Scientists have mapped whale stress levels in relation to human activity going back nearly a century and a half — using earwax collected from baleen whales. From 1870 to 2016, the whales’ stress levels seem to be closely associated with activities such as industrial whaling, naval operations during World War II, and rising sea-surface temperatures, […]
Tag: whaling
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: Should international pressure be increased to end Japan’s ‘scientific’ whaling program?
Japan’s “scientific” whaling program just took another major hit with a decision handed down by a global conservation body that slaughtering sei whales in the North Pacific is illegal. Despite a worldwide moratorium on commercial whaling that was put in place in 1986 by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), Japan has continued with annual whale […]
Japan Has Killed Over 50 Minke Whales in a Protected Area of Antarctica
Japanese whalers have already harpooned and slaughtered over 50 minke whales this year in an area of the Ross Sea in Antarctica that is off-limits to fishing. They have done this by labeling their slaughter for “scientific purposes.” The hunting of whales for profit has been banned since 1986 but Japan, Iceland and Norway have […]
Pro-whaling nations block South Atlantic whale sanctuary
A proposal to create a whale sanctuary in the South Atlantic was defeated at a meeting in Brazil of the International Whaling Commission, amid a clash between countries that think whales can be hunted sustainably and others that want more conservation measures. Pro-whaling nations, including Japan, Korea, Norway and Russia, argued the science didn’t support […]
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 […]
Beyond The Cove: what happened after the Oscar-winning documentary?
The 2009 documentary The Cove, which depicted the practice of corralling and slaughtering dolphins in a small bay tinged crimson from the blood, has visited a bewildering past decade upon the small Japanese town of Taiji. An outburst of international outrage at Taiji’s 400-year-old practice of dolphin hunting saw activists descend upon the coastal town […]
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 […]