Save the Whales

Ms. Medina,

I am wholly opposed to the International Whaling Commission proposal to legalize the whale hunts by Norway, Iceland, and Japan and open the largest whale sanctuary -- the Antarctic -- to legal whaling.  I urge you in your power as the U.S. delegate to the IWC to vote no on the proposal.

The way to protect whales is to enforce the ban on whaling that has been in place for 24 years, not to legalize the practice of inhumanely blasting them with exploding harpoons. Whales are facing increased threats from climate change, overfishing, and pollution -- and they must not face a larger threat of hunting as well. Finally, giving Norway, Iceland, and Japan legalized whaling sets a precedent that other countries will want to follow.

Please be a strong supporter for whales and urge your fellow delegates to the IWC to also vote no on the proposal.

My family comes from the Bay of Fundy, Canada where southern US "right whales" keep a nursery and other mammal species are known, i.e., beluga, minke, harbor porpoise, and others, to the weir fisher folk of Grand Manan Island, NB. Fish-farming is a better business than whaling, most sink when harpooned. Guelph University recorded "right whale" DNA in the 1980s, will the hunters?

Petition: Credo: Don’t legalize whale slaughter