Urgent!
On May 10th, 2001 a Japanese whaling fleet set out to hunt Sperm, Bryde's and Minke whales. Since 1986 all commercial whaling has been banned by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), yet Japan's recent decision to expand its hunt to include the endangered Sperm and threatened Bryde's whales demonstrates a remarkable escalation in its defiance of international opinion.
Japan justifies its hunts under an IWC loophole that permits limited "Scientific Whaling" to study the whales' genetics and diet. However, the IWC itself has repeatedly spoken out against the Japanese whaling as unjustifiable, and much of the meat and blubber is sold in Japanese restaurants where it is considered a delicacy. The 440 whales slaughtered by Japan in year 2000 is a clear indication of a commercial, not "scientific", rationale.
Incredibly, the Japanese hunts take place in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary, an area the IWC has designated an International Whale Sanctuary!
Fifteen nations have formally issued a diplomatic protest to the government of Japan. Even public opinion polls in Japan show little support for whaling, particularly if it damages Japan's image and economy overseas.
Norway, too, continues to hunt whales, aiming to kill 549 minke whales in the north Atlantic in 2001. In January, 2001, Norway announced it will expand its whaling business by lifting the export ban on whale products, despite the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) that prohibits all trade in whale products.
Worldwide populations of whales have been decimated by hunting in the past and still face an uphill battle against pollution, injuries from commercial shipping, and multiple other threats. Hunting is an avoidable and unacceptable threat to the survival of these imperiled animals which live in International Waters.
We, the people of the world, call for the governments of Japan and Norway to immediately cease all whaling and international trade in whale products.
The undersigned.
