[SEMCO] Official whaling stats expose the danger of lifting the ban on commercial whaling

[sue rocca]

 Press Release

*Official whaling stats expose the danger of lifting the ban on commercial
whaling
*
On-line resource illustrates success of ban in saving lives of hundreds of
thousands of whales

*June 8, 2010:* With less than two weeks to go before representatives from
more than 80 governments meet in Agadir, Morocco, to decide on a proposal to
lift the 24-year ban on commercial whaling, conservation groups have
released a range of simple on-line, independent statistics that clearly
demonstrate not only how the current International Whaling Commission’s
(IWC) ban has saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of whales, but also
the inconsistencies behind claims that the new proposal will actually
*save*the lives of whales.

The on-line animated graphs published today by the Animal Welfare Institute
(AWI), Humane Society International (HSI) and the Whale and Dolphin
Conservation Society (WDCS), use figures from whaling nations and the IWC to
provide the user with a clear overview of the numbers of whales killed from
when the International Convention on the Regulation of Whaling was signed in
1946 to the present day. The real facts and figures illustrate how effective
the current ban has been and sweep away claims by those advocating the
lifting of the current ban on the grounds that it has not been successful.

“This set of animated graphics is a simple reminder that it is important to
stick to the real facts before calling for an end to what has proved to be
one of the biggest successes in conservation history,” says Sue Fisher,
Policy Director, WDCS North America

“Many governments are either being misled or are trying to mislead others by
referring to ‘catch quotas’ when talking about actual whales being killed -
the two are not the same.
*
“*These graphs display not just the* actual* numbers of whales killed within
the various categories – commercial, scientific and aboriginal subsistence
whaling – but also clearly document the difference between the catch quotas
self-allocated by the whaling nations and the actual numbers of whales
killed.

“By increasing the self-allocated catch quotas, whaling nations have been
playing mind games with the figures and pressuring the rest of the
international community into legalizing commercial whaling so that it does
not get out of control. In fact, in some countries like Norway the
*actual*number of whales killed decreased in the past years due to
lack of demand
for whale meat,” explains Susan Millward, Executive Director of the Animal
Welfare Institute.

“What we should be concentrating on is not lifting the successful ban that
we currently have, but working harder on ways to force the three remaining
industrial whaling nations to stop this cruel and unnecessary practice once
and for all” states Kitty Block, vice President of the Humane Society
International.


*Animated Whaling Graphs
*
The user friendly tool provides information and animated graphs about:

Whaling Today and Yesterday

Total Catches (1946 – 2009)

Catches 1982 to 2009 within the following categories and by countries:
Commercial Whaling, Special Permit (“Scientific”) Whaling, Aboriginal
Subsistence
Whaling.

Additional information on the IWC moratorium, the integrity of data used and

commentary on the implications of the package proposed by the Chair of the
IWC.


The animated graphs can be seen at *
http://www.wdcs.co.uk/whaling_graphs/main.swf* <*
http://www.wdcs.co.uk/whaling_graphs/main.swf*>

For further Information:

Nicolas Entrup, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, T. + 49 171 1423
117, E-Mail. *Nicolas.entrup at wdcs.org*
<*mailto:Nicolas.entrup at wdcs.org<Nicolas.entrup at wdcs.org>
*>

Susan Millward, Animal Welfare Institute, T. + 1 202-640-9606, E-Mail. *
susan at awionline.org* <*mailto:susan at awionline.org <susan at awionline.org>*>

Kristen Eastman, Humane Society International, T. + 1 301-721-6440, E-Mail.
*keastman at humanesociety.org*
<*mailto:keastman at humanesociety.org<keastman at humanesociety.org>
*>


-- 
"For all my years in public life, I have believed that America must sail
toward the shores of liberty and justice for all. There is no end to that
journey, only the next great voyage. We know the future will outlast all of
us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make." -
Edward Kennedy
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