Our biggest Threat to the Humpback Whales of Tonga. . . .

At the end of 2007, Japan plans to start killing 50 Humpback whales from Areas IV & V of the Southern Ocean near to Antarctica ! These are the humpback whales that migrate to Tonga, Niue, New Caledonia and the east coast of Australia. If this is allowed to happen - it will take just 3 - 4 years to wipe out the entire Tongan Humpback Whales!

During the the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in June 2006, the pro-whaling nations (click here for list and email addresses) were close to out-voting the anti-whaling nations to legalise the killing of whales in oceans all over the world - we and governments need to take drastic action to stop this happening at the 2007 meeting in June.
The only way we can stop the slaughter of our humpbacks is to lobby anti-whaling governments of non-member countries all over the to join the IWC and out-vote Japan and its 'paid' followers. WE NEED A 75% MAJORITY VOTE TO STOP THEM!
in 2006 we had just a 4 vote majority! In 2007 Japan will 'buy' more poor countries by giving millions of dollars for aid, pay for their 1st Class tickets and 5-Star accommodation - to vote with them!

For detailed information about 2006/2007 whale slaughtering by Japan - go to

http://www.seashepherd.org/whales/whales_world_Japan.html

How you can help . . .

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was founded in 1977 in Vancouver BC by Captain Paul Watson. The mandate of the organization was marine mammal protection and conservation with an immediate goal of shutting down illegal whaling and sealing operations.

With financial support from Cleveland Amory of the Fund for Animals, the society's first ship a North Atlantic sea trawler "the Westella" was purchased in Hull, England (UK) and renamed the Sea Shepherd. It's first mission was to the ice floes of eastern Canada to interfere with the annual killing of baby harp seals known as whitecoats.
In the same year, 1979, the Sea Shepherd hunted down and rammed the notorious pirate whaler the Sierra in a Portugal harbor ending its infamous career as the scourge of the seas.
The success of the seal campaign and the ramming of the Sierra was the start of Sea Shepherd's historical 160 voyages over the next 2 decades, enforcing international laws where no law enforcement existed - on the high seas.
Sea Shepherd continues to accomplish its mission by upholding and enforcing international treaties, laws and conventions of world governments.
Sea Shepherd is committed to the eradication of pirate whaling, poaching, shark finning, unlawful habitat destruction, and violations of established laws in the World's oceans.
To that end, Sea Shepherd assists national and international bodies in the enforcement of international law under authority of the United Nations World Charter for Nature.
http://www.seashepherd.org/

Facts about Japan's Slaughter of Whales:

* In 2006-7 Japan is carrying out their Antarctic "scientific whaling program" targeting 50 fin and 50 humpback whales - both are protected under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES). They also plan on killing 935 piked (Minke) whales.

* This plan also includes killing sei and sperm.

* Japan's whaling program was presented for vote to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in South Korea, June 2005, and was rejected. Despite losing the vote, Japan is proceeding with its program to take 935 minke whales (increased from 440), 50 fin, and 50 humpbacks whales, and others.

* Japan is exploiting a loophole in the International Regulation of Whaling Convention which was never intended to allow a commercial slaughter.

* Japan and Norway have slaughtered more than 25,000 whales under the "scientific whaling" loophole in the last 25 years.

* Japan heavily promotes the consumption of whale meat — they have introduced whale meat to their school lunch programs and sell whale meat in markets and sushi restaurants. Although Japan claims their whaling activities are a “cultural tradition” the facts dispute this. To learn more, read Captain Watson’s article, The Truth About ‘Traditional’ Japanese Whaling.

# May 2006, Reuters reports that in an effort to whet an appetite for whale meat among younger consumers, a new Japanese company is being formed to expand sales of whale meat to include school lunch programs and family-oriented restaurant chains. The new company (name not revealed) will start business in late June and hopes to sell 1,000 tons of whale meat over the next year. They will be highlighting the meat's high protein and low calories, and they intend to sell it on the Internet. The head of the Institute of Cetacean Research, which conducts Japan's whaling program, says, "We have to preserve this sort of traditional food culture among children," and he said that school lunch programs would be charged lower prices for whale meat to help make this happen.

# In September of 2005, the Associated Press reported that a public junior high school in the northern port town of Kushiro is serving "whale curry." The meat is from minke whales that the local whalers caught off the coast of Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido. The elementary school will soon be serving whale meat as well, and future dishes for these schools include "whale meat croquettes." These local whalers plan on killing 60 whales as a part of their "research program."

# A Japanese hamburger chain sells whale-meat burgers. Lucky Pierrot, which operates fast-food restaurants mainly on the northernmost island of Hokkaido, said whale meat had emerged as one of the two most popular fillings in a customer survey, according to the newspaper Mainichi Shimbun.

# The Prime Minister of Japan regularly meets with leaders of other nations to gather and/or retain support for whaling, some examples include:

* August 3, 2005: Mr. Ludwig Scotty, the President of the Republic of Nauru
* July 11, 2005: Mr. Halldor Asgrimsson, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Iceland
* July 11, 2005: Mr. Allan Kemakeza, the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands
* June 17, 2004: Mr. Enrique Bolanos Geyer, the President of the Republic of Nicaragua
Click here for more

# By continuing to ignore the rulings of the IWC Scientific Committee, Japan is setting a precedent which other nations could follow.

