Stop Whaling

Help Us Stop Whaling Worldwide

Starting in the late 19th century, a modern large-scale commercial whaling industry operated with lethal efficiency in the world’s oceans, killing whales at a rate that brought many species to the edge of extinction. Between 1925 and 1975, an estimated 1.5 million whales were killed by commercial whalers.

As whale populations plummeted, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) was established in 1946 by whaling nations to regulate the hunting and trade of whales. In 1986, the IWC voted to establish a moratorium on all commercial whaling. That moratorium has been in effect ever since and is applauded as one of the world’s greatest wildlife conservation steps. Thanks to this moratorium and other protective measures, whale populations have gradually increased in many parts of the world, but have yet to fully recover from the devastating effects of prior decades of whaling.

Despite this moratorium, whaling continues around the world:

Iceland and Norway openly engage in commercial whaling, citing legal objections to the IWC's moratorium.

Japan exploits a loophole in the IWC ban that allows whales to be killed for “scientific purposes.” DNA testing has proven that whale meat from these so-called scientific studies is sold commercially.

The United States, Greenland, the Russian Federation, St Vincent and The Grenadines are also engaged in whaling, under the name of “aboriginal subsistence whaling” (ASW). However, in some places. ASW is not what you might imagine and is conducted using modern technology, by people who do not require whale meat for “subsistence” – and with whale products finding their way into shops and stores.

Pacific Whale Foundation opposes whaling anywhere, on any scale, for any reason.

• There is no need to kill whales to learn about them.

• There is no need to slaughter whales for food or any other purpose.

• Whalewatching is a proven alternative to whaling that can support economic development in all nations. Whalewatching can be conducted in a sustainable, wildlife-friendly manner that raises public awareness of whales and encourages commitment to marine environmental protection.

We encourage you to get involved! Read on, download a petition, wear a "Stop Whaling" t-shirt to raise awareness and speak out on behalf of the whales. You can also sign an online petition by clicking here.

The History of Whaling -- and How We're Working to Stop It

• Between 1925 and 1975, an estimated 1.5 million whales were killed by commercial whalers, pushing many species to the brink of extinction.

• Public outcry about the plight of the whales led the IWC (an international body established in 1946 to provide for conservation of whale stocks and the orderly development of the whaling industry) to establish a moratorium on all commercial whaling in 1986.

• Thanks to this moratorium and other protective measures, whale populations have gradually increased in many parts of the world, but have yet to fully recover from the devastating effects of prior decades of whaling.

• Pacific Whale Foundation was born in 1980 out of the "Save the Whales" movement. We hold a unique position among environmental groups as both an advocacy and a research organization. Our data, collected over more than three decades of field research, is instrumental in supporting scientifically based approaches to whale conservation and management.

• We have conducted field studies of Southern Pacific humpback whales for 32 years, and collected the largest fluke identification data set of humpback whales in this region. The data includes regions where Japan’s whaling fleet currently conducts lethal “scientific” whaling expeditions, and where it would continue to hunt whales under the IWC proposal. This data contribute to a compelling case against whaling in this important whale habitat.

• Pacific Whale Foundation researchers are part of the Southern Ocean Research Partnership (SORP), an alliance (spearheaded by Australia) between researchers committed to using modern, non-lethal, scientific methods to study cetaceans in the Southern Ocean and provide data to the IWC to help protect whales.

• Pacific Whale Foundation researchers participated in the IWC's Workshop on the Comprehensive Assessment of Southern Hemisphere humpback whales in 2006 and in the IWC's 2009, 2010 and 2011 Scientific Committee meetings. Pacific Whale Foundation Ecuador Project Director Cristina Castro was part of Ecuador's delegation to the 2010 IWC Annual Meeting. Pacific Whale Foundation President Greg Kaufman will be attending the IWC Scientific Committee Meeting in June in Panama; Pacific Whale Foundation's Ecuador Project Director Cristina Castro will once again be part of Ecuador's delegation to the 2012 IWC Annual Meeting. Please follow Pacific Whale Foundation's posts on Facebook to learn more.

• Pacific Whale Foundation’s Greg Kaufman was invited by the U.S. Department of State (Bureau of International Organization Affairs) to represent the United States and its whalewatching industry at an International Whaling Commission (IWC) Workshop on whalewatching from November 3 through 5, 2010 in Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Kaufman was one of just two delegates representing the United States. The aim of the workshop was to design a five-year strategic plan on whalewatching in order to provide support to the many countries looking to realize its benefits. Kaufman believes that by encouraging whalewatching, we can find the way to end commercial whaling forever, Eventually, whaling nations will realize there is much greater value in living whales than slaughtered whales.

• In May, 2011, Pacific Whale Foundation joined Whales Need US, a coalition of non-government organizations working to end commercial whaling.

• In June, 2011, Pacific Whale Foundation President and Founder Greg Kaufman attended the IWC Scientific Committee Meeting in Norway and presented seven research papers.

• In May and June 2011. Pacific Whale Foundation President and Founder Greg Kaufman attended the Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) Scientific Committee from May 29 through June 11 in Tromso, Norway. Kaufman is an Invited Participant Member in the IWC Scientific Committee and presented seven research papers from Pacific Whale Foundation to the group of approximately 200 scientists and marine biologists from around the world. The Scientific Committee has an important role in evaluating scientific data about whales and issuing recommendations regarding commercial whaling and other whale management issues to the IWC.

• During October, 2011, the United Nations Environment Programme-Caribbean Environment Programme (UNEP-CEP) invited Pacific Whale Foundation President Gregory D. Kaufman and Education Manager Merrill Kaufman to join a group of eminent researchers and whalewatch experts as presenters at the upcoming “Workshop on Marine Mammal Watching in the Wider Caribbean Region,” held in Panama City, Panama.

