New research shows reduced krill supplies lead to fewer pregnancies in humpback whales – a finding that could have major implications for industrial krill fishing.

Umair Shahid leads WWF’s tuna fisheries work in the Indian Ocean to protect marine species, including whales and dolphins, from a range of threats including bycatch. Learn more about his work with local fishers.

Increasing shipping traffic worldwide poses a serious threat to whales and dolphins, warns two separate WWF reports launched today, on World Ocean Day. Both call for stronger action from governments and industry to urgently reduce shipping impacts to protect marine life.

It’s a global conservation success story. Humpback whale populations, once hunted to near extinction, are bouncing back, so much so that right now, the Australian Government is assessing whether to remove the Humpback whale from its threatened species list. WWF has advised the government to hold off – for now, taking a precautionary approach and delaying this assessment by an additional five years. Chris Johnson, Global Lead for WWF’s Whales and Dolphins Initiative, explains why.

So-called “ghost gear”, fishing equipment which is lost in the sea, can continue killing marine life for decades or even centuries after it first enters the ocean, making it the most deadly form of marine plastic debris. WWF is calling on governments to develop a legally binding global plastic pollution treaty that addresses this fundamental threat to marine wildlife.