Strong EU support for the protection of whales

[Judi Lynn]

Source: ec.europa.eu

Strong EU support for the protection of whales
(Published on: 2008-06-05)

The Commission welcomes the decision reached today by the Environment Council on a common position to protect whales in view of the meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) later this month in Santiago de Chile. The decision allows for a coordinated EU approach at the meeting and strengthens the European Union's voice at the IWC.
Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "With this decision the European Union can now take a strong role at the International Whaling Commission and use all its political, moral and economic weight to ensure a more effective protection of whales worldwide."

Protecting whales worldwide

The decision adopted today by the Council will strengthen the European Union's commitment to protect whales in the European Union and internationally. It provides the European Union with a common position on maintaining the moratorium for the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Chile on 23-27 June 2008.

The Commission calls on the members of the International Whaling Commission to fully adhere to the 1986 whaling moratorium. All whaling operations such as scientific whaling by members of the IWC must remain the control of the IWC. The Commission asks all EU Member States to uphold their strong stance against whale hunting and forge a common front to counter attempts by some countries to undermine conservation efforts. There is no need to kill whales to obtain scientific information about whales. Adequate data for management purposes can be obtained using non-lethal techniques.


Read more: http://7thspace.com/headlines/283577/strong_eu_support_for_the_protection_of_whales.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Grenade-Tipped Harpoons Gore Whales, Expose Hypocrisy: Books

Grenade-Tipped Harpoons Gore Whales, Expose Hypocrisy: Books

Review by Stuart Biggs

May 29 (Bloomberg) -- In Herman Melville's 19th-century masterpiece, ``Moby Dick,'' Captain Ahab is presented as a daring if twisted hero bent on slaying a ferocious white whale.

Andrew Darby's ``Harpoon: Into the Heart of Whaling'' shows how modern technology has stripped every trace of heroism from the business of hunting the world's largest mammals.

``Any sense of human daring was fake nostalgia,'' Darby writes after watching Japanese hunters kill a 19-meter-long fin whale with a grenade-tipped harpoon fired at a speed of 113 meters (370 feet) per second.

``There was no equality, only the arithmetic of overwhelming mechanical force,'' he says.

More:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=atSFs5IPosm0&refer=home

[sui generis]

3. Yeah!

After Norway and Japan stacked the IWC with their own pro-whaling leadership it's good to finally see a balance of power returning.

And although the EU can be a bit of a benevolent tyrant at times, it is also good to see them calling bullshit on "scientific" whaling.

Hey, Japan! If you haven't figured out what a whale is after I don't know how many centuries of profitably slaughtering them in the "name of science" for your soups and sashimis, your scientists aren't fit to be be associated with science.

There are few things more abhorrent than someone telling the most extraordinary lie to your face and then expecting you to agree for the sake of decorum alone.

Retrain your whalers, the Victorian era is over and has been for a while.

[Number9Dream]

2. Good news for whales - thanks Judi Lynn

This, in addition to the Chilean President proposing a whaling ban a couple weeks ago, has been positive news for whales.

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/may2008/2008-05-21-03.asp

[Omaha Steve]

4. K&R

The EU is going after the Canadian seal hunt too.

[freedomnorth]

5. And Norway. Still not in EU. They want to Hunt! n/t.