PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Sign to Stop Whales from Being Killed In Australian Waters!
  1. Signatures
    297 out of 500
    Petitioning
    1. Minister for the Environment and Heritage (The Hon. Peter Garrett)
  2. Created By
    r s
    holmen, WI
About this Petition Petition Letter









The Aussie Factor

Many people around the world have tried to tell Japan, "You don't own these whales - they are wild and free, and should be left alone." Above all, Australia and her citizens hold an important position in the fight to save whales from these Japanese killing fleets. The Australians actually watch the whales swim by their coastlines as the gentle giants travel to and from the Antarctic Sanctuary. The whales that Australians and tourists watch playfully breaching and celebrating life just off shore are the same ones that the Japanese hunt down and cruelly slaughter.


In May of each year, the northern whale migration begins. Humpback (at least 1200 in number) and southern right whales make their way from the food-rich Southern Ocean to mating and breeding grounds in the warm sub-tropical northern waters.


The 5000km northern migration follows routes around New Zealand and up the coast of Australia - in the east to the Great Barrier Reef, and in the west to areas around and north of Shark Bay and Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia.


The whales then return south in November to the colder seas to grow and mature. It is here, in the so-called Southern Ocean Sanctuary, that the Japanese send factory whaling ships with their hunting/chasing vessels. The whales are no match for these technologically-advanced murderers.


In Australia, whale watching has become a $273 million industry annually. The Japanese whaling industry is threatening to kill Australia's whale-friendly business by slaughtering these beloved and intelligent mammals.


Please take a moment to write to Australia's top government officials and ask them to do everything in their power to stop Japan's brutal whale-killing.

http://www.seashepherd.org/whales/australia-action.html

Recent Signatures

Stop the Japanese Whale Killing !

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,

[Your name]

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