Delahunt Urges Support Of International Commercial Whaling Ban

06/19/2008

WASHINGTON, DC – This week, Congressman Bill Delahunt took to the floor to lead discussion in the House of Representatives in support of a resolution he co-sponsored to end all practices of commercial whaling. The resolution (H. Con. Res 350), was passed by a voice vote last night and called on the United States delegation to the International Whaling Commission to fully resist international efforts to weaken the current moratorium on commercial whaling. 

Delahunt’s remarks are as follows:

Madame Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and yield myself as much time as I may consume.   First, let me congratulate my colleague, Mr. Rahall for putting forward this very important resolution.

H. Con. Res. 350 sends a very clear message to all International Whaling Commission members as they prepare for their annual meeting in Santiago, Chile later this month: 

Protect our whales.   Keep the ban on commercial whaling.

The resolution also makes it clear that the American people care deeply and passionately about the protection of these magnificent creatures and that the United States must continue to lead this international effort to save them.

Madame Speaker, the International Whaling Commission was created in 1946 by the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling to address the devastating impact that commercial whaling was having on all whale populations.  For years, the Commission failed to manage the commercial hunting of whales, leaving many species facing imminent extinction.

However this all changed in 1982 when the Commission finally agreed to a moratorium on commercial whaling.  Since then a number of countries have worked feverishly to undermine it.  Norway resumed commercial whaling in 1993.

Japan and Iceland have exploited provisions in the Convention that allow permits for “scientific whaling” – a provision that enables them to slaughter whales under the guise of science and then sell the meat for commercial profit.   According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, more than 30,000 whales have been slaughtered for commercial purposes, with 11,000 whales killed allegedly in the name of science. 

And here is how they do it – they use harpoons with explosive grenades. 

Now if the first explosion isn’t enough to kill the whale, then they hoist it up by the tail, keeping the blow hole under water --- and leaving it helpless and thrashing against the side of the ship --- until eventually the whale drowns.  

Does this sound like science to you?  The Commission’s own Scientific Committee has repeatedly found that these scientific permits are completely unnecessary --- yet this horrific practice still continues.

Japan and other pro-whaling states want to unravel the global consensus against commercial whaling even further.  Their latest proposal is to allow “coastal” whaling or “community” whaling. And they have worked hard to recruit allies to their side.   The 75-plus member Commission is now almost evenly split.

This resolution --- H. Con. Res. 350 --- calls on the United States delegation to the Commission to fight these efforts - and aggressively oppose commercial whaling in ALL forms.

It is critical that the State Department take the pro-whaling threat seriously and undertake the necessary diplomacy to line up the requisite votes to preserve the moratorium.  Mr. Rahall’s resolution sets an important marker. 

Whales constitute a vital component of the world’s marine ecology.  They are the largest, and one of the most intelligent mammals on Earth.  Conserving them requires strong U.S. diplomacy to uphold international agreements.

 

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