A new international coalition is ramping up pressure to bring an end to commercial whaling, uniting leading conservation organisations in a renewed global push ahead of a critical year for whale protection.
The End Commercial Whaling Coalition, launched on World Whale Day, is calling on governments to uphold the global moratorium on commercial whaling and finally bring the practice to a permanent close.
ORCA has now joined the growing alliance, adding its voice to a coordinated international effort aimed at influencing decision-makers ahead of the 70th meeting of the International Whaling Commission in 2026.
Commercial whaling was effectively banned in 1986 following decades of industrial hunting that killed nearly three million whales and pushed many species to the brink of extinction. Yet despite this global agreement, just three countries - Japan, Norway and Iceland - continue to hunt whales, with more than 45,000 killed since the ban came into force.
The new coalition is urging these remaining nations to end whaling once and for all, arguing that the practice is both outdated and unnecessary in the face of growing environmental pressures on the world’s oceans.
Alongside direct advocacy, the initiative includes a global public campaign, gathering support from citizens worldwide to demonstrate overwhelming backing for whale conservation ahead of key international negotiations later this year.
For ORCA, joining the coalition reflects a broader mission: ensuring whales are protected not just from hunting, but from the full range of modern threats they face - and securing a future where these iconic species are valued alive, not exploited.
Main image: Minke whale (credit: Hannah Snead)
Add your voice today by signing the global petition calling for stronger international action to end commercial whaling for good.