As Japan’s whaling fleet heads to the Southern Ocean to hunt close to 1,000 minke and fin whales, Canberra said it was pursing a diplomatic solution to Tokyo’s yearly research hunt after Japanese complaints last season about the Australian patrol ship.

The whales — which number between 100 and 200 — are stuck near Bylot Island, close to the tiny town of Pond Inlet on the northern end of Baffin Island. The nearest open water is 30 miles (50 km) away.

A million tonnes of fish and other sea creatures caught in the North Sea are thrown overboard every year, according to a new report from WWF-Germany. The study, “Sea Creatures Are Not Rubbish”, shows that one-third of North Sea catch is discarded and call

The land and boat based whale watching potential is wonderful at present as at least a dozen fin and many minke whales have been seen off Courtmacsherry and Clonakilty Bays.

As part of the IWDG/GMIT project PReCAST, Greg Donovan, of the International Whaling Commission will give a public lecture in GMIT at 13:10 on Monday 24 November.

The Nisshin Maru set out from Innoshima in western Japan, Greenpeace said, part of a plan to take about 850 minke whales and 50 fin whales. Last year six ships took part in the hunt.

Japan’s annual cull, carried out for what it says is scientific research, will begin in weeks. Planet Ark

European Union Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg, who has often complained that existing controls are inadequate, proposed tightening up controls on inspections, monitoring and traceability requirements for the fishing industry.

Once again it was land-based reports from our network which gave us that all important steer as to where we should search for fin whales during our weeks fieldwork which we had planned to coincide with the peak in inshore sightings. Reports early in the week came from IWDG UK members Mary & John Imber

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A striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba live stranded today (14 November) at Doonsheane, near Dingle, Co. Kerry.