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For Immediate Release
January 30, 2008 |
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Rahall, Panettiere,
Kerry and Shays Call for Reinvigorated U.S. Participation
in Global Anti-Whaling Efforts
Washington, D.C. – In advance of a March 2008 special
meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in London,
England, Congressman Christopher Shays (CT-4) joined House
Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick J. Rahall (WV-3),
Senator John Kerry, Co-Chairman of the Friends of Animals
Caucus, actress Hayden Panettiere, spokeswoman for the Save
the Whales Again! Campaign, and leading conservation groups
on Tuesday. to urge U.S. leadership to continue to lead the
fight against commercial whaling.
In recent years, several countries have worked to reverse
the international moratorium on commercial whaling that has
been in effect since 1986.
The following is Shays’ statement:
The Japanese whaling fleet’s continued circumvention
of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling
is truly an outrage. I am grateful for the work of Save the
Whales Again!, the Animal Welfare Institute, and my colleagues
Congressman Rahall and Senator Kerry for their dedication
to this issue.
Even with an international moratorium against commercial
whaling since 1986, Japan has killed nearly 11,000 whales
for commercial purposes under the guise of “scientific
research.”
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) has repeatedly
condemned this hunt, and Save the Whales Again! is a critical
partner in ending this needless and brutal slaughter.
In November, the Japanese whaling fleet set out for the Southern
Ocean Whale Sanctuary with plans to kill over 1,000 whales.
Whale meat and blubber are sold commercially, yet Japan continues
to insist that this is permissible under the scientific research
provision of the IWC.
Not only has Japan increased the number of whales it plans
to kill this year, it has also declared it will kill 50 endangered
humpback whales. Since 1960, humpbacks have been fully protected
from commercial whaling by the IWC.
Seventy-five of my House colleagues and I joined together
to write to President Bush, urging the Administration take
strong action against the whale hunt and condemn the Japanese
Government. We asked the President to call for an end to these
hunts and to consider all diplomatic, economic and trade measures
available to ensure international protections for whales are
not undermined, but strengthened.
Contact: Dave Natonski , 202/225-5541
Contact:
Sarah Moore, 202/225-5541
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