The Conservation of UK Cetaceans: Out of sight and out of mind!

Act now to protect the UK’s whales and dolphins from harm

The report launched by WDCS into the threats facing the UK’s whales and dolphins has shown that the animals are facing numerous threats in UK waters with very little effective protection afforded to them. Every day UK whales and dolphins face being entangled in nets, poisoned, harassed, starved or evicted from where they feed and breed.

WDCS is calling on you to help protect these animals by appealing to the Government to commit to doing more to protect the whales and dolphins that live in UK waters.

Take action today by signing this petition, and urge the government to act.

To The Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP,  Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Dear Mr Benn,

The Conservation of UK Cetaceans: Out of sight and out of mind!
We, the undersigned, write to ask that the UK government does more to effectively protect our whales, dolphins and porpoises (collectively known as cetaceans). Outdated laws currently do little to help these animals, yet there are over two dozen species in UK waters and some, like the bottlenose dolphins, are already relatively rare.  All are little studied and our impacts on them mainly happen out of sight and therefore out of mind.
This needs to change and, as we continue to increase our activities in inshore and offshore waters, so we need to amend and improve existing laws to give these much loved  and appreciated animals improved protection. Accidental capture in fishing nets and ship strikes are activities that directly impact upon these animals. Less obvious, but potentially at least significant, are the loud noises from industry and other sources that increasingly pervade their environment.
We encourage the UK government to progress its plans for a Marine Bill. And we call on you to ensure that this and every other opportunity is taken to improve and enforce the relevant laws and give these animals the protection that they need and deserve.

Petition instructions
To sign up to this petition please enter your details opposite and press send. WDCS will forward the petition including only your name and address to the UK Government later this year. WDCS's privacy policy gives details on how the information you supply will be stored and used by WDCS, see below for details.