Last Wednesday, the European Parliament voted ‘yes’ to the EU-Japan free trade agreement (or Economic Partnership Agreement). It also agreed to a closely related strategic partnership agreement with Japan. This marked the end of our campaign to use these trade talks to get better protection for whales from the harpoons of Japanese whalers. Our aim…

When we launched our campaign in March 2016, calling on the EU to make whaling a deal breaker in the negotiations with Japan on a free trade agreement, we had a clear goal: to get the EU to use the trade talks as a powerful tool and put pressure on Japan to stop its whaling…

Fighting for whale and dolphin protection is rarely as glamorous as it might sound. Much of it takes place in long meetings, where evidence is presented and decisions are made. Some of the most important events in a whale conservationist’s calendar are the various meetings of the International Whaling Commission, or IWC, the body that…

More than 200 scientists from more than 30 countries recently gathered together at the 67a Scientific Committee (SC) meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The meeting took place in Bled, Slovenia from May 9th to 21st. Several topics relating to management and conservation of cetaceans were discussed within 17 subcommittees and working groups. The most…