19 September 2015: Pacific countries and territories announced their intention to launch the Pacific Year of the Whale in 2016, with the aim of raising awareness of whale conservation and enhancing the conservation and management of the species.

At least 30 different whale and dolphin species live in or migrate through the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of Pacific island countries and territories. These whale species face threats from entanglement in fishing gear, ingestion of plastics and other marine debris as well as from climate change and marine pollution, according to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). In addition, industrial fishing contributed to a significant reduction in the population of humpback whales in the region, according to analysis by the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

Pacific countries have declared some of the world’s largest whale sanctuaries as part of their efforts to conserve these species, which has contributed to the increase of whale populations in the Pacific. SPREP’s Director-General David Sheppard described these actions, and the resulting increase in whale populations to around 5,000 whales, as “one of the world’s most encouraging conservation success stories.”

Pacific island governments and partners discussed the planning and preparation of the Pacific Year of the Whale Campaign during a one-day meeting on 19 September in Apia, Samoa, which convened in advance of the 26th SPREP Annual Meeting. The Campaign will address conservation management planning, education and science. Proposals for action include: a socio-economic update of whale watching activities in the Pacific; promotion of responsible whale watching; a survey on the impacts of deep-sea mining on cetaceans; a study on the cultural transmission of the humpback whale song in New Caledonia and across the Pacific islands; and other education and awareness activities.

SPREP members designate a key theme on which to focus their activities every two years. At SPREP’s Annual Meeting in 2014, members selected 2016-2017 as the Year of the Whale and agreed to develop a work programme for endorsement at the Annual Meeting in September 2015. [SPREP Press Release] [SPREP Circular on the Year of the Whale]