Posts By: Willie Mackenzie

Why the South Atlantic should be a sanctuary for whales.

One of the most significant issues being discussed and voted on at the upcoming International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Slovenia is the call to create a Whale Sanctuary in the South Atlantic. But what is a whale sanctuary? Why does it matter? And what’s so special about the South… Read More

Willie Mackenzie - 20th October 2016

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A brief history of whales and commercial whaling

Commercial whaling devastated the world’s biggest whale species, pushing some of them to the very brink of extinction in the early to mid 20th Century. Whaling for meat, oil, or whalebone was not a new idea, but new explosive harpoons and industrialised factory ships plundering the seas for whales had… Read More

Willie Mackenzie - 20th October 2016

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International Whaling Commission meeting 2016 – what to expect.

Delegations from global governments, and representatives from NGOs are currently on their way to Slovenia for the biennial meeting of the International Whaling Commission meeting – so here’s a quick synopsis of what to expect from the meeting: Whaling: this year’s IWC meeting is likely to be a polarised debate,… Read More

Willie Mackenzie - 20th October 2016

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New trade protections for sharks – but are they enough?

Like it or not, around the world many species of animals are seen as tradeable commodities – for things like food, fur, fashion or medicine. Of course we know that historically hunting animals for commercial gain has often been really bad news for the animals concerned. Just stop and think… Read More

Willie Mackenzie - 19th October 2016

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Orange roughy – a ‘sustainable’ fish certification too far.

Orange roughy are easy to over fish. So, humans do. But that doesn’t seem to be stopping moves to re-define them as ‘sustainable’ by the Marine Stewardship Council. True, when we started fishing orange roughy we didn’t know that this slow-growing, long-lived, deep water fish was… Read More

Willie Mackenzie - 21st June 2016

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Fishing for plankton is ridiculous.

In the ocean, plankton is food. There are two types of plankton – tiny plants (phytoplankton) and tiny animals (zooplankton). Zooplankton includes some eggs and larvae of things like fish and crabs, as well as some minute animals that feed on phytoplankton. That makes them the first link in any… Read More

Willie Mackenzie - 1st June 2016

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