Hundreds of thousands of dolphins, porpoises and whales (collectively known as cetaceans) are bycaught in fishing gear every year and tens of thousands die in European waters. This has been happening for decades. Governments have been slow to act, to understand bycatch impacts and, more critically, to prevent bycatch from happening despite stringent laws in […]
Almost four decades after the 1986 global moratorium on commercial whaling put an end to the mass slaughter of whales, opposition to commercial whaling around the world is stronger than ever. Yet as we mark World Whale Day 2025, Japan, Norway and Iceland – three of the world’s wealthiest nations that otherwise generally abide by […]
The 78th meeting of the Standing Committee (SC78) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) kicked off in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday. This is the body that considers compliance, implementation and enforcement matters, providing guidance to the CITES Secretariat and Parties through recommendations and preparing draft decisions for […]
As we approach the 40th anniversary of the moratorium on commercial whaling, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) is more relevant than ever to the conservation of the world’s whales, dolphins and porpoises.
In May, Spain’s maritime rescue service reported the sinking of a yacht after orcas rammed the hull and rudder of the boat in the latest in a series of such incidents around the Strait of Gibraltar
Despite decades of scientific attention to this issue, there are no harbour porpoise populations in European waters where bycatch has been adequately managed and prevented