SWNW Commercial Whaling

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WHERE DOES WHALE WATCHING FIT IN? HOW YOU CAN NO ONE EXPERIENCING A CLOSE PERSONAL HELP WHALES! encounter with whales can fail to be moved by these animals. Many even become advocates Go whale watching! Experience for yourself for whales. Properly regulated whale watching the beauty—and value—of seeing whales excursions show the beauty of whales to people in their own habitat. And encourage others worldwide. Students and tourists can also gain to do the same. valuable information about whales from whale watching programs. And researchers use whale To find out more about whales and watching vessels for their studies. Today, a live the commercial whaling issue, visit whale is more valuable than a dead one. The www.savewhalesnotwhaling.org or write to whale watching industry is now worth $1 us at Save Whales—Not Whaling, The HSUS, CETACEAN SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL billion, according to a recent study, and nearly 2100 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037. 500 communities in 87 countries offer whale The Humane Society of the United and dolphin watching tours. Whale watching States/Humane Society International is even a growing industry in Iceland, Norway, believes that commercial whaling and Japan! has no place in modern society. We no longer need the bone, blubber, meat, and oil that whales used to supply. In fact, today whales are more valuable alive than dead. Protecting whales not only helps the animals but also provides financial, NOAA/DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE educational, and aesthetic Write letters to your government officials, opportunities for people. who need to know that their constituents are concerned about whales. If you are a U.S. citizen, write to President George W. Bush, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20500. Urge him

Promoting the protection of all animals GRACIELA KADEN to maintain the same policy toward whaling that has been held by every president since 1972: No commercial whaling. Also ask President Bush to apply trade sanctions against the whaling countries that ignore their international obligations and continue to slaughter whales. If your country is an IWC member, ask your head of state to maintain the ban on commercial whaling. See our website, www.savewhalesnotwhaling.org, for more information.

Printed on recycled paper. CETACEAN SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL HUMPBACK WHALE COVER IMAGE TAKEN UNDER NMFS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PERMIT 882, ©PHILLIP COLLA/HAWAII WHALE RESEARCH FOUNDATION. overpopulated. They WHO IS KILLING THE WHALES? Endangered aren’t a threat to DESPITE THE IWC MORATORIUM, NORWAY anyone—although and Japan continue to slaughter whales. Norway one of the more uses a technicality that makes commercially by Greed absurd claims killing whales legal. Japan says it kills whales made by whaling only for “scientific research,” yet whale meat nations is that continues to be available at Japanese super-

A LL CO whales compete with the commercial fishing markets and restaurants—even meat from THE HSUS HIL ©P industry by eating commercially important endangered whale species. In 2001, after years VEN THOUGH WHALES HAVE SURVIVED fish. Indeed, many whales do not even eat fish, of taking minke whales for this so-called has discretionary power to impose trade for millennia, their lives are now in and the decline in many fish stocks is from research, Japan added Bryde’s whales and sanctions against a country to hold it account- Edanger. Some populations even face industrial overfishing. endangered sperm whales to its North Pacific able for its actions. Imposing trade sanctions extinction. One of their most deadly enemies? kill. In 2002, Japan announced that it would once would send a strong message, but former Commercial whaling. again increase the number of whales it kills and President Clinton did not act. President Bush You may have thought that whales were would begin to take endangered sei whales. has not yet chosen to apply sanctions—though already saved. Not so. Despite a moratorium Japan has also announced it will resume he is in a position to do so—and signal that he on commercial whaling—implemented by the international trade in whale meat with Norway. takes seriously the plight of the world’s whales. International Whaling Commission (IWC) in This is a critical time for whales and for the HOW ELSE CAN 1986—some countries are still killing whales. IWC whaling moratorium. Japan and Norway, WHALES BE PROTECTED? And for what? For profit. joined by Iceland, are lobbying for the resump- A COMPLETE AND PERMANENT BAN ON In this century, there are substitutes for the tion of full-scale commercial whaling. And by commercial whaling is the most effective way whale byproducts historically used for every- offering financial incentives to some of the IWC to comprehensively protect whales from this thing from perfume to corsets. Unfortunately, member countries in return for their pro-whaling threat to their survival. there is still demand for whale meat and votes, Japan is openly gathering support for Another important protection is the creation blubber as expensive delicacies, and countries overturning the moratorium. of international sanctuaries, areas that provide are willing to defy an international treaty to safe refuge for whales during critical feeding, supply them. HOW CAN WHALING breeding, and calving times. So far, the IWC has COUNTRIES BE STOPPED? created two sanctuaries: one in the Southern Ocean (Antarctica) and one in the Indian Ocean. WHY PROTECT WHALES? WHILE SOME COUNTRIES CONTINUE TO KILL Currently Australia and New Zealand are work- WHALES ARE AMONG THE WORLD’S MOST whales in defiance of the IWC ban, trade sanctions can be a persuasive means of getting them ing to create a South Pacific sanctuary, and fascinating and beautiful animals. These Brazil is working toward the establishment of And killing whales isn’t just needless—it’s to stop—at least temporarily. In 2000, The magnificent mammals nurse their young, breathe a South Atlantic sanctuary. Sanctuaries do not cruel. All methods of killing whales are inhumane Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) air, and communicate with one another. They just keep whales safe from hunters. They also because the large size of even the smallest petitioned the U.S. government populated the planet long before humans, yet engage and benefit the surrounding communi- whales, their remarkable adaptations for diving, to certify that under scientists have barely begun to understand ties by promoting whale watching who are and the uncontrollable weather and conditions the U.S. law known as them. Sentient, intelligent animals, and research and providing integral elements of their ecosystems at sea make it very the Pelly Amendment, , whales have incentives to reduce difficult to kill them Japan intrinsic value—reason enough to protect them. pollution and other instantaneously is dimin- But whales living in their natural habitats also habitat degradation. have economic value, as millions of people or render them ishing the pay to learn about them through whale immediately insensible. effectiveness of watching excursions. So whales may suffer an international In fact, there is no good reason to kill whales, horrible, painful deaths fisheries or endangered/ who also suffer the effects of pollution, global lasting anywhere threatened species conser- climate change, habitat degradation, fishing gear from a few minutes vation program. In such entanglement, and ship collisions. They aren’t to several hours. a case, the U.S. president