The Rainbow Warrior has set sail from Bangkok in Thailand after winning greater protection for a number of endangered species - including the Irrawaddy dolphin and great white shark.
Greenpeace protesters alongside a dead whale are dragged inside a whaling ship
CITES All trade in endangered species is governed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Following the IWC's announcement of a whaling moratorium in 1982, CITES classified the great whales as protected species, and outlawed international trade in whale products.
A return to full-scale commercial whaling could be just a hair's breadth away. Although the 1986 moratorium on whaling dramatically reduced the number of whales being caught, hunting still goes on. Now Norway and Japan are seeking to remove the protected status of whales and resume international trade. This would be a disaster for whales. In response to this threat. Greenpeace is demanding an end to all commercial whaling, once and for all. All whale species must be permanently protected.
