Whales Under Threat One More Time

This week the International Whaling Commission will receive a new proposal that many in the international community believe could threaten the existence of whales again. With Iceland, Japan and Norway continuing to hunt whales, other nations are increasingly asking if they can hunt, why not us? The situation is serious enough that Avaaz.org has launched an international petition drive to save the gentle giants of the seas.

Even the compromise being discussed won't work in protecting the whales. With this proposal, the ban on whaling would be put back in place within ten years. The problem with this so-called 'compromise' is that there is no enforcement provision and many whale species even today are in danger. In their call to action,Avaaz.org states:

Today, whales face many threats: not just the whalers' harpoons, but also climate change, destruction of ecosystems by overfishing and pollution, and nets intended for other fish. A renewed wave of commercial whaling could devastate these extraordinarily intelligent and social cousins of humanity. This is no time to move backwards.

Please join the efforts to prevent any increase in whale hunting by signing the petition at Avaaz.org.