General News

A lucky escape
(Added: 01 July 2009)
Photographer and conservationist Rob Lott travelled to Patagonia to study and photograph the foraging behaviour of a pod of 18 orcas. An astonishing sequence of images shows one of the orcas - a 50 year old male known as Mel - emerging from shallow icy waters towards the shore in an attempt to feed on a seal pup.
Click here for further details and images

Inside Nature's Giants
(Added: 29 June 2009)
The new Channel 4 documentary series Inside Nature's Giants delves into the depths of some of nature's most formidible creatures - quite literally.
Click here for further details

Japanese whaling exposed
(Added: 24 June 2009)
A third of the whales harpooned by Japan in the Antarctic last summer were pregnant. Japan's own figures, revealed in secret documents discovered at the International Whaling Commission meeting being held this week, showed the true nature of the country's whale hunting.
Click here for further details

Norway suspends whale hunt
(Added: 24 June 2009)
Norwegian whalers have suspended their hunt mid-season this year with less than half the quota of 885 whales killed because demand is saturated, said Willy Godtliebsen, head of sales at the Norwegian Fishermen's Sales Organisation.
Click here for further details

EU membership may stop Iceland whaling
(Added: 19 June 2009)
Iceland could be forced to end its controversial whale hunting tradition in its bid to join the European Union, the head of a leading Icelandic whaling company has said. Kristjan Loftsson, the 66-year-old chief executive of Hvalur, fears Brussels would clamp down on whaling in Iceland due to widespread opposition by European countries.
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Antarctic whale expedition planned
(Added: 19 June 2009)
Australia and New Zealand plan a non-lethal whale research expedition to the Antarctic, a direct challenge to Japan's research program that kills up to 1,000 whales a year.
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Moray Firth Dolphins travelling record breaking distances
(Added: 11 June 2009)
It has been discovered that British dolphins have been travelling record-breaking distances. Seven bottlenose dolphins identified in the Moray Firth were tracked to islands on the west coast of Scotland and three of those to locations as far afield as Cork and Galway off southern Ireland.
Click here for further details

Dolphins back in New Jersey river
(Added: 11 June 2009)
Early last June, a group of 16 bottlenose dolphins took up residence in a river at the New Jersey shore, USA. Then winter closed in, and a little over half made it out alive.
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Global warming threat to marine life
(Added: 03 June 2009)
According to a new study, more than a fifth of the worlds' cetaceans are facing potential extinction because of global warming. Five of the six species of porpoises which inhabit the world's oceans are under threat which include the harbour porpoise, the vaquita, the spectacled porpoise, Dall's porpoise and Burmeister's porpoise.
Click here for further details

Tracking humpback whales
(Added: 26 May 2009)
In the first move of its kind in Australia, scientists are using satellite technology to track the migration of the humpback whale. The Southern Ocean Research Partnership has tracked 16 humpback and four blue whales as they journeyed from the coast of Australia to their feeding grounds in Antarctica.
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Whaling in Iceland commences
(Added: 26 May 2009)
It is expected that the first Ielandic whaling boat will start hunting minke whales any time soon.A quota has been issued for 100 minkes this season with the goal to export the meat from 50 of these whales to Japan. For the past years the meat has primarily been sold on the domestic market and last year was the first in a number of years that commercial minke hunting was allowed, until then minkes were primarily hunted for scientific purposes.

Sperm whale sounds
(Added: 22 May 2009)
For decades scientists have been intrigued by the variety of sounds emitted by sperm whales, partly due to a popular theory that suggests that the sounds might contain information about the animals' size.
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Monitoring on whales continues
(Added: 14 May 2009)
Marine mammal officials are continuing to monitor a pod of up to five pygmy killer whales that have been lingering approx 150 yards off the north Kihei coast, Hawaii. These animals are normally only seen in much deeper water and rarely seen near shore.
Click here for further details

Fears raised for dolphin habitats
(Added: 12 May 2009)
The waters off the Welsh coast have become the setting for an increasingly bitter dispute over scallop dredging because the practice could be disturbing the dolphins and seals that frequent the area and also damage or destroy their habitats and breeding sites.
Click here for further details

