The USA Must Stand Up For Humpbacks
At the recent International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting the outgoing USA delegation supported a proposal for a new hunt of humpback whales by Greenlandic whalers.
Please help us persuade the USA to change its stance.
New Whale Protection Legislation Before Congress
WDCS Supports the recently introduced International Whale Conservation and Protection Act currently seeking support in the US House of Representatives.
Europe: Whale Enemy No.1
Conservationists are outraged by the escalation of whaling and whale meat trade by European countries
Don't Take Me For Granted
Greenland wants to hunt the cousins of our American humpback whales -
don't let them!
Help Stop Greenland Killing Humpbacks
Greenland is planning to make a request to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to kill 10 humpback whales a year, starting in 2010. WDCS believes that the proposed hunt is unjustified and should be opposed by member governments of the IWC.
Protesting Whaling
Representatives from WDCS, Campaign Whale, EIA, IFAW and WSPA protest whaling and met with Icelandic Ambassador Sverrir Haukur Gunnlaugsson at the London Embassy today, as Icelandic whalers head out to sea in search of 250 whales to hunt.
Iceland Whale Hunt Imminent
According to local reports, the whaling vessel Johanna AR is to possibly set sail today, Tuesday, May 26th, out of Njardarvik harbour. Iceland has issued commercial whaling quotas for 100 minke whales and 150 endangered fin whales for the 2009 season.
George Mitchell Students Save Whales
WDCS shifted gears this week and headed west to George Mitchell Elementary in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. about Cetaceans. Little did we know that these students would be so knowledgeable that they actually would be teaching us something!
International Yacht Race Charts Course To Avoid Endangered Whales
Boston, 24th April 2009: After an exhausting journey of more than 4500 nautical miles of intense high sea racing, the vessels participating in the Volvo Ocean Race agreed to plot a course that reduces the risk of collision with whales.
NOAA Vessel Strikes Right Whale
“If an informed crew on a research vessel, with posted observers, can hit a right whale, anyone can” said WDCS Senior Biologist, Regina Asmutis-Silvia. “This is a call to all mariners transiting areas whales are known to inhabit to proceed with caution
Ocean Life Symposium Held In Eastern Caribbean
WDCS attended The Ocean Life Symposium sponsored by the Eastern Caribbean Coalition for Environmental Awareness (ECCEA) and the Pew Environment Group, in coordination with UNEP’s Caribbean Environment Program from March 23-25th on Dominica.
Marine Education Conference
Three-day marine education conference April 24th to 26th in Provincetown to exchange ideas and provide additional tools to naturalist/science educators, interns, volunteers, and those involved with whale watching or research in the Gulf of Maine
The World’s First Conference On Marine Protected Areas For Marine Mammals
Over 150 marine experts from 30 countries around the world will gather in Maui, Hawaii, March 30th to April 3rd to build plans for networks of protected areas, which will help conserve vulnerable species and the places on which they depend.
New PSA Highlights Illegal Feeding Of Wild Dolphins
WDCS welcomes the release of a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) aimed at raising awareness to the problem of feeding dolphins in the wild.
Korea Announces Its Future Whaling Intent
Whilst nations gathered in Rome to discuss a potential deal with Japan in an attempt to reduce Japanese so-called ‘scientific whaling’, Korea announced that if such a deal goes forward it would seek a quota and commence commercial whaling.
Is That Dolphin Really Pink?
For the past several weeks, a “pink” dolphin off the coast of Louisiana has received much attention thanks to an article by Caters News Agency in the UK Guardian.
How Can Right Whales Be Wrong???
South Carolina students have nominated North Atlantic Right Whales to become the official State Marine Mammal. So why are some in the State saying they are the wrong whale for South Carolina?
4th Operator Recognized Under Dolphin SMART
WDCS and Partners recognize newest tour operator to join Dolphin SMART Program. Sea Bear pledges to follow wildlife viewing guidelines and responsible advertising criteria.
Obama Reinstates Endangered Species Protection
March 3rd 2009 is good day for Endangered Species because it means protection is the same for them as it was on March 3rd 2008! On March 3rd, the Obama Administration also reinforced the Endangered Species Act.
Japan, Deceptions, And The Death Of The Whaling Ban
WDCS has released evidence that Japan has used misleading and inaccurate information in its attempts to lift the ban on commercial whaling. Take action with WDCS to stop the world's governments from falling for these deceptions.
Get Involved
It doesn’t matter who or where you are, everyone can do something to save whales and dolphins.
Action Alert!
Save Iceland’s Finbacks And Minkes From Whalers
We need your help to help us in this fight to save Iceland’s fins and minkes from the whalers’ harpoons, and to ensure that whale watching continues to bring vital revenue to Iceland’s floundering economy.
