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Byron Shire
June 24, 2026

Good news for whales in Iceland

Latest News

Tweed Water Alliance and the future of the regions water

Community concern about large-scale water extraction in a quiet rural area, the use of heavy vehicle trucking on narrow, winding, country roads and unsustainable one-use bottling led to the formation of Tweed Water Alliance.

Other News

A heartfelt night of fundraising

We can’t solve the lack of social housing investment, or magically make emergency accommodation appear, but we can help alleviate suffering and bring warmth and comfort to people coping in truly awful situations.

In loving memory of Dr Tony Parkes AO PhD (1929 – 2026)

Dr Tony Parkes AO PhD, one of Australia’s most visionary conservation leaders and a pioneering force in ecological restoration, passed away last Thursday at the age of 96. He spent his final months at Honey Bee Homes in Ewingsdale.

Helping hands create strong communities

Volunteering fosters meaningful connections and Pottsville Beach Neighbourhood Centre creates a shared space where people from all backgrounds and circumstances gather.

Men’s XV: Byron Shire Rebels vs Lismore

The Rebels Men’s XV put in a dominant attacking display of rugby to see off Lismore 42-17, racking up...

The NT intervention laws that shape lives

local filmmaker Sinem Saban will be presenting back-to-back screenings in Murwillumbah of her two award-winning films that not only expose draconian Australian intervention policies, but also present the catastrophic fallout from these laws that have been unravelling in Aboriginal communities to this day.

Tipping point, climate change

Please do not think me didactic. There is a sense of urgency that communities including Byron Bay must prepare for. ...

Iceland’s annual quotas allow for the hunt of 209 fin whales – the planet’s second-largest species after the blue whale and considered endangered – and 217 minke whales, one of the smallest species. Minke Whales like this one will be one of the species saved by the Photo Port Douglas Reef Tours.

In an announcement that has made conservationsists very happy, Iceland‘s fisheries minister, Svandís Svavarsdóttir, has signalled plans to end commercial whaling by 2024 saying there is little economic justification to continue once current quotas expire in 2023.

Humane Society International (HSI) has campaigned for decades to bring an end to commercial whaling. With the news from Iceland, Japan and Norway will remain as the last two countries that still participate in the cruel commercial whaling industry.

HSI would be very pleased to see the Government of Iceland join countries like Australia who attend meetings of the International Whaling Commission to uphold its global moratorium on commercial whaling and invest in the conservation of whales.

Nicola Beynon, Head of Campaigns for Humane Society International, said, HSI is so pleased that Iceland is ending commercial whaling. ‘Once Iceland formally retires its harpoons we will be another step closer to making commercial whaling history, and hope that we will see similar commitments from Norway and Japan in the near future.’



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