New Jersey dolphins - update
(Added: 03 May 2009)
Since first reporting on this issue (see 8 January 2009 below), Marine Connection has been monitoring the situation surrounding a pod of 16 dolphins that that set up home in New Jersey's Shrewsbury-Navesink Rivers last year.
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Pro-whaling nations gather
(Added: 01 May 2009)
The international deadlock on whaling is set to continue with pro-whaling nations vowing to make an unprecedented bloc vote at upcoming talks.
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Iceland to study whaling impact
(Added: 21 April 2009)
Minister of Fisheries Steingrímur J. Sigfússon has reached an agreement with the University of Iceland’s Institute of Economic Studies to investigate the macro-economic influence of commercial whaling in Iceland.
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Illegal dolphin feeding
(Added: 21 April 2009)
The issue of illegal dolphin feeding around Panama City, Florida is once again rearing its head as summer boating season approaches. The problem is growing and the law is simply not being enforced.
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Dolphin 'language' revealed
(Added: 14 April 2009)
Recent reports claim that a British acoustics researcher has almost completed his 10 year mission to disipher dolphin 'language'. If this proves to be the case we wonder if everyone will like what they have to tell us ?
Read full report here

Whalers return home
(Added: 13 April 2009)
Japan's whaling fleet recently returned to home waters with the carcases of 680 whales aboard. The target was 850 when the annual hunt began in November.
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Record breaking whale season
(Added: 07 April 2009)
A record-breaking season is drawing to a close as North Atlantic right whales head north for the summer. Research survey results indicate that the number of right whales spending the winter in the South again increased this year, a hopeful sign for these endangered marine giants.
Click here for further details

New hope for Irrawaddy dolphins
(Added: 01 April 2009)
A new study has shown that approx 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins are alive and swimming in Bangladesh. Researchers found the dolphins living in the freshwater regions of Bangladesh's Sundarbans mangrove forest and nearby waters in the Bay of Bengal.
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Scientists to boost whale surveys
(Added: 23 March 2009)
New data on minke whale distribution in pack ice in the Southern Ocean and new techniques developed by Australian scientists for researching whale abundance will help advance non-lethal whale research.
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Humpback sighted in unusual territory
(Added: 21 March 2009)
A large humpback whale has been spotted swimming close to Hong Kong's famous harbour in what's believed to be the first sighting of the species in the territory's waters. The animal appears healthy and has already drawn a number of whale-watching boat trips since it was first spotted. The bustling harbour's heavy maritime traffic however could pose a risk to the seemingly lost mammal.

Countries unite against whaling
(Added: 09 March 2009)
US President Barack Obama's administration has admitted it would firmly oppose whaling, ahead of a three day key international meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) which opened Monday March 9 in Rome. Various countries will be discussing the future of commercial and scientific whaling.
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Pink dolphin attracts international attention
(Added: 08 March 2009)
A bottlenose dolphin that is frequenting an estuary north of the Gulf of Mexico is creating international attention. The reason being is that the animal is pink in colour. The dolphin, which swims around Louisiana’s Lake Calcasieu gets its colour from albinism and was first spotted and photographed in June 2007.
Click here for further details

Exploring the blue whale
(Added: 04 March 2009)
They are the largest creatures to ever live on our planet, even larger than any of the great dinosaurs, and still few people have seen them. National Geographic Channel will take viewers into the Kingdom of the Blue Whale on March 8. Tracking the scientists' efforts, the two-hour Kingdom of the Blue Whale special offers breathtaking HD footage of these majestic animals. The imagery captured of mother and baby blue whale is stunning and poignant.
Click here for further details

Majority of Icelanders support whaling
(Added: 01 March 2009)
More than two thirds of Icelanders favour the country's return to commercial whaling and more than half would support an increase of its whaling quota, according to a recent poll. Just over 67 percent of the 1,597 people questioned by the Capacent Gallup polling institute said they were either very or rather supportive of Iceland's commercial whaling.
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Whales versus commercial fisheries
(Added: 22 February 2009)
For years, Japan has argued that reducing the number of baleen whales in the oceans would improve fisheries because whales eat fish that are caught for human consumption. However, a new study recently published in the journal Science found that even a complete eradication of whale populations in tropical waters would not lead to any significant increase in fish populations.
Click here for further details

