Animals

Dear Sir's

I am deeply concerned about Japan's intention to double their "scientific" kill of minke whales and to hunt humpback and fin whales in Antarctic waters. Some of these whales will be killed within the Australian Whale Sanctuary and will include humpbacks that migrate up the east and west coast of Australia every year. Killing humpback whales under IWC Special Permit in Antarctic waters will adversely affect their population. Whales are very slow breeders and still have not come close to recovering from 200 years of commercial whaling. Humpback whales are only just recovering from near-extinction. There is no scientific basis for Japanese whaling which is obviously conducted mainly for commercial purposes. Whales do not have to be killed to research their migration, age, ecology, or behaviour. Japan's scientific research programs are exploiting regulations under the IWC. The Japanese Whaling Fleet has been killing whales in the Australian Whale Sanctuary adjacent to Antarctic waters. Diplomacy alone is not enough to prevent our whales being slaughtered. Taking Japan to the International Court of Justice would let Japan know Australia is serious about protecting its whales and whale-watching industries. Please fulfill your campaign promise and send an Australian Navy ship down to monitor the Japanese whaling activities. We are particularly concerned about not only minke whales but also endangered humpback whales that tourists have been watching for the last 20 years. These whales come right up to the boats and will be easy targets for Japanese "scientific" whaling ships. Whale watching has become a $273 million industry annually in Australia and Japanese whaling in Antarctic waters will destroy this thriving industry. Japan's estimate of whale numbers is vastly incorrect since original population numbers were exaggerated by a force of 6-20 according to Professor Stephen Palumbi whose groundbreaking genetic studies show that whale populations are down to 1% of former numbers. Obviously, all whaling worldwide should stop immediately. No whale populations have come even close to recovering from 200 years of commercial whaling. Additionally, whales face serious environmental challenges (noise and chemical pollution, seismic and naval sonar, entanglement in nets, global warming seriously affecting plankton availability, ship strikes, and habitat loss etc) in addition to being slow breeders with a high infant mortality rate. Another important consideration is the inherent cruelty involved in killing whales. There is no humane way to kill an animal so large. Because of this, whales suffer excruciating deaths, and for what reason? It is not necessary for humans to eat whales for survival. Whales are more than just "big fish" to be served up in fancy restaurants and school lunch programs. They are highly intelligent, sentient beings. Finally, the oceans are in a state of collapse. Whales are beneficial to the ocean as their excrement feeds plankton which feeds all fish in the sea and oxygenates the water. Without plankton all fish starve from lack of food and suffocate from lack of oxygen in the water. Already plankton is in serious decline all over the world. If whales are removed, plankton levels will decline even further. If the ocean further degrades to the point where it is dead (as are 160 areas known as dead zones around the world), the availability of atmospheric oxygen will be severely diminished since we rely on oceans for 70-80% of our oxygen. Furthermore, the ocean will offgas CO2 in amounts far greater than all global fossil fuel burning combined. This poses a life-threatening impact for all earth dwellers. Please continue to apply pressure to Pacific Islands such as Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Kiribati etc. that we have supported financially for decades to not vote in favour of whaling at the IWC, which they recently joined. It is in their interest to preserve whales. I urge your government to take every possible step to prevent Japan from killing our beloved humpback, minke and fin whales. Don't let them turn back the clock. Respectfully,

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