Something is definitely wrong when your government is called out by one of the most severe dictatorships in the world. But that has now happened for the government of Japan, criticized soundly by North Korea for its illegal whaling activities. Read More >
We at Earth Island and activists dedicated to ending the captivity of cetaceans are celebrating the victory in federal court in Atlanta. In a huge win, Judge Amy Totenberg denied the Georgia Aquarium the permit they sought in order to import 18 wild-caught beluga whales from a population in Russia that is sorely depleted. "This federal court ruling is a stunning rebuke to every captive whale facility that tries to profit off ripping belugas, orcas and other marine mammals from the wild, despite cruel capture methods and damage to their populations,” stated David Phillips, Director of the International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute. The court victory has many ramifications. Russia, along with Taiji, Japan, and Cuba, is becoming a major source of captive marine mammals, as other sources around the world have either been depleted or closed to the dolphin trade by activists and governments. Read More >
Japan’s new whaling scheme for Antarctica met yet another obstacle after the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC’s) Scientific Committee decided the proposal to kill 333 minke whales each year for the next 12 years was not grounded in science. Read More >
ECO, publication at the IWC meetings Read More >