How dolphins prepare their fish
(Added: 01 February 2009)
Despite their lack of limbs, dolphins have developed clever ways to use their snouts. A wild dolphin has been observed following a specific recipe for preparing a mollusk meal, even stripping the animal of its internal shell and beating it free of ink, a new study reports.
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IWC update
(Added: 26 January 2009)
Behind closed doors, members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) have been discussing a proposal that would give Japan the right to hunt whales in its coastal waters. William Hogarth, the chairperson of the IWC and US delegate to the body, made the proposal in closed-door weekend talks in Hawaii.
Click here for further details

The Cove : Secret dolphin slaughter
(Added: 18 January 2009)
Sure to be one of the most talked-about documentaries at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Louie Psihoyos’s The Cove is part heist movie, part environmental exposé. The cove in question is a secluded and naturally fortified lagoon in the small Japanese town of Taiji, where every year for six months thousands of dolphins are brutally slaughtered.
Click here for further details

Naval Weapons - dolphins & sealions
(Added: 18 January 2009)
To protect its Naval Base Kitsap in Bangor, Washington State from attacking swimmers, the US Navy wants to use sea lions and dolphins. However they have to receive permission first so the Navy is planning to explain itself in public hearings.
Click here for further details

New Jersey dolphins update
(Added: 08 January 2009)
The Marine Connection recently reported about 16 bottlenose dolphins that had set up home in the Shrewsbury-Navesink Rivers, New Jersey. The charity has now heard that only five of the original pod remains, and that more are likely to die. At least six dolphins are unaccounted for since December and some of the remaining animals appear to have lost weight in recent weeks. There are no plans to remove the dolphins from the area. For further information see below (21 December 2008).

New pygmy killer whale study
(Added: 01 January 2009)
A new study of pygmy killer whales recently published in the journal Marine Mammal Science shows that those living off Hawaii tend to stay close to the islands and don't swim out to the open ocean.
Click here for further details

Whale hotspot discovered
(Added: 01 January 2009)
One of the world's highest concentrations of dolphins and whales was recently discovered off the coast of East Timor, Asia. Many of them are already protected and include blue and beaked whales, short-finned pilot whales and melon headed whales as well as six dolphin species.
Click here for further details

Concern for New Jerseys' dolphins
(Added: 21 December 2008)
Despite reassurances from a panel of wildlife experts, concerns are growing for a group of dolphins that first appeared in the Shrewsbury/Navesink River (New Jersey) back in June 2008. Water temperature in the two rivers is now 35 degrees, a massive drop from the 60+ degrees it was when the dolphins first appeared. Click here for further details

Brazilian whale sanctuary update
(Added: 21 December 2008)
The Marine Connection is delighted to report that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva recently signed a federal decree establishing the Brazilian whale and dolphin sanctuary, reinforcing protection for all cetacean species in Brazilian jurisdictional waters. Click here for further details

Japan imports whale meat from Iceland
(Added: 27 November 2008)
Japan has recently purchased whale meat from Iceland, marking the first such imports in 17 years. The Japanese government approved the purchases in September and some of the meat has been put on the market since clearing customs.
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Hundreds of Narwhals trapped in ice
(Added: 27 November 2008)
As many as 400 tusked whales could be trapped in the ice north of Baffin Island, far more than originally estimated.
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New dolphin species found
(Added: 27 November 2008)
A new, third species of bottlenose dolphin has been discovered in the waters off southern Australia. It is only the second new dolphin to be discovered in 50 years.
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Whaling vessel has left port
(Added: 17 November 2008)
The Nisshin Maru, the main ship in Japan 's whaling fleet, has left Innoshima in western Japan for Antarctica under tight security. It is the ship's first hunt in the region since its return to port in April this year following a fire on the vessel.
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Australia gives up chasing whalers
(Added: 16 November 2008)
The Australian Government has abandoned plans to send a ship to the Antarctic to shadow Japanese whale hunters this season, despite an election promise to increase pressure in a bid to end the slaughter.
Click here for further details

