The Australian government has condemned Japan's "regrettable" decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission and resume commercial whaling. The Japanese government's withdrawal from the global body, announced on Wednesday, will see commercial hunts in the country's territorial and economic waters start in July 2019. Announcing the decision, Chief Cabinet …
High levels of mercury have been found in whales caught off Japan's coast. Experts have noticed that the levels of the metal are highest in mammals snared in southern waters. The mercury density in the meat of one whale measured more than 57 times the prescribed safety limit. Tetsuya Endo, …
Iceland plans to submit a request to the International Whaling Commission (iwc), seeking permission to resume scientific whaling. This step could lead to a revival of whale hunting. Iceland had stopped the controversial activity in 1989 under international pressure. But ever since the country rejoined the iwc last October, it …
A us federal judge has blocked scientists from carrying out trials of newly developed sonar on migrating grey whales. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Scientific Solutions Inc. had planned the tests off the coast of central California during the whales' southward movement, but environmentalists protested. The us government argues …
The din over individual species nearly drowned the debate on the sustainable use of natural resources at the recently concluded 12th Conference of Parties (cop-12) of the Convention on Illegal Trade in Endangered Species (cites). The latter issue
if iceland made a dramatic re-entry into the International Whaling Commission (iwc), the sequel to the event promises to be equally startling. For, after having voted in favour of Iceland despite its plans to resume commercial hunting of whales, Sweden has done a volte-face terming the move an "unfortunate mistake'. …
the 54th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (iwc) proved to be a foamy five-day affair, keeping alive its tradition of controversies and disputes. Tempers frayed, opinions clashed and the outcome was a deadlock. Though the meeting had a hectic agenda, the setbacks underlined the ever-deepening rift in the …
river pollution has threatened beluga whale populations and made fish eating a health risk in Montreal. St Lawrence river is reeling under excessive industrial pollution. Montreal's Technoparc Saint-Laurent, an industrial house, near Dorval Airport site is discharging toxic chemicals into the river. The chemicals include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in concentrations …
After an 11-year break, Japan intends to import whale meat again. Although the plan has been flayed by environmentalists, Japan has said that it would also expand its research whaling programme. "Japan has been discussing the issue for months with Norway and hopes to reach a positive conclusion soon,' said …
More than 50 melon-headed whales were found washed ashore and dead on a beach to the northeast of Tokyo, even as rescuers were striving to save 32 more by releasing them into the sea in a nearby port. The carcasses of the whales are being examined. "They may have got …
for the past many years, Japan has come up with frivolous reasons for killing hundreds of whales: the mammals may be eating commercially important quantities of fish, therefore, it is important to identify the contents of their diet. Now, Australian and us scientists have developed a method that will challenge …
In the last six months, Japanese fisherfolk sold 52 Minke whales under the country's controversial scientific whaling programme. This sale was made possible by changing the previous law to suit the needs of the fisherfolk. The changed law now allows them to harvest any whale that gets trapped in their …
The hygiene secrets of pilot whales might hold the key to ecofriendly paint for ships. It seems the whales have specially adapted skin that repels would be hangers-on. A team of researchers from the Hanover School of Veterinary Medicine in Germany have discovered that a pilot whale's skin has a …
Whales and dolphins could be dying because of noise pollution. Researchers from the Navy Marine Mammal Programme in San Diego, USA, claim that noise from the US navy sonar and explosives tests as well from tankers and oil exploration activities is causing mammals to dive deeper, thereby, increasing their chances …
Saving just two female northern right whales a year could halt the decline of the species. Female right whales are by far the most vulnerable among the species, shows an analysis of over 10,000 right-whale sightings since 1980 by Masami Fujiwara and Hal Caswell at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution …
imagine a whale running to catch a prey, instead of swimming in the ocean to gulp one? The picture may be unimaginable today, but it was a reality about 50 million years ago. Scientists have found that the primitive hoofed mammals were actually predecessors to the whale family. The evidence …
A US federal judge rejected a request to extend protection to beluga whales in Alaska's Cook Inlet. This ruling was given in response to a lawsuit filed by six environmental groups and an Alaska Native from the Cook Inlet region. They wanted the whale population listed as endangered because pollution …
A marooned humpback whale was exploded in the Port Elizabeth city of South Africa after attempts to put it back into the sea failed. "For easing the misery of the whale, an explosive device was placed very close to its head,' said Sandy Thackeray, spokesperson for Bayworld oceanarium. "We were …
the International Whaling Commission (iwc) has never faced such a threat to its very existence. The 53rd meeting of the iwc, held in London from July 23-27, is a definitive pointer to it. As its 43-member countries stood sharply polarised on the line of pro and anti-whaling, the meeting discussed …
The issue of aboriginal or subsistence whaling can be characterised as the connection between environmental opportunities and human survival. Thus, the IWC has exempted aboriginal whaling from its regulations designed for commercial whaling, but whale products are restricted for local use only. IWC permitted quotas to the subsistence whaling in …
All whale species are listed in Appendix I of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), which prohibits import, export and transit of all whales and their products. Since CITES is a legal body and not the IWC, CITES creates a major stumbling block …
