International Whaling Commission

• Japan's recent announcement of the completion of the Kangei Maru, a massive 9,300-ton factory ship spanning 112 meters, signals a concerning escalation in their pursuit of commercial whaling in the Southern Ocean.
• Captain Watson and his team have intercepted this threat with the acquisition of a fast, long-range vessel, which will allow them to disrupt any attempts at whaling.
• "The Japanese whalers are planning to target endangered Fin whales, and we intend to stop them," states Captain Watson.
• Captain Watson's unwavering commitment to marine conservation spans over five decades, and this upcoming endeavour marks a renewed effort to confront the exploitation of the ocean.

• In a bid to protect animals from poaching, the UK government has strengthened legal protections for five more species.
• Trading in ivory from hippos, walruses, narwhals, killer whales and sperm whales is set to be prohibited under the extended provisions of the Ivory Act 2018.
• The newly protected species make up a smaller proportion of the ivory trafficking trade than elephants.
• We think the effectiveness of the Ivory Act’s legal extensions may be hindered by several barriers.

1. Global disparity in wildlife law

• The global disparity between wildlife trade laws enables the continued circulation of illegally obtained ivory, often laundered alongside trade in legitimate ivory.
• The impact on ivory trafficking of an extended ban is likely to remain limited without a global consensus on wildlife laws.
• This remains the case despite international law setting out the basis for wildlife protection.

2. Policing

• Other studies consistently show that wildlife crime enforcement suffers from inadequate resources, and is not considered a primary focus within mainstream policing in the UK.
• Although the UK has a dedicated National Police Wildlife Crime Unit, training in wildlife crime is not included in the compulsory training regime for police officers.

3. Criminal organisations

• These criminal networks employ various techniques to facilitate their activities, including sophisticated smuggling methods, bribery, corruption and exploiting porous borders.
• The participation of criminal organisations contributes to a lack of understanding about the true scale of the ivory trade and the different species involved.

4. Ivory identification

• UK authorities enforcing the strengthened ban on ivory trade face the additional hurdle of accurately identifying ivory and ivory products.
• The situation will be further complicated by the fact that some existing ivory markets, such as those involving warthogs, are not covered by the extended Ivory Act.
• These gaps in protection again provide avenues for traffickers to exploit, by hiding illegal ivory among legal ivory trade.