Vanishing Orcas
(Added: 01 November 2008)
Blossom and Splash, also identified as J11 and L67, are just two of the breeding female killer whales that have been added to a growing list from the Southern Population of orcas believed dead this year.
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Poignant 'Saving Luna' movie wins prestigious awards
(Added: 26 October 2008)
The Marine Connection is delighted to announce that our colleagues Suzanne Chisholm and Mike Parfitt who very kindly gave us a pre-release clip of their 'Saving Luna' movie for inclusion at the Marine Connection ECS conference workshop on solitary cetaceans earlier this year, have won 3 prestigious awards for their movie.
Click here for further details

Beluga whales listed as endangered
(Added: 21 October 2008)
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently announced that the Cook Inlet beluga whale population near Anchorage is in danger of extinction, and has been listed as an endangered species.
Click here for further details

New study sheds light on dolphin predation
(Added: 21 October 2008)
Spinner dolphins have long been known for their teamwork in capturing prey but a new study using high-tech acoustics has found that their synchronization is even more complex than scientists realised and likely evolved as a strategy to maximize their energy intake.
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Whaling ships hunt 211 whales
(Added: 22 August 2008)
Japanese whaling ships caught 211 whales during their three-month voyage in the northwest Pacific - 100 sei whales, 59 minke whales, 50 Bryde's whales and two sperm whales. The main ship of the six-vessel fleet, 8044-ton Nisshin-maru, will arrive back shortly in Tokyo with the rest returning to their ports by the end of the month.

Baby humpback whale euthanised
(Added: 22 August 2008)
The abandoned baby whale that had been in waters off north Sydney, for the past week has now been euthanised to spare it further suffering.
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Baby humpback whale in poor condition
(Added: 21 August 2008)
An baby whale that has been attempting to suckle boats in the waters off north Sydney, Australia may be euthanised because it is now in such poor condition.
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British whaling ship wreck discovered
(Added: 18 August 2008)
A team of scientists recently found the oldest wreckage of a whaling vessel in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, shedding further light on the major significance of 19th-century whaling heritage in this region.
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Bowhead whale hunt in Quebec
(Added: 12 August 2008)
Inuit living in the remote northern Quebec community of Kangirsujuaq are celebrating a successful bowhead whale hunt over the weekend.
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Whale 'maternity ward' discovered
(Added: 11 August 2008)
Hundreds of young humpback whale calves have been discovered in a bay in the Kimberley region (located in the northern part of Western Australia), making it one of the world's biggest humpback whale nursery grounds.
Click here for further details

Orca matriarch believed dead
(Added: 07 August 2008)
The oldest resident orca on British Columbia’s south coast is believed to have died. Known as K7 and the matriarch of K pod, (and more affectionately as Lummi) hasn’t been seen since Christmas. Her pod was seen in early June but she was not with them.
Click here for further details

2008 Japan Dolphin Day
(Added: 01 August 2008)
The Marine Connection is once again co-ordinating the UK section of this worldwide protest to highlight concerns over the cruel and barbaric slaughter of more than 20,000 dolphins, small whales and porpoises in Japan.
Click here for further details

Whale spotted in unusual location
(Added: 30 July 2008)
Biologists travelling to the German island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea to watch birds got a surprise when they spotted a humpback whale instead. The last time such a whale was spotted in German waters was nearly 30 years ago. Images taken confirmed that it was a humpback and allthough the animal looked healthy, it can't stay in the area for too long because it will struggle to find enough food in those waters. Humpback whales live off small fish and krill.

Whale watchers have an unexpected experience
(Added: 24 July 2008)
Around 100 tourists on a whale watching tour in northeast Iceland had a huge shock recently when they observed a group of orcas attack a large minke whale and eat it.
Click here for further details

Tougher laws to protect white humpback whales
(Added: 22 July 2008)
Queensland State Government has agreed to give white humpbacks greater protection after a third one was spotted recently . Climate Change and Innovation Minister Andrew McNamara has ordered wider exclusion zones and tougher fines to protect the animals.
Click here for further details