Shrouded By The Sea
An animal welfare problem of major proportions has been uncovered in a new report by WDCS, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.
The report, Shrouded by the sea, reveals the shocking truth behind the entanglement of cetaceans in nets.
Iceland Announces Unprecedented New Whale Hunt
The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) learned today that in his last days in office, outgoing Fisheries Minister Einar K. Gudfinsson has issued a whaling quota for 150 fin whales and 100 minke whales a year, to run from 2009 until 2013.
Dolphin Tour Operator Training In Key West
WDCS, in collaboration with partners of its Dolphin SMART program, launched the first set of lectures in its series to highlight dolphin research in Florida, and provide information to the interested public in Key West on January 12th.
Report Urges Congress To Enforce Marine Mammal Protections
WDCS commends Rep. Rahall and the House Natural Resources Committee for calling on the Government Accountability Office to assess the repeated failures of the Bush Administration to protect whales and dolphins, even when mandated to do so by U.S. law
North Atlantic Right Whale Seen In Azores
Recent sightings of North Atlantic right whales in previously unknown habitats is exciting because scientists still do not know where over half North Atlantic right whales migrate to during winter.
Happy New Year!
WDCS wishes you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
Thank you for all of your support in 2008 and we look forward to another successful year of whale protection in 2009! Here's our Top Ten list for 2008!
Shrouded By The Sea - The Terrible Truth About Dolphins And Whales Caught In Fishing Gear
WDCS publishes Shrouded by the sea , a report revealing the shocking truth behind the entanglement of whales, dolphins and porpoises in fishing nets, estimated to kill more than 300,000 of these animals worldwide each year. The harrowing details of how w
Bush Administration Attacks Endangered Species Act
WDCS is saddened by the latest attack on the Endangered Species Act by the Bush Administration. On December 11th, the Department of Interior announced the passage of a rule to modify the requirements of the Endangered Species Act.
Right Whale Vessel Strike Protection!
We have some wonderful news! After years of diligent work by WDCS and support from our dedicated friends of the Whale Adoption Project like you – critically endangered Northern right whales are now protected by a rule to reduce vessel speed
Rome: Greater Protection Secured For Endangered Dolphin Species, But Habitats Remain Threatened
Several species of dolphin and one porpoise species have been awarded greater protection through the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS) at its 9th meeting of Parties in Rome.
CMS: A Call For Urgent Action
WDCS makes a call for urgent action for the marine mammals of the Arctic: CMS COP Rome December 1st
In the afternoon of the opening day of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland, a call to mitigate climate change as a threat to
CMS COP9: WDCS Calls On Parties To Act!
From 1st to 5th December more than 100 Countries will meet in Rome for
the 9th Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Convention on Migratory
Species (CMS). The WDCS team will be at the meeting fighting for urgent
action to be taken to protect whale
WDCS Calls For Action At UN Meeting
This week, WDCS's Chief Executive, Chris Butler Stroud, delivered the opening speech at a week-long meeting of the Convention of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.
Dolphin SMART Program Recognizes First Participant In Coastal Alabama
The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) and its partners today recognized L.A. Watersports as the first charter operator in Alabama to be accepted into a new program designed to protect wild dolphins.
Japan’s Whalers Set Sail For Kill In Whale Sanctuary
The Japanese whaling fleet has set sail from the ports of Shimonoseki and Hiroshima, with the aim of killing over a thousand whales for so-called research purposes.
WDCS On The Whale Wars: Taking The Battle Beyond The Antarctic
While WDCS does not condone destruction of property, nor accept tactics that endanger lives, we empathize with the public's anger and frustration at the continued killing of whales decades after a ban was put in place to save these magnificent animals.
Southern Right Whale, From The Right Whale To Hunt To The Right Whale To Protect
As the racing yachts approach CapeTown, marking the end of the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, another wanderer of the sea is awaiting their arrival – the southern right whale. By Miguel Iñíguez and Jimena Belgrano
Four Dimensional Homes In The Sea
Whales need homes in the sea. This is what WDCS is saying as part of our Global Campaign for Marine Protected Areas. But what does that mean?
Lobster Harvesting That Protects Whales
Attention seafood lovers. When shopping or eating out, look for lobster with a green band whale tail symbol on its claw that says Massachusetts. The green band means the lobster was caught using traps linked to sinking groundline on the seabed.
When Whales And Dolphins Face Extinction
Nearly 25 percent of the world’s whales and dolphins are under critical threat, according to a 2008 IUCN (World Conservation Union) re-categorization of the status of whale and dolphin species globally.