commercial whaling company, Hvalur hf., has announced it will not hunt fin whales during the summer of 2025. The decision follows years of controversy, global criticism, and a shrinking market for whale meat in Japan, where the company exports nearly all of its catch. According to Mongabay, […]
Tag: whales
Canada’s Marineland to rehome its whales and dolphins as it seeks a buyer
Canada’s embattled Marineland theme park is to raise money to “expeditiously” remove animals from its grounds, including the world’s largest captive beluga population, as it looks for a buyer. But a lack of available sanctuaries in the country suggests finding a home for stranded whales, dolphins and pinnipeds will be a daunting task. In February, […]
Mass Whale Stranding Sparks Urgent Action
A remote beach in Tasmania, Australia has become the site of a heartbreaking wildlife crisis. Over the past two days, 157 false killer whales – large dolphins known for their orca-like build and high intelligence – were discovered beached near Arthur River. Sadly, only 90 remained alive when rescue teams arrived. The inaccessible location and […]
With Sea Ice Melting, Killer Whales Are Moving Into the Arctic
In the winter of 2020, Inuit hunters in Canada‘s Central Arctic came across the frozen carcasses of 11 beached bowhead whales, enormous marine mammals that have made a slow but steady comeback since they were driven to the brink of extinction by late 19th and early 20th century whalers. Unsure of what killed the whales, […]
A Call for Change in the Faroe Islands Campaign
Protecting whales and dolphins has always been at the heart of Sea Shepherd‘s mission. It’s more than just a cause—it’s a responsibility that requires deep reflection, humility, and a willingness to adapt to circumstances and time. The Faroe Islands hold a unique place in this work, where tradition meets change and global advocacy intersects with […]
Five years, multiple deaths: what is happening at the home of the last captive whales in Canada?
On the southern shores of the Niagara River, a few hundred feet from the thundering falls, sits Marineland of Canada – an amusement park, zoo, aquarium and forest occupying nearly 1,000 acres of land (400 hectares). Over the years, millions of people have clamoured to view the park’s 4,000 animals, including its prized walruses, orcas, […]
‘They’re stuck’: Cape Cod seeing more whale, turtle and dolphin strandings
While Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is known as a popular vacation destination in the north-east US, it has built a reputation for an entirely different reason this year: animal strandings. Dolphins, whales, seals and turtles are turning up in large numbers on the beaches of the famous peninsula in a phenomenon that has experts scrambling to […]
‘Extraordinary longevity’: great whales can live a lot longer than we thought – if we leave them alone
In Moby-Dick, Herman Melville’s epic novel of 1851, the author asks if whales would survive the remorseless human hunt. Yes, he says, as he foresees a future flooded world in which the whale would outlive us and “spout his frothed defiance to the skies”. Moby Dick was a grizzled old sperm whale that had miraculously […]