We are so excited to tell you about a major victory that our supporters helped achieve. Yesterday at the UN Ocean Conference, the Colombian government announced it will create four new official marine reserves, including one expanding the fully protected Malpelo Sanctuary of Fauna and Flora. Colombia will now surpass the goal of protecting 30% of its waters eight years before the 2030 deadline! The initiative to protect 30% of the global ocean by the year 2030, referred to as 30x30, is a target that scientists have indicated is necessary in order to prevent irreversible loss of marine life. A huge thank you to everyone who made their voice heard on the petition to protect the Eastern Tropical Pacific marine corridor. And, of course, this win would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of Colombia’s environmental, fishing, and maritime authorities, along with scientists, the private fishing sector, nonprofits, and the people of Colombia. With this remarkable action, Colombia will strengthen local fisheries, sustainable livelihoods, and the protection of marine biodiversity in its native waters and throughout the Eastern Tropical Pacific marine corridor. If you’d like to move another campaign to create sanctuaries close to victory, consider adding your name to the brand-new petition to expand the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument 🌎 ⛵️
Update: On May 4, 2024, the first brutal slaughter of the year took place in the Faroe Islands, turning the harbor of the town of Klaksvik red with the blood of 40 pilot whales. Without action, this horrific, unethical practice will continue to kill thousands, with more gruesome hunts planned throughout the year. Only One stands with the #DontVisitFaroe movement — urging travelers to reconsider their trips to the Faroe Islands until the cruel Grindadráp hunt is stopped. Learn more and join the campaign by following @DontVisitFaroeIslands on social media and sharing content from the Campaign Toolkit.
The Faroe Islands are known for their annual pilot whale hunt, a tradition called the Grindadráp or sometimes referred to as the Grind. The activity has been called into question by locals and health experts after decades of research have revealed the health consequences of consuming dolphin and pilot whale meat. Levels of carcinogens and toxins such as methylmercury and PCB have been rising within marine animals over the decades as a result of industrial pollution, leading to a number of health consequences including neurological and developmental damage.
Over 850 pilot whales were hunted last year alone, and since the turn of the century, more than 20,000 cetaceans — pilot whales, white-sided dolphins, and bottlenose dolphins — have been massacred off the Faroese shore.
Hunts are often prolonged and terror-inducing ordeals for these intelligent, social animals, where entire pods, including calves, are mercilessly butchered in the name of tradition.
This campaign began in 2021, when an entire super pod of at least 1,428 white-sided dolphins was killed in a record hunt that even seasoned whalers have deemed unethical. The massive pod, as in all hunts, was driven onto the beach by a coordinated fleet of boats and jet skis to be killed one by one. Panicked dolphins, including pregnant females and calves, were traumatized over the course of several hours, in a hunt that reportedly spanned more than 45 kilometers.