Australia, Tonga and New Zealand: Special Reason for Concern

* Humpbacks which migrate to New Zealand, Tonga, and New Caledonia will be targeted — heavily impacting local tourism in these countries.

* Humpback whales which migrate up and down the East and West Coasts of Australia will be targeted.

* Humpback whale watching in Australia & whale-swimming in Tonga could be seriously impacted as their numbers diminish and as the ones who do survive become wary of boats and human activity.

* Scientists say that the humpback whale populations targeted by Japan will go locally extinct if whalers kill the numbers Japan proposes.

* Legal experts say that Japan needs to be taken to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for abusing its rights under the IWC Convention.

* Many people and organizations believe that Australia and New Zealand should take Japan to the ICJ on behalf of their countries and other smaller countries in the South Pacific which are impacted by Japan's slaughter.

* It is vitally important to write a letter to Prime Minister John Howard asking him to lay a formal complaint in the ICJ over Japan's abuse of power .

Petition & 'Write Letters' Sites

Sign this petition! Click here

Sea Shepherd Organisation http://www.seashepherd.org/whales/whales_world_Japan.html

Sign this petition! www.cgeorgemuller.com/antiwhalingpetition.htm

Sign this petition! http://www.madmermaids.com/stop_whaling_cyber_activist.html

Do the Japanese really like whale-meat - or is it about power?

We hear that whale meat is being stock piled in Japan and that the whaling issue is just about POWER. Power that was taken away from Japan in 1945 when they lost the Second World War??

We are also told that the Japanese government are supplying FREE whale burgers in schools to attempt to get the children to acquire the taste for whale meat!

Have a look at this page!! I didn't believe what I was seeing! http://luna.pos.to/whale/gen_cook.html

More wonderful organisations to donate to . . .

Ocean Alliance, Inc., was founded in 1971 by biologist Roger Payne. Led by Dr. Payne and Chief Executive Officer Iain Kerr, Ocean Alliance collects a broad spectrum of data on whales and ocean life relating particularly to toxicology, behavior, bioacoustics, and genetics. From that data we work with our scientific partners to advise educators and policy makers on wise stewardship of the oceans to: reduce pollution, prevent the collapse of marine mammal populations, maintain human access to fish and other sea life, and benefit ocean and human health. http://www.oceanalliance.org/

Humane Society USA

13 Animal Protection and Conservation Groups Call on U.S. Government to Sanction Iceland For Killing Whales in Defiance of Moratorium

WASHINGTON (Dec. 13, 2006) — Today a coalition of 13 animal protection and conservation organizations asked the U.S. government to take swift and decisive political and economic action against Iceland for resuming a commercial whale hunt in defiance of a 20-year moratorium. The Iceland Fisheries Ministry started a commercial hunt of fin and minke whales in October, in addition to its current whaling under the guise of “scientific” research.

Despite worldwide opposition, Iceland killed seven endangered fin whales and one minke whale before the hunt was postponed due to inclement weather. The Fisheries Ministry says it intends to take a total of 30 minke whales and nine fin whales for commercial purposes, in addition to another 39 for “science” research, by September 2007.

In a letter sent today to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez and Department of Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, the groups urged the Bush Administration to impose trade sanctions under the Pelly Amendment to the Fisherman’s Protection Act, which allows the President of the United States to prohibit the importation of any fish or wildlife products from that country when its nationals are diminishing the effectiveness of an international program designed to protect fisheries and wildlife. The petition refers to the International Whaling Commission, which enacted a moratorium on commercial whaling that took effect in 1986, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which prohibits international trade in whale meat.

“We believe that the time for review, diplomacy and dialogue with Iceland has long passed,” the groups wrote. “Iceland is now undermining the IWC on two fronts and conducting commercial as well as scientific whaling in defiance of the IWC’s moratorium. It needs to face both certification and sanctions by the United States for its conduct.”

The coalition, with a combined membership of more than 11 million, comprises The Humane Society of the United States and its international arm, Humane Society International, Defenders of Wildlife, the Environmental Investigation Agency, Natural Resources Defense Council, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, Animal Welfare Institute, the World Society for the Protection of Animals USA, Cousteau Society, American Cetacean Society, Cetacean Society International, Earth Island Institute, International Wildlife Coalition, and The Whaleman Foundation.

In June 2004, Iceland was certified under the Pelly Amendment for its scientific whaling program, and this certification remains active. After controversially rejoining the IWC with a reservation to the moratorium, Iceland soon launched its research whaling program. The program has since killed 160 minke whales, including 60 in 2006.

“We believe that a Pelly Certification and sanctions against Iceland are necessary to uphold and confirm the United States’ long-standing policy of opposing commercial as well as lethal research whaling,” the groups wrote. “Iceland’s whaling program, in addition to its plans for international trade, show indifference to world opinion and blatant disregard of two vital international conservation programs.”

Editor's note: For a copy of the letter, please click here

Media Contact: Polly Shannon, 301-721-6440 , pshannon@hsus.org

Interested in taking action online to help animals? Then join our online community and sign up for our Humane Action Network. Go to www.hsus.org/join

The International Whaling Commission

The 59th Annual meeting is to be held in Anchorage, Alaska USA from May 22 - 31 2007

http://www.iwcoffice.org/index.htm