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Greenpeace actions againts Norwegian whalers. © Greenpeace

Over 25 years of saving whales The oceans have changed in the 50 years that the IWC has been attempting to manage whales. Commercial whaling has devastated some of the whale populations. In the South Pacific waters around Tonga the humpback whales have been virtually wiped out.

Since the first Greenpeace vessel the Phyllis Cormack confronted a Soviet whaling ship off the coast of California in 1975, Greenpeace has steadfastly pursued an end to commercial whaling through many forms of peaceful, and often dramatic, action.

Watch the slide show for a picture history of Greenpeace in action over 25 years of saving whales.

Expectations for the recovery of whale populations have been based on the assumption that, except for commercial hunting, their place in the oceans is as secure as it was a hundred years ago. Sadly, this assumption is no longer valid.