Anti whaling protest targets Japan's PM at APEC [1]
Monday, September 3, 2007 - 09:37. Updated on Tuesday, July 21, 2015 - 14:17.
Whale conservationists and representatives from Whale and Dolphin Watch Australia Inc (W.A.D.W.A. who's members include 50 Whale Watch operators throughout Australia) will attempt to hand deliver a letter to Japans Consular General in Brisbane with a request to pass it on to the Prime Minister of Japan. The protest will coincide with the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visit to Australia to attend the APEC meetings in Sydney. The protest will start at 11 am Monday 3rd Sep at the Japanese Consulate at 12 Creek st (corner of Eagle st) in the CBD in Brisbane.
Whale conservationists and whale watch operators are particularly upset about Japans plan to kill 50 humpback whales this December when they return to the Antarctic to kill their self allocated quota of over 1000 whales for so called 'scientific' whaling which includes the endangered and globally protected Fin whale, the second large being to ever inhabit this earth.
Following is a copy of the letter we will deliver to Japans Consular General in Brisbane with instructions to pass it on to the Prime Minister of Japan
Dear Prime Minister of Japan
We the people of Australia are united in wanting the PM of Japan Shinzo Abe to know of our absolute objection in the strongest possible terms to the continued slaughter of whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary and in the north pacific and the dolphins in Japanese waters.
We are calling on the PM Japan to end all of Japans whaling including the abhorrent proposal to kill 50 Australian and Tongan Humpback whales and to stop the annual capture and slaughter of around 20,000 dolphins which take place in Japanese fishing towns such as Taiji.
We remind the PM that in allowing whaling in Southern Oceans Whale Sanctuary whether 'scientific' or commercial, Japan is violating the Antarctic Treaty System.
As we have just seen in Iceland, with their announcement that no more whale killing quotas will be issued, whaling WILL eventually be stopped world wide, so Japan might as well stop now before the worlds public opinion of Japan deteriorates further.
In killing pregnant Minkes, Endangered and globally protected Fins and threatening Endangered and globally protected Humpback whales Japan is in breach of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
Japans whaling is a direct threat to the $300 million whale watch industry of Australia and equally a direct threat to the fragile Tonga whale watch economy.
We would like to inform you that around 50 coastal towns/communities/councils have adopted specific identified and named whales through a national campaign called the Humpback Icon Project. We will be monitoring their safe migration and will not accept the cold blooded slaughter of our warm blooded kin
We urge the PM to initiate great change in his countries attitude to cetaceans, to abolish whaling and dolphin slaughter and to embrace the opportunity to become another whale watch nation proud of its coastal marine mammals and working with the International community to protect the whales and dolphins of the world, our wonderful friends in the sea. WADWA, 02/09/07.