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Whaling

Black-and-white photo of two men in outdoor gear standing besides a large harpoon gun on a boat

The Soviet Union once hunted endangered whales to the brink of extinction — but its scientists opposed whaling and secretly tracked its toll

Environment

The Soviet Union was a latecomer to industrial whaling, but it slaughtered whales by the thousands once it started and radically under-reported its toll to international monitors.

The tale of a humpback whale is shown rising out of the ocean and slapping on the surface of the water near Okinawa, Japan.

Japan to resume commercial whaling after pulling out of IWC

Environment
Humpback whale

The humpback whale population is recovering

Climate Change
The carcass of a right whale is prepared to be towed out to sea near Norway, Prince Edward Island.

Experts say ‘extinction is around the corner’ for Atlantic right whales

Environment
The Sexy Ebola Nurse Halloween costume

Consumerism knows no bounds when it comes to taste

Global Scan
Japan kills whales

Japan vows to continue its whaling program, despite an international ruling ordering it to stop

Environment

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the global whale population was hunted to near extinction. A moratorium on commercial whaling, proposed in 1982 and enforced beginning in 1986 aimed to reverse this, and it has been successful: some whale species are beginning to recover, albeit slowly. Japan, however, has continued killing whales, in the name of “research” — and after agreeing to abide by an international ruling ordering it stop, it is now planning to resume whaling in 2015.

Coral trout

Could this trout really be as smart as a chimp?

Global Scan

Scientists have long thought there were certain signs of intelligence only shared by humans and chimpanzees. So they were startled to find one of those characteristics in a fish — a very smart fish, yes, but still a regular old coral trout. Meanwhile in Africa, Gambian legislators plan to increase the punishment for anyone convicted of being habitually gay to life in prison. And a doctor discusses the cruel impact of Ebola in Africa, in today’s Global Scan.

Blue whales are the largest creatures that have ever lived. They were hunted to near extinction in the 20th century and have only recovered since to perhaps 10% of their pre-whaling numbers, but new research has found that the Northeastern Pacific populat

Here’s the green success story of the California blue whale

Environment

A new study of blue whales in the eastern Pacific has found that the population of the behemoths there has bounced back to near pre-whaling levels. But other populations of blues elsewhere are not doing nearly as well.

Bowhead whale catch

A successful whale hunt in northern Canada revives an ancient Inuit tradition

Food

Hunting the bowhead whale has been part of Inuit life in northern Canada for centuries. Communities throughout the vast region are now re-experiencing the ancient practice in order to maintain their culture and their identity. Hunting the bowhead whale has been part of Inuit life in northern Canada for centuries. Communities throughout the vast region are now re-experiencing the ancient practice in order to maintain their culture and their identity.

Workers butcher a Baird's Beaked whale at Wada port in Minamiboso, southeast of Tokyo. Today's order by a UN court now stops the practice in the southern ocean.

Japan told it can’t hunt whales near Antarctica — because it’s not scientific

Environment

The United Nation’s International Court of Justice ruled Monday that Japan’s whale hunting near Antarctica must stop immediatelyThe United Nation’s International Court of Justice ruled Monday that Japan’s whale hunting near Antarctica must stop immediately