Whale populations have been declining rapidly over the years as a result of the commercial whaling industry which is still endangering the whales and bringing them to extinction. There are not enough whales to sustain the hunting of them and the harvesting of whales does not fulfill an essential human need. While commercial whaling is not as common as it used to be, it is still a problem in countries such as Japan.
President Obama made a campaign promise to protect whales, saying that "allowing Japan to continue commercial whaling is unacceptable." It's time for us to remind President Obama of what he said, and for him to lead other nations in reforming the International Whaling Commission. It needs to be an organization used to protect whales, not to protect the whalers and the money that they make by the unnecessary slaughter of these magnificent, and nearly extinct, creatures.