Cetaceans and the Oceans Crisis

Briefing prepared for the International Whaling Commission meeting in Sorrento, 2004. As human activities continue to degrade the world's oceans, species and populations of cetaceans (the collective name for whales, porpoises and dolphins) are under increasing threat. Global warming, ozone depletion, toxic chemicals, noise pollution, over fishing and ship strikes all impact cetaceans and are symptoms of a wider crisis in the oceans.In view of the oceans crisis outlined above, Greenpeace believes that commercial hunting of cetacean species should be stopped and that the International Whaling Commission (IWC) should make conservation its primary focus to ensure that these animals are preserved for future generations.