Friday, April 02, 2010

Betraying the Whales

This is what Forty-four wrote in response to a Greenpeace questionnaire dated March 16, 2008 when he was running for the office of President:

"As president I will ensure that the US provides leadership in enforcing international wildlife protection agreements, including the strengthening the international moratorium on commercial whaling.  Allowing Japan to continue commercial whaling is unacceptable."

Actions always speak louder than words, even when they come out of the mouth of the President of the United States.  If Forty-four means what he said, then the US delegation to the International Whaling Commission (IWC), hand picked by him, should not be supporting the vote to reinstate commercial whaling or pressuring other countries to do the same!  Japan continues to push hard for a resumption of commercial whaling, and a small working group within the IWC has recommended that commercial whaling be reinstated.   The issue is set for a vote at the June meeting of the IWC. The draft proposal would allow hunting in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica and grant Japan new hunting right in its coastal waters. Countries in the middle of the fight such as New Zealand see compromise on the moratorium as the only way out of the impasse. Australia is prone to take Japan to international court to oppose the use of the scientific research exception to the moratorium used by Japan as cover for its Southern Ocean whaling operations.   Iceland may have to drop its miniscule whaling industry as a condition for joining the EU.  That leaves Norway as the only other country that actively hunts whales.  Countries supporting Japan's demands to resume commercial whaling are doing so only as payback for Japan's support on other diplomatic issues such as status of forces agreements.  The Administration must step up and be counted on this important international agreement, and insist that the moratorium in place since 1986 be maintained.  Whales are fighting for their lives against habitat loss, ship collisions, pollution and entanglement in discarded fishing gear.  They need us to fight for them against whaling.  Countries around the world support continuing the ban, so tell Obama to match action with his words.