•In Spring, 2012, Pacific Whale Foundation President and Founder Greg Kaufman traveled to Patagonia, Chile, to participate in a symposium and two accompanying invitation-only, closed door workshops on the latest in benign whale research techniques. The event was sponsored by the International Whaling Commission and the governments of Australia, the United States and Chile, Oregon State University, Internatinal Fund for Animal Welfare, Centro De Conservacion Cetacea, and hosted by the Southern Ocean Research Partnership (SORP). The Southern Ocean Research Partnership (SORP) is an integrated, collaborative, research consortium that aims to maximize conservation outcomes of Southern Ocean whales through non-lethal research on the status, health, dynamics and environmental linkages of their whale populations and the threats they face.

Latest News Relating to Whaling:

May 2011:

Icelandic whaler Kristjian Loftsson, announces that he will not hunt fin whales in 2012. He cited a depressed market in Japan for whale meat following the 2011 tsunami and a failure to reach an agreement with the Association of Icelandic Fishermen on salaries and conditions for deckhands. Loftsson had killed 280 fin whales off the coast of Iceland during the past six years. He was the only whaler in Iceland killing fin whales.

September 2011:

U.S. President Barack Obama announces diplomatic measures that the United States would take against Iceland in condemnation of its whaling activities. The measures include a directive to the State Department to stop participating in programs where Icelend and the U.S. routinely cooperate, such as those in the Arctic. In addition, U.S. delegations could be forced to raise the issue of whaling when meeting with officials from Iceland or to evaluate the appropriateness of future visits to Iceland.

July 2011:

The United States government takes an important step that could lead to sanctions against Iceland for its continued commercial whaling. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke sent an official "certification" to President Obama under a U.S. law that allows the president to act against foreign countries that violate international animal conservation rules, Locke recommended a series of formal government actions, including sanctions, in response to Iceland's commercial whaling and international trade in fin whale products.

June 2011:

International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee meets in Norway.

Greg Kaufman, President and Founder of Pacific Whale Foundation, is an Invited Participant Member and presents seven research papers.

Click here to read the full story and download copies of the research papers.

May 2011:

Pacific Whale Foundation joins Whales Need US, a group of non-government organizations (NGOs) from the United States that is working individually and collectively to put an end to whaling.

March 2011:

United States joins ten other nations in formal demarche against Icelandic whaling.

During the past two years, Iceland has dramatically escalated its harvest of fin whales, the second largest whales on earth.

Icelandic whalers killed 125 fin whales in 2009 and 148 in 2010, even though fin whales are considered endangered.

Traditionally, the people of Iceland have not eaten fin whales. It is believed that Iceland has increased its whaling to supply whale meat to Japan.

In early March, eleven nations -- Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Israel, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Peru and the United States -- signed and submitted a demarche (a formal diplomatic communication) to the Icelandic embassy in Washington D.C. protesting Iceland’s continuing and increased commercial harvest of whales, particularly the endangered fin whale. The document also protested Iceland’s international trade in whale products.

The demarche also points out that Iceland’s harvest of fin whales does not appear to meet any market demand or need, and it undermines effective international whale conservation efforts. The document also notes the considerable economic, social and educational benefits of Iceland’s growing whale watching industry as a possible alternative to whaling.

June 2010:

Controversial Proposal to Legitimize Whaling is Defeated at IWC Annual Meeting

Leading up to the 2010 annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Morocco, it was announced that the voting members would be discussing and possibly voting on a proposed “Consensus Decision to Improve the Conservation of Whales” -- a plan which had little to do with conservation. This proposal was simply a not-so-well-disguised attempt to legitimize whale killing by Japan, Norway and Iceland. Under this proposal, these whaling nations would have been able to catch a total of 1,800 whales a year, including two endangered species, fin and sei whales.

As surprising as it may seem, the United States delegation had indicated that was likely to vote yes on this proposal. To read Commissioner Medina's testimony from May 6, 2010 on "U.S. Leadership on the International Whaling Commission and H.R. 2455, the International Whale Conservation and Protection Act of 2009," click here.

Pacific Whale Foundation submitted a letter to Monica Medina, the U.S. Commissioner to the IWC, urging her to take a strong stand against commercial whaling at the meeting.

Thanks to donations from our members and friends, Pacific Whale Foundation President, Founder and Chief Scientist Greg Kaufman attended the International Whaling Commission's Scientific Committee Meeting in Morocco as an invited participant and presented two papers based on Pacific Whale Foundation’s research findings to the group. Cristina Castro, our Ecuador Project Research Director, also attended the Scientific Committee Meetings and the plenary meeting as part of Ecuador's voting delegation. Cristina's leadership was instrumental in uniting the Latin American countries against the pro-whaling proposal.

The annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission began on Monday June 21, 2010 in Morocco. Following two days of meetings that were closed to the public and the media, the IWC announced that it would not be moving forward with its controversial proposal to legitimize commercial whaling by Japan, Iceland and Norway.

Unfortunately, the IWC has said that it will be considering the proposal at next year's meeting. In the meanwhile, we still have the problem of Japan, Iceland and Norway continuing to hunt and kill whales in defiance of the worldwide moratorium on whaling.

Pacific Whale Foundation presented the following papers at IWC's Scientific Committee meeting in Morocco in 2010:

Estimation of Survival, Recruitment and Realized Growth Rates of the East Australia Humpback Population (BS-1) Using Temporal Symmetry Models

2009 Humpback Whale Surveys in the Cairns/Cooktown Management Area of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Dr. Castro also attended the Annual Commission meeting from June 21 through 25 as Ecuador's Scientific Advisor.