Whales in the Arctic
Whale news
27 Jun 2008
Some progress for whales – but a long way to go
WWF has applauded the International Whaling Commission’s willingness to re-examine its role in whale conservation, but is concerned the process might take too long for some threatened whale and dolphin species.
Some progress for whales – but a long way to go
WWF has applauded the International Whaling Commission’s willingness to re-examine its role in whale conservation, but is concerned the process might take too long for some threatened whale and dolphin species.
Some of these live in the Arctic all year round, such as the narwhal and beluga, and some, such as the humpback whale and gray whale migrate to the cooler arctic waters during the northern summer to give birth.
Learn more about the many different whale species that live in the Arctic.
Threats to whales
Together we can make the world's oceans safe for whales. Learn more about WWF's work to protect whales.
© WWF / Ogilvy Indonesia
© WWF / Ogilvy Indonesia
Collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing gear threaten the North Atlantic right whale with extinction, while the critically endangered Western North Pacific grey whale is at serious risk because of intensive oil and gas development in its feeding grounds.
Alarm is growing over other hazards including toxic contamination, the effects of climate change and habitat degradation.
Despite a moratorium on commercial whaling and the declaration of virtually the whole of the Southern Ocean as a whale sanctuary, each year over 1,000 whales are taken for the commercial market.
What WWF is doing
WWF is actively working to reduce the major threats to whales: bycatch, climate change, collisions, seismic& sonar activity and overfishing.WWF's long term vision for whales is for all populations of whales to have recovered to viable numbers and to be thriving throughout the oceans. WWF is working for a significant reduction of threats to endangered populations of great whales as well as several smaller cetaceans.
WWF is lobbying to bring whale hunting under the strict control of the International Whaling Commission, through field research, training and capacity building, conservation education, and by securing improved national and international action and agreements.
Through support to TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring programme of WWF and IUCN (the World Conservation Organisation) the organisation is closely investigating and monitoring the illegal trade in whale meat.