Blue whales return to Californian waters
(Added: 17 July 2008)
Once again, several blue whales are living off the coast around Palos Verdes Peninsula - the Los Angeles/South Bay area of California. It’s the third consecutive summer this species have returned to the region.
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Marine Bill to promote growth in Scottish seas
(Added: 14 July 2008)
Rural Affairs and Environment Cabinet Secretary, Richard Lochhead has unveiled proposals for Scotland's first Marine Bill, designed to balance conservation and economic growth in Scottish seas.
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New white whale spotted
(Added: 09 July 2008)
Migaloo the very famous white humpback that is seen around Australian waters on its annual migration north may not be the only white humpback whale visiting Australian shores.
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Endangered Susu dolphin sold at local market
(Added: 02 July 2008)
A dolphin from the endangered Ganges river population was sold at a local market in Behrampore, India.
Click here for further details

Makah tribe members sentenced over illegal whale hunt
(Added: 01 July 2008)
The five members of the Makah tribe who participated in an unsanctioned hunt of a gray whale last year have been sentenced.
Click here for further details

Whale meat from Norway stuck in cold storage
(Added: 06 June 2008)
The whale meat recently sent to Japan as reported by us on 2 June, is stuck in cold storage without an import licence.
Read our report and update here

Moray Firth dolphins featured on BBC Springwatch
(Added: 06 June 2008)
The Moray Firth bottlenose dolphins were featured on a recent edition of the BBC Springwatch programme which included some fantastic footage of the dolphins bow-riding and hunting their prey. Click for more details and to view footage

Orca pod returns to San Juan Islands with baby
(Added: 06 June 2008)
A pod of orcas has returned from the ocean to Puget Sound waters with a new calf. Members of the K and L pods were sighted recently at the south end of San Juan Island with the new calf which now makes 88 whales in the "southern resident" population of orcas that summers in Puget Sound. These particular whales were listed in 2005 as an endangered species and in January the National Marine Fisheries Service released a recovery plan to save them.

Nordic nations resume whale meat exports
(Added: 02 June 2008)
Iceland and Norway have resumed whale meat exports to Japan for the first time since the early 1990s despite a United Nations ban. Iceland has sent 80 tonnes of fin whale meat caught in the 2006 season, with Norway exporting 5 tonnes of minke whale meat.
Click here for further details

Minke whale numbers down in Icelandic waters
(Added: 02 June 2008)
According to a recent report from Iceland’s Marine Research Institute on numbers of minke whales in Icelandic waters, the minke stock has declined by 24 percent since 2001.
Click here for further details

Award winning whale watch company partner with Sea World
(Added: 28 May 2008)
New Zealand whale & dolphin watch operators 'Whale Watch Kaikoura' are due to expand into the Australian market with the opening of their new company Whale Watch Australia.
Click here for further details and to take action

Demand to include warning sticker on dolphin meat
(Added: 27 May 2008)
Join the Marine Connection in supporting the request being made to the Japanese Ministery of Health, Labour and Welfare to put a warning label on all dolphin meat, similar to those placed on every package of cigarettes sold in Japan.
Click here for further details and to take action

Humpbacks still need protection
(Added: 27 May 2008)
40 years after being hunted to near extinction and their slaughter banned worldwide, humpback whales in the North Pacific have strengthened in numbers.
Click here for further details

Chilean whale sanctuary promised
(Added: 27 May 2008)
Environmental groups are applauding the recent promise by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to covert Chile’s entire coastline – one of the longest in the world – into a whale sanctuary.
Click here for further details

Marine Connection open new cetacean exhibition
(Added: 07 May 2008)
The Marine Connection are delighted to launch a new project in Benbecula, Outer Hebrides on cetacean welfare and protection - why not visit us if you are in the area.
Click here for further details

Delay in decision over Cook Inlet beluga listing
(Added: 22 April 2008)
The Marine Connection fully supports the ongoing appeal to have the Cook Inlet Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Click here for further details

Two found guilty in dolphin court case
(Added: 17 April 2008)
Michael Jukes and Daniel Buck, the two men accused of disturbing 'Dave' the dolphin have today (17 April 2008), been found guilty as charged. Both have been sentenced to 120 hours community service and fined £350 each plus costs.
Click here for further details

Japan set sail for minke whale 'research'
(Added: 11 April 2008)
The Japanese fisheries agency have announced that on Monday 14 April, five boats will leave from Northern Japan headed for the North Pacific Ocean, their target - up to 60 minke whales, to be caught in the next month in the name of research. About 100 minke whales are killed in the Pacific by Japan annually whilst in Antarctica the number rises to at least 900. Researchers claim they now need to study the whales food intake to ascertain their impact on fish stocks.

