Through a document signed by more than 40 Latin American organizations dedicated to the conservation of whales and the environment, they asked the governments of the region to take effective diplomatic actions to reject the slaughter of whales that Japan is carrying out under supposed scientific purposes. Representing Ecuador, SELVA-VIDA SIN FRONTERAS and Equilibrio Azul signed the document.
The request was submitted simultaneously to the governments of the signatory organisations and reflects the great concern over the imminent departure of the Japanese "scientific hunting" fleet.
In the document, the organizations maintain that "since the implementation of the moratorium on commercial whaling, the Japanese government has captured more than eight thousand whales in the waters of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary for supposed scientific purposes.
They also stressed that “although the IWC statutes prohibit the hunting of females with calves, during the last 'scientific' whaling season in the Southern Ocean (2008/2009), Japan captured a total of 679 whales, of which 304 were females. Of these, 63% were pregnant and four were lactating females whose calves may have been dependent on their mothers and therefore died after the capture of these specimens.”
In addition, the NGOs stressed that since the Japanese whaling fleet's operations pose a threat to the delicate Antarctic ecosystem, and since they are not economically viable and require significant government subsidies for their operation, it is entirely justifiable that the International Whaling Commission's reforms should consider their elimination.
Guillermo Calle (Ecocostas)
Adapted: Whale Yes Online
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