Whale Wash: the Forgotten Whale

Winner of the Best Environmental Film award from Cannes, Whale Wash: the Forgotten Whale was supported in part by a Holtzman Wildlife Foundation grant.

“Whale Wash” is an investigative documentary that digs deep into the modern Norwegian whaling industry. It aims to answer the question of why Norway still hunts whales in the 21st century while many other historical whaling nations have ceased this archaic practice. Our research aims to understand why Norway continues to maintain a whaling industry; the science used to determine quotas, the ethical claims used to justify modern harpooning, whale meat contaminants, and the impact it has on whale stocks and the oceans.

Endangered Species Protection Agency investigators Pete and Hannah have captured contemporary footage of whale hunts in action and interviewed scientists, whalers, and Norwegian locals to gain insights into why Norway hunts over 500 minke whales each year.