Further support for whale sanctuary
(Added: 11 April 2008)
Following the report on a recent meeting with President Bachelet, (see 10 April below), a new poll shows the amount of public support for establishing a sanctuary in Chilean waters.
Click here for further details

Nordic ministers clash over whaling
(Added: 10 April 2008)
Swedish and other Nordic and Baltic government leaders have been meeting in Sweden for top-level discussions of continuing Nordic co-operation work in the European Union.
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Chile a step closer to creating a whale sanctuary
(Added: 10 April 2008)
Colleagues in Chile have taken their proposals for the creation of a whale sanctuary one stop further by meeting with the President, Michelle Bachelet.
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Makah members found guilty of illegal whale hunt
(Added: 08 April 2008)
Further to our previous report (see 21 January 2008), it has been announced today that the members of the Makah tribe who led an unsanctioned gray whale hunt in September 2007 have been convicted of federal misdemeanor charges by a US court.
Click here for further details

Dolphins in south west India face an uncertain future
(Added: 07 April 2008)
According to a recent survey, at least 1,000 dolphins are killed every year in Kerala, Southern India - mainly due to fishing nets. However it has now been revealed that dolphins are also being deliberately slaughtered.
Click here for further details

Draft UK Marine Bill published
(Added: 03 April 2008)
New marine nature reserves around Britain’s coast are among plans published today (April 3, 2008) by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn.
Click here for further details

Advert launched to highlight dolphin trafficking
(Added: 02 April 2008)
As part of the coaltion working to stop wild dolphin captures and trade we would like to congratulate our colleagues at the Humane Society and Save Japan Dolphins on their advert which has been launched today to highlight the issue, which we wholeheartedly support.
Click here for further details and to take action

New footage of brutal dolphin hunt obtained
(Added: 31 March 2008)
The Marine Connection has for many years supported the work of Ric O'Barry and in more recent times, the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition to put an end to the brutal annual drive hunts in Japan. One important aspect of the work is to highlight to the public and media the truth behind these "hunts" and the animals sourced from them to supply marine parks. Now, graphic footage of the annual dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan has been captured on film during a yearlong operation.
Click here for further details

Concern for safety of Moko in New Zealand
(Added: 31 March 2008)
Reports are being received from New Zealand of concern for Moko, the dolphin which has been frequenting Mahia Beach, who it is felt may potentially be in danger as a result of all the attention the animal has attracted.
Click here for further details

Transient orcas on the move
(Added: 27 March 2008)
Each year, around April time, killer whales approach the Oregon coast and patrol the central coastal waters, looking for baby gray whales, sea lions or seals to feast on. They are rarely seen in these waters, except at this time of year.
Click here for further details

Illegal whale meat trade exposed
(Added: 19 March 2008)
South Korean police have arrested three fishermen who are suspected of running a ring that traded in illegal whale meat. 90 mink whales were found in a cold storage facility in Ulsan, home to scores of restaurants that serve whale meat.
Click here for further details

Iceland likely to commence whaling again
(Added: 14 March 2008)
Iceland who ended its ban on commercial whaling in 2006 is likely to commence whaling again this summer. Last August its fisheries ministry said it would not issue new quotas until market demand increased and an export agreement with Japan was in place. Whaling could start as early as May. Gunnar Bergmann Jonsson, the head of Iceland's minke whaling association said he hoped for a quota of 100 whales.

Norway announces whale quota
(Added: 21 February 2008)
Norway has announced its whale quota for 2008 and plans to hunt over a thousand minke whales. The quota remains unchanged from last year and includes 97 whales that were not caught during previous whaling seasons. The majority of the animals will be taken from the coastal areas around the Barents Sea, Svalbard and the North Sea.

