Japan: Top news
As 2019 comes to a close, we’re writing to thank you for your ongoing generosity and to share some of IMMP’s key accomplishments this year. 2020 promises to be an especially busy and potentially productive year for whales and dolphins, as our SeaWorld lawsuit finally comes to trial and we organize Olympians and Paralympians to urge Japan to end the killing of dolphins and whales.
Read More >
The gray whales that migrate today along the coast of North America are one of the bright spots for whales that were severely depleted during the heyday of commercial whaling. The species has the unfortunate distinction of having been repeatedly reduced before protection efforts were put in place by the League of Nations and nations that host the migrations. And still today, every summer, they are hunted in Russia.
Read More >
The Taiji dolphin-hunting season is entering its second month, with a series of horrendous dolphin slaughters depicted in many news reports. WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES.
Read More >
A New Season of Slaughter Begins in Taiji on Sept. 1st -- More Captives for Life, More Meat on the Market That No One Should Eat, More Bloodshed!
Read More >
Norway has surpassed Japan and Iceland in its whale hunting quotas (which do not include dolphins), and now officially kills more whales than any country in the world. Iceland actually temporarily stopped whaling this summer due to a lack of market for whale meat and other factors, while Japan has cut back its whaling effort to focus on whaling only within their 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone.
Read More >
Friend of the Sea, the number one global certification standard for products and services that respect and protect the marine environment, today announced that Japan’s Kagoshima Blue Marine Cab has passed the first phase in becoming certified for Sustainable Dolphin and Whale Watching. The certification ensures that dolphin and whale watching tours conducted by Kagoshima Blue Marine Cab will protect dolphins in their natural habitat while spreading valuable information about the issue of sustainability in marine wildlife.
Read More >
Japan Is Still Slaughtering Whales, Only Calling It "Commercial" Whaling Instead of "Research" Whaling. But the End Result Is Still the Same -- Dead Whales. But There Is Hope That The Industry Will Not Be Viable.
Read More >
Campaign Top News
- International Marine Mammal Project >
-
-
From pushing for sanctuaries for Wikie & Keijo and 30 beluga whales, to opposing attempts to gut the Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Protection Acts, to protecting wetlands in the Barataria basin, the International Marine Mammal Project has accomplished a great deal in 2025 for whales and dolphins.
-
What is it like being a student intern at the International Marine Mammal Project? An internship can be life-changing for a student. Our intern Jillian talks about her experience with IMMP.
-
From battling the whaling industry in Japan and Iceland, to exposing the continued slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan, to saving the lives of tens of thousands of dolphins annually through Dolphin Safe tuna, the International Marine Mammal Project has accomplished a lot in 2024.
- More Stories >
-
- Save Japan Dolphins >
-
-
Dolphin captures in Taiji, Japan, occurred on the first of Sept. Now follows 6 months of slaughter and capture of dolphins in the notorious Cove. Our colleague Kunito Seko documented the opening catch of bottlenose dolphins, all destined for a miserable life in captivity.
-
The Taiji dolphin drive hunts have again ended, killing hundreds of dolphins for meat after removing "show quality" animals for a miserable life in captivity. Numbers were slightly higher this year for slaughter, although historically low compared to recent years.
-
Three species of dolphins have been captured and slaughtered over the past month as the bloody Taiji dolphin drive hunts continue. Most of the dolphins you see in these photos are now dead. The hunts end on March 1st, but six months later, they will begin again.
- More Stories >
-
- Dolphin + Whale Project >
-
-
The Army Corps of Engineers planned to channel fresh water and sediment into the Barataria wetlands for 50 years, threatening wildlife and fisheries, including a population of bottlenose dolphins. Our lawsuit is at an end, and the project is dead. Read our blog.
-
Things are bad for the declining gray whale population, but a recent symposium in Newport, Oregon, left a lot to be desired, as issues of policy and climate change were left behind in the discussions. Action is needed now!
-
The Canadian government is taking positive steps to protect the North Atlantic right whale. But the Trump administration is trying to weaken protections for right whales, and the US Senate is poised to pass a bill that would delay any new regulations for right whales until 2035!
- More Stories >
-
- Keiko Whale Rescue >
-
-
Like most cetaceans, beluga whales do poorly in captivity. Many are now kept in aquariums around the world -- some get stranded once the aquarium or park goes broke and shuts down. Learn about the beluga whale, and why it is a bad idea to keep them in small concrete tanks.
-
We are deeply saddened at the death of orca whale Tokitae. Calls for her release were denied for decades and it’s shameful that she never got a chance to go home.
-
30 years ago, the movie "Free Willy" was a huge hit. The plight of its orca star, Keiko, touched the public along with the moving story. Read how the International Marine Mammal Project took that spark of concern and returned Keiko to his home waters. SeaWorld and other captive dolphin parks would never be the same!
- More Stories >
-
- Dolphin Safe Fishing >
-
-
The US is now the biggest importer of seafood in the world, but the sustainability of many of the fisheries involved is highly questionable. The experience with the Dolphin Safe tuna label can help form better monitoring and protection for fish populations, as well as protect non-target species like marine mammals.
-
Every year, we estimate that the Dolphin Safe label on tuna cans saves the lives of 90,000 dolphins annually in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, and many more in other oceans of the world. You, as a consumer, should know how the Dolphin Safe label works to protect dolphins in global tuna fisheries.
-
A new Marine Mammal Protection Act has been proposed for the Philippines, with strong support from our IMMP Philippines office, with the support of Representative Co. Read about this new legislation to protect endangered species like the Irrawaddy dolphin and other Filipino whales and dolphins.
- More Stories >
-
- Freeing Orca Whales from Captivity >
-
-
IMMP opposed the transfer of belugas from Canada's Marineland to US aquariums. This so-called "rescue" has resulted in 30 belugas being moved to marine parks, but one has already died at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. How many more will the captivity industry kill?
-
Thirty belugas in a closed park in Canada are scheduled to be sent to five aquariums in the US and Spain. IMMP is demanding a better review of their health before moving them and a ban on breeding them in captivity. Read our letter.
-
The orcas Wikie and her son Keijo are still trapped in Marineland in France. Marineland wants the orcas to go to Loro Parque Zoo, an aquarium in Spain with one of the worst records of captive orca deaths. IMMP is urging the French government to instead retire Wikie and Keijo to a seaside sanctuary in Nova Scotia.
- More Stories >
-
- Freeing Wikie & Keijo >