June 8th is World
Oceans Day

Why we must protect whales and dolphins

Not only are whales and dolphins beautiful and intelligent creatures which we believe have the right to swim wild and free, safe from major human-caused threats — there is now increasing amounts of research clearly showing that whales play a hugely significant role in keeping the ocean healthy, which is a key factor in tackling the climate crisis.

Whales are like giant swimming trees: They store large quantities of carbon in their enormous bodies during their long lifetimes. And when they die, they lock that carbon away at the bottom of the sea. In fact, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that just one whale could have the same impact on the climate as 30,000 trees.

WDC works around the globe to protect whales and dolphins from the many threats they face. Their work focuses on:

• Ending captivity — There are more than 3,500 whales, dolphins, and porpoises held in tanks, which has significant long-term effects on their physical and mental well-being.

• Stopping whaling — Commercial whaling is banned. Yet every year, whalers in countries like Japan and Norway kill around 1,500 whales. Thousands more dolphins and small whales are slaughtered in bloody hunts in countries around the world. It is often a slow and painful death.

• Preventing deaths in nets — People who earn a living from fishing (whether using nets, lines, or ropes) do not want to catch whales and dolphins, yet fishing gear is accidentally killing hundreds of thousands every year.

• Creating healthy seas — Human activities are threatening whales and dolphins: 90% of all whale and dolphin species have been observed eating plastic pollution. We are working to create protected areas where whales and dolphins will thrive; we also tackle issues like pollution and plastics, noise, and ship traffic.

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Planet Earth needs healthy oceans. And healthy oceans need whales and dolphins. It isn’t enough to conserve species, populations, and individuals. We need to restore their ocean environment and allow populations to recover to levels that existed before industrial-scale whaling and fishing devastated the oceans.

By supporting WDC’s work to protect whales and dolphins from threats like hunting, accidental entanglement in fishing gear, and pollution, you can also help to protect our shared ocean on which every living creature on Earth depends.