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Ask United Nations To Help Save Vaquita 18 December 2011 Amy Fraenkel Dear Ms. Fraenkel, I am very concerned to learn that the vaquita porpoise is on the brink of extinction, and I respectfully ask for the United Nations’ help in saving these unique and beautiful animals. As you may know, vaquitas are now considered to be the world’s most endangered marine mammal, and they live right here in North America - in Mexico’s Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez). Recent population estimates show that only about 200 vaquitas are left and their numbers are declining rapidly. Scientists have warned that the species could go extinct in less than 10 years unless immediate steps are taken to protect them. The major threat to vaquitas is entanglement and drowning in gillnets used by small-scale fishermen in their habitat. The fishermen do not want to catch vaquitas, but gillnets catch and kill everything in their path. Sustainable, porpoise-safe fishing nets must be developed and made available to these fishermen. In addition, the current, unsustainable gillnets must be removed from the vaquitas’ entire range, because even one vaquita death is too many. Vaquita conservation is not possible without the support of fishermen and local communities in the Gulf of California. Fishermen who voluntarily decide to give up their boats, permits, and/or gillnets to help the vaquita must be fairly compensated or given the opportunity to work in another field. The Mexican Government has had such “buy-out,” “switch-out,” and “rent-out” programs in place for the last five years, but is in need of funding to continue the program. I am asking the United Nations to do everything in their power to protect the vaquita before this small cetacean disappears from the earth like the Baiji, or Chinese River Dolphin, did in 2006. The Baiji was the first cetacean species to go extinct because of human-caused threats, please do not allow the vaquita to be the next. Thank you,
Whaling – A View from Norway by David Welsh, NOAH - for animal rights A Seafaring People If there’s one thing that defines Norwegian identity more than anything, it’s probably the sea. From the Viking longships of a thousand years ago that brought the first Europeans to the American continent, to the hardy polar explorers of the nineteenth century, and Thor Heyerdahl’s voyage across the Pacific on the Kon Tiki in the 1950s, seafaring is part of how Norwegians define themselves as a people and a nation. In Norway’s second largest city – Bergen, on the west coast – there’s a well-known monument to these seafaring traditions. In the heart of the city, by the harbor that has been in continuous use for a thousand years, this monument depicts Viking warriors, polar explorers, fisherman and whalers. Government Support For decades, the Norwegian government has brushed aside international objections to the whaling industry. They reject out of hand arguments about conservation and animal welfare, and simply insist that whaling is a perfectly sustainable method of harvesting the natural resources of the oceans, and that all the whales die instantly and without suffering. Furthermore, they claim, whales are responsible for the declining fish stocks in Norwegian waters. Tell a lie often enough, it is said, and it becomes the truth. Despite the fact that the Norwegian government’s statements on whaling are contradicted even by their own scientists, they have been repeated so often that many ordinary Norwegians simply accept them unquestioningly. Whaling has also become something of a symbol of sovereignty for some Norwegians. Norway lost its independence in 1397, and didn’t get it back until 1905. Whilst Norway is in many ways a self-confident, modern European democracy, it’s still somewhat sensitive to feeling that it’s being pushed around by other countries. In some ways, the international pressure on Norway to abandon whaling has turned whaling into a symbol of Norwegian independence and identity, and in some quarters produced a bloody-minded determination to defend whaling at all costs, whatever the scientific and economic arguments. A Growing Opposition But fortunately, not all Norwegians see things in this way. NOAH - for animal rights is Norway’s largest animal rights organization, and was one of the first voices in Norway to speak out against whaling. NOAH was founded in 1989, at a time when even animal welfare and environmental groups in Norway supported whaling. The campaign was not received positively – to be opposed to whaling was almost sacrilegious, unpatriotic even. But things, thankfully, have begun to change. Even ten years ago, anti-whaling activists distributing information on the street would be fortunate to meet even one or two people who agreed with their message. In the last few years though, a growing number of people have been responding positively to NOAH’s message. The opposition is beginning to gather pace, and other Norwegian animal welfare and environmental groups are starting to become more critical to whaling. How You Can Help NOAH is currently trying to raise funds to employ an Anti-Whaling
Campaign Coordinator, someone who can engage actively with the media,
the scientific community and politicians in Norway to further the
anti-whaling cause. We are optimistic about the prospects of further
turning public opinion against the whaling industry, and getting
politicians to question the substantial amount of taxpayers’ money that
goes into subsidizing it. As Norway isn’t the easiest place in the world
to raise money to campaign against whaling, we are hoping that those who
oppose whaling in countries around the world will be able to donate to
help us step up our campaign. If you visit our website
www.dyrsrettigheter.no
If you would like to encourage the Norwegian government to abandon its support for the whaling industry, you can contact the embassy at the following address: Royal Norwegian Embassy Stop the Seal Hunt Save The Whales understands that the boycott of Canadian travel and products has cost them an estimated 150 million dollars. This is not a large sum for the country, but it is enough for them to begin taking notice. Efforts must be made to increase this amount many times over. If you protest the hunt by not purchasing Canadian products, such as seafood, or by not traveling to the country, you must tell them. Otherwise there is no way for the government to know exactly how much money they are losing by their continued inhumane killing of baby harp seals. In the past three years, over 1,000,000 baby seals have been slaughtered and 40 percent were skinned while still alive. The European Union recently approved a declaration asking for ban on all trade in harp and hooded seal products. This is a very important step in closing down or diminishing this cruel industry. China is the biggest importer of the harp seal parts, followed by Russia. Unfortunately, Canada is placing additional restrictions on peaceful protests of the 2007 hunt. The ghastly images of the seals being killed hurts the Canadian image and leads to further boycotts. Canada is determined to stop witnesses from filming the killings. The Canadian government set a quota for three years, beginning in 2003, that allowed hunters to kill almost one million harp seal pups. The seals are killed for their pelts, their penis bones (which are used for aphrodisiacs in Asia), oil (which Canada promotes as a health supplement), and meat. This year’s kill (2006) was estimated at 375,000 pups. Observers have reported that animal welfare regulations are being ignored and not enforced. The seal pups are shot or beaten. The country’s commercial seal hunt runs from November – May, but the majority of hunting is done in spring. Hunters use a club or “hakapik” (similar to a large icepick) to kill the young seals. As the hunting season continues, hunters switch to rifles to kill young and old seals. This is one of the only hunts that targets young animals. Although the government has outlawed the killing of pups with white coats, a two-week old seal who has molted is acceptable to kill. Hunting is allowed on adult seals, but an estimated 95% of those killed are 12 days to 12 months old. According to the Humane Society, an independent panel of veterinarians estimated that during the 2001 hunt, up to 40% of the seals examined had been skinned alive! The Canadian government has provided no scientific evidence that the seal populations of Labrador and Newfoundland can withstand the enormous quota of one million seals in the three years. The Canadian government blames the decline of the cod industry on the seals. Scientists for the government have pointed out that this is a false allegation and that the decline of cod is due to over-fishing. Claims that the hunt is part of their culture and tradition are not plausible when over 11,000 commercial sealing licenses were issued. This is not a cultural event. This is a commercial enterprise. The government has subsidized the hunt to the amount of 20 million dollars since 1995. What You Can Do: Honorable Stephen Harper Canadian Tourism Commission |
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