Another dolphin hunt in Japan
(Added: 14 February 2008)
The city of Nago in Okinawa prefecture of Japan recently turned the clock back 20 years by commencing dolphin hunting again. Nago hunted dolphins 20 years ago but stopped after receiving bad publicity over the practice – much as Taiji does today.
Click here for further information and to take action

Continued hunting of bowheads
(Added: 07 February 2008)
NOAA Fisheries Service has released a final environmental impact statement (EIS) proposing continued hunting of bowhead whales in Alaska.
Click here for further details

Costa Rica takes steps to protect cetaceans
(Added: 23 January 2008)
Costa Rican President Oscar Arias and Environmental Minister Robert Dobles recently signed a decree to protect whales and dolphins from being hunted in Costa Rican waters.
Click here for further details

Plans to build giant whaling ship
(Added: 22 January 2008)
Japanese officials have confirmed plans to build a supersized whaling mother ship. Iwata Tsuyoshi - deputy director of the whaling division of Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, recently said discussions had taken place regarding a replacement for the factory ship Nisshin Maru which he says is old and unsuitable for the research Japan wants to conduct in the future. Commissioning a new mother ship would commit Japan to at least 40 more years of whaling.

Makah tribe postpones hearing
(Added: 21 January 2008)
A trial date was supposed to be set this week for five Makah Indians accused of illegally killing a gray whale last year, but the tribal court has postponed the hearing due to the tribe's former chief judge’s contract not being renewed - (see previous article posted on 10 September 2007). The whalers also face charges in a US court which is scheduled to start on March 18 in Tacoma.

Australia acts on whaling issue
(Added: 15 January 2008)
In a purely symbolic act but one that could inflame bilateral ties, an Australian court has ruled that a Japanese whaling company broke environment laws by killing whales in Australia's Antarctic waters.
Click here for further details

Tons of whale meat seized
(Added: 14 January 2008)
Police in South Korea have broken an illegal whale poaching racket, confiscating more than 50 tons of minke meat in the largest seizure of its kind in the country.
Click here for further details

Threat to vulnerable dolphin population
(Added: 11 January 2008)
The death of a large number of fish along the stretch of river Ganga, close to 50-km long Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in Bhagalpur district of Bihar, is causing concern among authorities and environmentalists. According to forest officials the death of so many fish may pose a serious threat to the endangered dolphin in river Ganga namely the Ganges river dolphin, or susu (Platanista gangetica).
Click here for further details

What lengths will you go to help protect them - 5km?
(Added: 03 January 2008)
This is your opportunity to take part in a 5km run on Sunday 11th May 2008 at London's Regents Park, the largest grass area for sports in Central London.
Click here for further details

Japan suspends humpback whale hunt
(Added: 21 December 2007)
Japan has suspended its first humpback whale hunt in seas off Antarctica since the 1960s. They dropped the planned taking of 50 humpbacks which have been off-limits to commercial hunting since 1966 at the behest of the United States , the chair of the International Whaling Commission, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura. The suspension will last a year or two but there will be no changes to Japan 's stance on their other research whaling.
Click here for further details

Whale count in the Antarctic
(Added: 18 December 2007)
Australian researchers are to begin an aerial count of whales in the Antarctic ahead of the Japanese hunt. A team from the new Australian Centre for Applied Marine Mammal Science will spend several weeks flying over 150,000 square km of pack ice off eastern Antarctica to count minke whales from the air.
Click here for further details

Dolphin protection decision delayed
(Added: 04 December 2007)
The New Zealand government has delayed a final decision on how best to protect one of the world's rarest dolphins. They had been looking at bringing in permanent restrictions on set nets in areas where the Hector’s dolphins are found before Christmas but the Ministry of Fisheries says as it has had more than 2,000 public submissions on the management plan for the mammals, they wants more time to consider them. There as few as 8,000 left.
Click here for further details

Is there hidden treasure in your household clutter?
(Added: 30 November 2007)
Are you interested in taking part in a new TV programme to help raise some cash to share between your family and also help a good cause, if so we want to hear from you.
Click here for further details

Jet skier in court for harassing dolphins
(Added: 27 November 2007)
A skipper and his passengers out on a sea-life cruise in the Moray Firth, Scotland watched a jet-skier ride into a family of dolphins and send them into a panic, a court has heard. The large group of around 20 animals became stressed when they were chased through the water by the jet-skier, diving under the water and returning to the surface only seconds later to breathe.
Click here for further details

London Festival of Diving - see you there
(Added: 27 November 2007)
Divers in and around London will once again gather at the London Festival of Diving on Sunday 2 December, for a full-on day of speakers, workshops and socialising.
Click here for further details