The 2000 meeting of the International Whaling Commission
starts tomorrow, July 3, in Australia. Animal Rights Online will be
monitoring the developments of this meeting and reporting and commenting
to you, our AR friends. For the very first time the opening meetings of
the IWC will allow television coverage, so tune in to CNN, and other
television news media, for coverage.
Australia is expected to call for a greater whale
protected area, a whale sanctuary in the South Pacific, while Japan is
expected to request that their illegal commercial whaling is recognized
as legitimate.
Ever since the ban on commercial whaling in the late
1980s, Japan has used a loophole in the International Whaling Commission
regulations to continue fishing for whales, calling it Scientific
Research. Their so-called Scientific Research supplies Japanese Sushi
bars with meat from 500 Minke whales every year. It has been determined
that Japan is also catching endangered species of whales.
This year Japan wishes to expand their whale catch and
to make it legitimate, by the IWC regulations, for Japan to catch great
whale species such as the greys and sperm whales.
Japan uses several arguments that seem to be only lame
excuses for making money for their whaling industry. It doesn't matter
if the species are endangered or not, Japan seems only to be concerned
about making money from killing whales.
They call it their cultural heritage to catch whales. So
Kung Fu-king what.
It is cultural tradition that Godzilla kicks ass in
Tokyo. South Carolina calls it their (stupid) Southern Cultural Heritage
tradition to display the Confederate Flag. It offends a certain group of
people to display memories of slavery.
It offends a certain group of us who are against animal
slavery, to continue to slaughter marine sentient beings for profit.
Japan, we are offended by your actions. Stop It Now.
Go on to Homeopathic
Flea and Insect Repellents
Return to 2 July 2000 Issue
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