WDCS in the North West Pacific

A number of species are regularly hunted through this region. In Japan, in shockingly cruel drive hunts, dolphins and small whales are driven into shallow bays and slaughtered with knives every year. Some dolphins are slaughtered for their meat and now, increasingly the aquarium industry pays larger sums for dolphins captured alive. We research and document these hunts, exposing the link between drive hunts and the captivity industry and highlighting the terrible suffering endured by dolphins captured and killed.

Recently, fisheries bycatch in West Pacific net and trawl fisheries has increased.

Of the river dolphins the baiji, a highly endangered species whose numbers may be as low as 200 individuals, are frequently caught on the rolling hooks used to snag fish along the Yangtze River.

Habitat degradation is likely very high in a number of coastal region, but little is known about the populations distribution of impact.

WDCS's historical contribution to this region has included conservation projects to protect:

• Bryde's whale, Japan;
• Finless porpoise, Taiwan;
• Minke whale, Japan;
• Orca, Japan;
• Orca living off the coast of Kamchatka, far eastern Russia;

Issues WDCS is currently working on in this region:

Whaling
WDCS Captivity Programme
WDCS Species Programme

Live Captures In its search for live dolphins, the aquarium industry is helping to fund brutal hunts in Japan, known as ‘drive hunts’. 2008-February-20

Stop Bloody Whaling A new threat to the world-wide ban on commercial whaling is looming. For years, Japan, Norway and Iceland have tried to overturn the moratorium on commercial whaling that was imposed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 1986. 2008-February-20