Two dead whales have landed in Spain’s Canary Islands, raising fears they may have been hurt by NATO military exercises off Morocco and that more could have died, officials said.

Sonar used by the military to spot enemy submarines is to blame for increasing cases of whales being stranded on beaches and dying, the scientific committee of the International Whaling Commission said in a report this week.

The International Whaling Commission’s annual meeting closed yesterday with a small but significant victory for countries that want to maintain a ban on commercial whaling well into the future.

A depleted population of beluga whales has stabilized five years after Alaska Natives agreed to virtually stop hunting them, the National Marine Fisheries Service said yesterday.

Whalers should strive to limit the suffering of the giant sea mammals they kill, says the International Whaling Commission (IWC), in a resolution hailed as a victory for animal welfare.

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) looked set to take a big step on Thursday toward lifting an 18-year-old ban on commercial whaling. Full Story

A whale killed on the bow of a giant container ship was brought up the Mersey yesterday.

The International Whaling Commission (IWC), struggling to heal a rift between hunters and conservationists, edged toward agreeing on new rules yesterday that could allow a return to commercial whaling.

Anti-whaling countries have held sway for more than two decades at International Whaling Commission meetings but new members could change that yesterday, delighting hunters and disgusting conservationists.

Six new countries have joined the International Whaling Commission, most of whom are expected to back the pro-hunting countries prompting accusations by conservationists of vote-buying.