Program Term Archive

Marine Wildlife

Gray Whales Under Hunting Threat

Marine Wildlife

In May 1999, whalers from the Makah Tribe in northwestern Washington state killed a gray whale—something they had not done since the 1920s. Even the few tribal elders who could...

New Coalition Seeks End of Orca Captivity in EU

Marine Wildlife

Dr. Naomi Rose of AWI attended the launch of a new coalition called Dolphinaria-Free Europe (DFE), on March 4, at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium. Comprised of more than...

New York Tones Down Mute Swan Eradication Plan

Marine Wildlife

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) released a revised wild mute swan management plan in which it backs away (somewhat) from its initial proposal to eradicate all...

US Tribe’s Quest to Kill Whales Moves Closer to Reality

Marine Wildlife

In March of this year, as noted on page 2, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) on the Makah Tribe’s proposed hunt of...

Beneath the Surface

Marine Wildlife

John Hargrove was the first of several former orca trainers to appear in Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s documentary Blackfish. A 14-year veteran of SeaWorld, he was a top trainer there until August 2012....

“In Danger” Status Sought for Mexico’s Gulf of California World Heritage Area

Press ReleaseMay 13, 2015Marine Wildlife

Although the World Heritage Committee designated Mexico’s “Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California” as a World Heritage property in 2005 in recognition of the area’s outstanding biodiversity,...

Fish Buyers Urged to Reject Seafood Caught by Icelandic Whalers

Press ReleaseApril 21, 2015Marine Wildlife

A coalition of animal welfare and conservation groups has launched a new online ad campaign to coincide with the 2015 Seafood Exposition Global and Seafood Processing Global convention in Brussels this week,...

Boston Ad Campaign Warns of Imminent Extinction of Vaquita Porpoise

Press ReleaseApril 8, 2015Marine Wildlife

Through an ad campaign, a coalition of conservation and animal welfare organizations are warning Bostonians and city visitors that a nationwide consumer-led boycott of Mexican shrimp may be necessary to...

Court Rules Navy Training in Pacific Violates Laws Meant to Protect Whales, Sea Turtles

Press ReleaseApril 1, 2015Marine Wildlife

A federal judge ruled yesterday that the National Marine Fisheries Service acted illegally in approving US Navy testing and training activities in the Pacific Ocean that threaten widespread harm to whales, dolphins,...

Court Update: Importing Wild Beluga Whales for Captivity

Press ReleaseMarch 16, 2015Marine Wildlife

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), Whale & Dolphin Conservation (WDC), Cetacean Society International (CSI), and Earth Island Institute (EII) today filed their joint response to Georgia Aquarium, Inc., in the case of Georgia Aquarium, Inc. v. Pritzker—a lawsuit Georgia...