Posted on 06/23/2004 7:11:33 AM PDT by presidio9
US President George W. Bush (news - web sites)'s administration vowed to exert diplomatic pressure -- but no trade sanctions -- to stop Iceland's and Japan's "scientific" whale hunts.
Under the Pelly Amendment of 1967, countries that hunt whales may face US trade sanctions if they are certified to be diminishing an international conservation program.
Commerce Secretary Donald Evans announced he had certified to Bush that Iceland's whale hunt diminished the International Whaling Commission (news - web sites) conservation program.
Evans also kept Japan certified for the same reason over its annual whale harvest.
"The lethal research whaling conducted by both Iceland and Japan is unnecessary for the management of whales, and we urge them to use non-lethal research methods," Evans said in a statement.
"We will use all diplomatic channels to request both countries to end their respective lethal research whaling activities."
Diplomatic action would include ordering US delegations at whaling-related meetings with Iceland to raise US concerns, seeking ways to halt the hunts and working to urge Iceland to halt the lethal scientific research.
"I believe these diplomatic efforts hold the most promise of effecting change in Iceland's research whaling program, and do not believe that imposing import prohibitions would further our objectives," Bush said in a letter to the US Congress.
Iceland said this month it would cull only 25 minke whales in 2004 in a further compromise in its whale hunting policy welcomed by environmental watchdog Greenpeace as a "positive sign".
"These adjustments, however, do not change our assessment that Iceland's lethal research whaling program is of questionable scientific validity and diminishes the effectiveness of the IWC's conservation program," Bush wrote.
Iceland resumed whaling in mid-August, ending a 14-year moratorium in defiance of world opinion.
Iceland's fisheries ministry at the time authorised a two-year cull of 200 minke whales, 200 fin whales, and 100 sei whales. In 2003, only 36 minke whales had been culled.
Japan was last "certified" under the Pelly amendment in 2000 for expanding its lethal "research."
"While that Pelly certification remains active, the United States has remained concerned about changes in the scale and nature of Japan's North Pacific whaling activities," the Commerce Department (news - web sites) said.
"Japan added Bryde's and sperm whales to its research harvest in 2000, and sei whales in 2002."
Sei, Bryde's, minke, and sperm whales are protected under the US Marine Mammal Protection Act. Sei and sperm whales are on the US endangered species list.
Japanese whaling supporter holds up pro-whaling T-shirts. The administration of US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) has vowed to exert diplomatic pressure, but not trade sanctions, to stop Iceland's and Japan's 'scientific' whale hunts(AFP/File/Kazuhiro Nogi)
Why can't the people who eat these things raise them in captivity like cattle? Seems to me that the commercial solution would solve everyone's heartburn........pun intended.......
Let them hunt.
Minki whales are in no way endangered. There are millions of them.
To the "public" a whale is a whale, is a whale. They don't, or can't, differentiate.
The "public" is composed of morons.
public schools,
public university,
public toilet.......
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