Commercial Whaling to be Resumed

Today is Earth Day and there are all kinds of activities, rallies and events going on around town and on the Mall. One to take note of is the Whale Rally.

During his presidential campaign, one of President Obama's promises was to uphold the moratorium on commercial whaling, approved in 1982 and set forth in 1986 by the Internatio
nal Whaling Commission (IWC.) To be specific, Obama said,

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

However, there is a proposal in front of the IWC right now that would effectively lift the moratorium by:

* Approving the killing of whales for commercial purposes by Japan around Antarctica and in the North Pacific
* Officially opening the Southern Ocean Sanctuary to whaling, reversing the IWC's own protections adopted in 1994
* Adding new rights for Japan to slaughter whales for profit in its coastal waters
* Allow continued whaling by Iceland and Norway in violation of long-agreed scientific procedures and the global whaling ban.


The proposed changes would, for all intents and purposes, reinstate commercial whaling around the world. And IWC representatives from the Obama administration are not opposed to the deal—in fact, they helped write it, are championing it, and are urging other nations to do the same!

The fact is, just decades ago, many whale populations were in danger of extinction and have only slowly recovered since the moratorium, in spite of several countries' refusal to follow international law. This new proposal would legitimize Iceland's, Norway's and Japan's lawless slaughter of whales and once again threaten those populations.

So what can you do?

If you are at all concerned about marine conservation, this is an issue you cannot ignore! Not everyone can make it to the Mall today to attend the Whale Rally. But you can still make a difference.

You can contact President Obama at www.whitehouse.gov/contact or phone the White House comment line: 202-456-1111 or contact your Congressional representatives at www.congress.org.

Visit the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) online. Read more about the proposed deal, and sign the WDCS petition telling Obama that you oppose commercial whaling.

The proposal will be published today, and voted on this June. Don't wait to take action!

Hollywood is Getting the Word Out

Ah, celebrity in America...

Achieve just a bit of fame, and you automatically garner respect and credibility in the eyes of the public. Either that, or you will just rile up a bunch of "haters." That being said, I applaud anyone who is willing to volunteer their time, skills, money or celebrity status for a good cause. I say, more black and white images of celebrities repeating each other. It works!

I know, I know... These guys are just actors, record producers, and musicians. But when it comes to the issue of marine mammals in captivity, the only expertise you need to take a stand is your own human nature. So I thank each of them for spreading this important message, and I hope I can help do the same.

Of course, if you haven't yet seen The Cove, see it. Then you, too, can help get the word out.

The Captivity Debate on CNN

Typically I'm not one to promote a group of talking heads batting back and forth, but there are compelling arguments for all sides here. Ric O'Barry, Jack Hanna, Thad Lacinak and Jane Velez-Mitchell square off on Larry King, debating the issue of marine mammals in captivity. This is, of course, following the tragic death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau.



Each of these guys makes a good point. The problem is each is so convinced that the other a greedy liar with nothing but nefarious intentions, that they can't hear each other. So they'll likely waste a lot of time arguing louder and louder, when they could be working toward tangible solutions.

So Larry King may not the best source for well-researched, substantial information. But if you can dig beneath some of the spite, rhetoric—and less than thought-provoking puns ("abusement parks, Ric?")—there are a few important considerations brought up here, no matter what your position may be.