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Stop Whaling
WDC continues to fight hard on this crucial issue
DESPITE AN INTERNATIONAL BAN on commercial whaling, a few countries continue to hunt by exploiting loopholes that enable them to make money from selling meat and body parts for things like pharmaceuticals and health supplements, in pet food, or served to tourists as a ‘traditional dish’. Around 50,000 whales have been killed since the ban came into effect in the 1980s, with Japan, Iceland and Norway the main culprits. Slaughtering whales has a devastating impact on the whale communities left behind. It is cruel and pointless.
There is no humane way to kill a whale at sea.
Whales already face many hazards each and every day, and whaling is a further, wholly unnecessary threat to their populations.
Low demand means vast amounts of the meat from hunts is kept in frozen stockpiles.
WDC continues to fight whale hunting by lobbying and campaigning. We battle to keep the ban in place, to investigate and expose this cruel trade, to prevent new markets for whale products opening up, and to reduce the numbers of whales being slaughtered.
SUCCESSES IN 2018
Following pressure from WDC, Radisson removed whale meat from its menus in Iceland
WDC’s anti-whaling team attended the meeting of the International Whaling Commission, the body that regulates whale hunting, to highlight the dangers of the Japanese government’s plans to remove international whaling ban.
THE PLANS WERE VOTED DOWN
Our exposure of Norwegian minke whale hunt report figures reached national media publicising the fact that exploding grenade harpoons take up to 25 minutes to kill whales, and so putting pressure on whalers at the International Whaling Commission meeting.
Tireless work from our team at the international CITES meeting (the body that regulates trade in endangered species) helped convince members of the Convention that Japan´s trade in sei whales hunted in international waters was illegal and the Japanese government has been officially or face sanctions
Our campaign pressurising the EU to use trade talks to convince the Japanese government to stop killing whales resulted in almost 270,000 people across Europe signing our petition. Many members of the EU Parliament then raised their concerns about closer trade relations with Japan. Despite the trade deal going ahead, the EU Parliament has now called for an end to Japan's whaling and trade in whale products
KEY AREAS OF OUR WORK:
Fighting to stop whaling in Europe, Japan and around the world by representing whales at international meetings (such as the International Whaling Commission), and cutting supply routes to reduce the number of whales being slaughtered.
Reducing demand for whale meat by, for example, dissuading tourists who may otherwise be tempted to try the meat, and highlighting the health risks around its consumption. 3 Educating communities about whale watching as a financial alternative to hunting.
