AWI Quarterly Articles | Marine Wildlife

On December 26, Japan announced that it will leave the International Whaling Commission (IWC), ending its 65-year membership in the organization. In an associated announcement, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga stated that the nation plans...

By Dr. Elizabeth Burgess and Dr. Rosalind Rolland, Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, New England Aquarium In 2010, 280 Florida manatees died during prolonged cold weather due to chronic metabolic stress, known as “cold-stress...

In an unprecedented reprimand, the Standing Committee to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has determined that Japan’s use of thousands of tons of meat from endangered...

The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) was passed in 1972. Over the years it was amended, but its fundamentally protective nature has remained unchanged. The statute outlawed the killing of any marine mammal, with limited...

With a current population of only 74 whales—a 30-year population low—southern resident orcas (a.k.a. killer whales) are in crisis. Their primary prey, Chinook salmon, are endangered, and the whales are starving. In March, Washington Governor...

After a two-year break, Russia has once again issued permits to capture free-ranging orcas and belugas in the Sea of Okhotsk for display in entertainment parks. This summer, rather than taking a more typical 20–30...

Members of the United Nations have begun negotiations on the first treaty to manage and protect biodiversity in international waters. These vast areas of open ocean are far from coastlines and vulnerable to overexploitation and...

In September, AWI took part in the 67th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Florianópolis, Brazil. The meeting delivered a series of surprises—not least of which was that Japan failed to secure support...

The cruel shark fin trade continues to decimate shark populations worldwide, and demand from the United States contributes to that toll. Although 15 states and territories ban the sale of shark fin products, it remains...

In July, observers perched on top of the hillside overlooking Iceland’s Hvalur fin whaling station noticed that the large whale being dragged up the slipway looked different. The whale was a mottled grayish-blue color and...