To all Sea Shepherd Crew and loyal supporters. I just want to encourage all of you to be positive, strong and supportive as we struggle to move two ships, a helicopter and two different crews into position to tackle the greatest whale killing monsters on this planet. Success is taking each obstacle and dealing with […]
Whales
Whaling fleet boss to defy ban and sell to Japanese
The owner of the Icelandic whaling company that has killed seven endangered fin whales despite an international outcry said yesterday he was now going to export the meat to Japan in defiance of a trade ban. Kristjan Loftsson, the chief executive of the whaling company Hvalur, told The Daily Telegraph that there was “no problem” […]
Grey Whales Missing from North Pacific Feeding Grounds
Earthwatch volunteers to investigate feeding behavior off Baja, Mexico this winter. Finding one thirty-ton animal in the vast North Pacific may be as hard as finding a needle in a haystack. But when the entire estimated population of 17,000 grey whales is hard to find, it is cause for concern. Researchers reported very few sightings […]
Death on the high seas
I first tasted whale almost 10 years ago in the Faroe Islands. An unhappy hunter was getting drunk on one side of me, telling me about his urge to kill the largest creatures in the sea, and a secondary school headmaster who ran the islands’ whaling association was kicking his shins under the table trying […]
Baby gray whale births rebounding on Pacific Coast
SAN FRANCISCO – The number of baby gray whales born along the Pacific Coast has rebounded from record low levels, suggesting that pregnant females are thriving despite a warming Arctic feeding environment, biologists said. The number of calves that passed Point Piedras Blancas near San Luis Obispo jumped from 945 last year to 1,018 calves […]
The Truth about “Traditional” Japanese Whaling
Japan argues that whaling is a cultural tradition practiced by the Japanese for centuries. As such they believe they have an inherent right to continue this tradition. But how traditional is it? There were a few isolated Japanese villages that had killed whales in the past, but Japan as a whole demonstrated very little interest […]
The Shadow of Slaughter Hangs Over Whales
In the next 10 days, Japan’s long campaign to end the hunting moratorium could pay off. As offers of aid sway poorer nations to side with pro-whalers, conservationists fear the tide is turning. It is early morning in Tokyo, and the narrow streets of Tsukiji fish market are already packed with shoppers inspecting the overnight […]
Threats to the Great Whales
Update onNavy Sonar, Japanese Whaling, and Global Warming Our most majestic of creatures have been much in the news again lately. Some developments have been positive, others are ominous. Let’s start with the good news. JAPANESE WHALING: On April 2, an announcement came out of Tokyo that Nissui – the country’s second largest seafood company […]
Gorton’s Parent Company Pulls Out of Whaling Business
Seafood Giant Felt Pressure from Consumers and Environmental Groups WASHINGTON- Following pressure from consumers and groups such as Greenpeace, the Humane Society of the United States, and the Environmental Investigation Agency, Nissui, parent company of seafood giant Gorton’s of Gloucester confirmed today its intentions to divest interests in Kyodo Senpaku, which owns and operates the […]
Mexican Land Boom Creates Commotion in Whale Nursery
LAGUNA SAN IGNACIO, Mexico, March 7 — This remote lagoon, surrounded by salt flats, mesas and desert, has been a sanctuary for gray whales for centuries. Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times A gray whale pops up for air in Baja California, where advocates of tourism and the environment clash with those favoring heavier […]