Target: Huw Irranca-Davies, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Welsh Government, Wales, United Kingdom
Goal: Fully investigate the fin whale’s death and, if violations such as reckless vessel strikes, illegal dumping, or bycatch non-compliance are found, impose maximum penalties and enact immediate protections to prevent further losses.
A massive fin whale—the second-largest animal on Earth—was found dead on a remote shoreline, its remains too decomposed for a full post-mortem. Investigators are gathering samples, but the public is left with a grim scene and unanswered questions. Fin whale strandings in this region are unusual, and the inability to determine a cause should not stall accountability where it is due.
Strandings experts have long highlighted human-linked dangers to whales, including deadly ship strikes, entanglement in “ghost” fishing gear, and plastics and chemical pollution that can poison marine life. These are not abstract risks: when fast vessels cut through rich feeding grounds, collisions shatter bones and rupture organs; derelict nets can cinch tight and drown animals; contaminants may silently weaken or kill. None of this confirms what happened here—but it underscores why a rigorous inquiry and real consequences, where warranted, are essential.
Sign below to demand authorities treat this case as a potential wildlife crime until ruled out, pursue every lead, and, if any individual or company is found to have broken the law, seek maximum penalties. Beyond accountability, immediate preventive steps are vital: seasonal slow-zones and routing advisories in whale hotspots, strict enforcement against illegal dumping, robust bycatch-mitigation and gear-marking, and rapid-response necropsy protocols so evidence is not lost to the tide.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Cabinet Secretary Irranca-Davies,
A rare and majestic fin whale has been discovered dead on our coast, its body too degraded for a standard necropsy. While the precise cause remains unknown, this tragic loss highlights urgent risks to whales from human activity—including reckless ship speeds in known habitats, entanglement in abandoned fishing gear, and pollution that can sicken and kill.
We respectfully urge your office to direct a thorough, transparent investigation into this stranding and to coordinate wildlife, maritime, and fisheries enforcement so that any party found to have violated marine-protection laws faces the strongest available sanctions. That should include significant fines, license suspensions where appropriate, and criminal prosecution for egregious offenses.
At the same time, please implement immediate safeguards to prevent the next loss: targeted seasonal slow-zones and routing guidance in whale-dense waters; tighter oversight and penalties for illegal dumping; mandated and enforced bycatch-reduction measures and gear-retrieval efforts; and clear, public reporting on strandings outcomes. Treating this death as a catalyst for action can save lives—if violations are uncovered, let there be meaningful consequences, and let protective measures begin now.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Nilfanion
