{"id":113334,"date":"2026-10-01T20:32:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T19:32:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/?p=113334"},"modified":"2026-10-01T20:42:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T19:42:09","slug":"english-la-baleine-bleue-entre-charybde-et-scylla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/english-la-baleine-bleue-entre-charybde-et-scylla\/","title":{"rendered":"The blue whale between Scylla and Charybdis"},"content":{"rendered":"

70th International Whaling Commission
\nPress release n\u00b03<\/p>\n

In 2026, the Scientific Committee of the IWC completed an in-depth assessment of blue whale populations in the Antarctic. The abundance of the species prior to industrial whaling is estimated at around 200,000 individuals. In 1973, the year of the last official catch report, the population was estimated at 418 individuals. By 2024, it had recovered to around 4,000 individuals. According to the Scientific Committee\u2019s base model, blue whales in the Antarctic are expected to reach 60 per cent of their pre-whaling abundance \u2013 that is, 120,000 individuals \u2013 by\u2026 2102. The two new threats facing blue whales will undoubtedly further delay this already distant deadline.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a9 valentijnvanb<\/p>\n

1. Scylla <\/strong><\/p>\n

In two press releases issued during the 68th and 69th\u00a0plenary meetings of the IWC in Slovenia in 2022 and in Peru in 2024, Robin des Bois sounded the alarm over the industrial exploitation of krill (1). In 2002, around 100,000 tonnes were fished in the Southern Ocean by seven trawlers. In 2022, ten trawlers harvested 415,000 tonnes. In 2026, eleven trawlers caught 620,000 tonnes. These \u2018krill killers\u2019 are becoming increasingly powerful and predatory. In September 2024, China carried out the first trials of the Fu Yuan Yu 9199, <\/em>which is 140 metres long. The Norwegian company Aker QRILL, which already operates the Saga Sea<\/em>, the Antarctic Sea<\/em>, the Antarctic Endurance<\/em> and the Antarctic Provider<\/em>, is set to operate a fifth krill trawler for the 2026\u20132027 season \u2013 a \u2018revolutionary\u2019 mega-killer dedicated to \u2018green krill fishing\u2019. The krill market is booming: it is used as feed for salmon and other farmed fish, and in omega-3-rich dietary supplements for humans and pets. Alongside industrial fishing, krill is under threat from the effects of global warming. Whales are facing food shortages. Krill (Euphausia superba<\/em>), a small crustacean that travels in swarms, forms the basis of the diet of the largest whales (between 25 and 30 metres long). The blue whale filters several tonnes of krill through its baleen each day.<\/p>\n

By 2026, the krill industry will be worth 2 billion euros. To prevent unfair competition from human activities and to protect blue whales and other baleen whales, it is urgent to drastically reduce the quota allocated to fishing nations in the most accessible part of the Southern Ocean (Area 48) and to regulate the krill market by listing the species in Appendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).<\/p>\n

Although the IWC\u2019s Scientific Committee refers repeatedly to the interactions between krill fishing and whales, the 70th\u00a0plenary meeting of the IWC does not treat this as a major issue and no resolution addresses the subject.<\/p>\n

2. Charybdis<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, Ireland, on behalf of the European Union Member States, submit a resolution on vessel strikes. Global maritime trade, recreational boating and offshore racing pose a growing threat to whales. Traumas, fractures, haemorrhages, lacerations and amputations result in immediate death, fatal injuries in the short or long term, or disabling injuries.<\/p>\n

According to research by biologists at Stanford University, blue whales have not yet developed effective defensive manoeuvres when commercial vessels approach. When you weigh 130 tonnes, it is difficult to dive vertically straight away to avoid a ship. Blue whales do not descend quickly enough to a depth of at least 30 metres to escape being sucked into the propellers. This is also the case for many other cetaceans, and the lacerations on the backs of whales and dolphins that become stranded point to the propellers of commercial and cruise ships as the cause. Collisions can also result in ramming. On 17 September 2026, as she approached the port of Sitka in subarctic Alaska, the cruise ship Norwegian Joy<\/em>, 333 metres long, with a capacity of 3,883 passengers and operated by Norwegian Cruise Line, arrived with a fin whale impaled on her bow. In Antarctica, too, cruise ships pose a growing threat to whales, particularly humpback whales, which spend part of the night at the ocean\u2019s surface or very close to it with their calves.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Sitka, Alaska \u00a9 NOAA<\/p>\n

Several thousand such accidents occur every year across the world\u2019s oceans. The true extent of the problem is all the more uncertain given that there is currently no obligation to report them. The European Union\u2019s initial proposal encouraged the governments of Member States \u201cto develop vessel strike reporting requirements\u201d. However, it was watered down following a working group, and governments are now simply encouraged to collect high-quality information and report it regularly to the IWC\u2019s Global Vessel Strikes Database. This resolution recognises that lower vessel speeds and making minor routeing changes to avoid migration corridors and nursery areas are the best ways to reduce collisions.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/p>\n

The cry of the krill, September 25, 2024<\/a>
\nWhales in hot water n\u00b02, October 20, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Only in French.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":113332,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-113334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actualites"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113334"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":113341,"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113334\/revisions\/113341"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robindesbois.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}