ON THE VERGE OF IWC MEETING     October 18, 1997
See "C-paper" Winter 97-98  and 
Letter from Congressman Metcalf of Jan. 21, 1998, 3rd item on "page"

Ireland has not responded to anyone which probably means they intend to go ahead with proposal to resume whaling.  England appears to have reversed earlier inclination to support Irish proposal, but we can't be sure of anything until the final ballots are counted.

American Congressman Jack Metcalf (R) Washington has joined Australians for Animals, Breach Marine Protection (UK) and a Makah tribal elder, Alberta Thompson,  in a lawsuit that claims U. S. government efforts to facilitate Makah whaling violate several federal laws including the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, and the Whaling Convention Act.  (Among other things, the U.S. government awarded the Makah council $200,000 to conduct its campaign to resume whaling.)

Congressman Metcalf, who is traveling to the IWC (International Whaling Commission) meeting in Monaco at his own expense, criticized the administration for endorsing "a proposal which is not only illegal but which flies in the face of the values, interests, and desires of the majority of U.S. citizens who believe that whales should be protected not persecuted."

Alberta Thompson's assessment: "We have become pawns in the global struggle to resume commercial whaling operations by countries like Norway and Japan.  Our culture will be the mask behind which the Japanese and Norwegian whalers will profit."

Dave Smith director of Breach Marine Protection laid the immense suffering and death of any whales that die as a result of this proposal squarely "on the hands of the Clinton Administration and the federal agency bureaucrats who endorse this brutal slaughter".

Sue Arnold, president of Australians for Animals described whales as "magnificent highly intelligent animals (who) deserve our compassion, sympathy and complete protection, not to be chased, harpooned, shot with military rifles and ultimately cut up into parts for human consumption.

She might also have said cut up into parts for consumption by the pathetic  foxes being raised for fur in cages above the beach where the Chukti tribe* of Siberia in a money-losing collusion with the Soviet government cuts up the 500 or more whales it shoots with .30 cal. carbines,  They spend as many as 500 bullets to kill a single whale.  There is no record of how many whales are wounded  and later die of lead poisoning.  Because of their size, there is no way shales can be killed without horrendous suffering.

October 1, 1997
CIVITAS LETTER TO IRELAND re whaling proposal

Taioseach (President) B. Ahern
Dail Eirenn
Government Buildings
Dublin 2, Ireland

I was most disappointed to learn of Sile de Valera's proposal regarding the regulation of whaling, which presumably was prepared for presentation at the meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Monaco October 20-24.

As I understand it, this proposal would prohibit pelagic whaling but open the door to killing whales offshore.  With Japan already engaged in the sham of "scientific" whaling, one immediately thinks of the effect this would have on the eastern Pacific gray whale population which migrates not far off the west coast of North America.  The recovery of this species has been a source of satisfaction, even joy, to millions of individuals worldwide.  Slaughtering these survivors would be a source of sorrow, even horror.

Even elders of the Makah Indian tribe, in solidarity with millions of people worldwide, have expressed their opposition to killing these whales despite the fact their government officials are seeking permission to kill five gray whales annually and wound as many as ten.  Whales are of inestimably greater value to humans as a whole just by BEING as opposed to having their bodies cut up for the profit of a few.

The proposal is impractical because it would be impossible to police the open oceans to make sure whales were not being killed there.  Human greed being what it is, there would be a temptation to kill at sea and claim that the killing was done in offshore waters.

The proposal is harmful to the remaining whales because most populations are so low that killing even one or two-- as with right whales, for instance-- would reduce that species' genetic diversity by a large percentage.

The proposal is unfair to operators of the growing business of whale-watching tourism and unfair to their patrons who take tremendous satisfaction in seeing these gigantic creatures.

The proposal also poses a danger to participants in these whale-watching expeditions because the whales who are cognizant of the killing may feel threatened by approaching boats and attack in some circumstances.  At the very least, fear would make them reluctant to be observed.

The proposal is also inhumane because there is no way, short of blowing the creature into unprofitable bits, that such a large animal can be killed without causing prolonged suffering.  I wonder if you are aware that pirate whalers in the eastern Atlantic have been wounding sperm whales and lashing them--disabled, but still conscious in some cases--to buoys to await pick up by the factory ship.

Needless to say, we are also disappointed with the attitude of the American administration which has backed off from protecting whales for what appear to be unworthy political reasons.  We can only hope that smaller nations will have the integrity to do what is right for the surviving whales and generations of humans yet to come.

Humans can learn a lot from whales.  I leave you with the description of an incident I saw on film.  A woman from a whale research sailboat was swimming in water off the coast of Australia.  When a humpback whale unexpectedly approached, she stretched out an arm in its direction.  The whale responded by placing the tip of a gigantic flipper, gently and precisely, in her hand.  Our too-often violent human race could benefit from this lesson in peace and friendship.

For the benefit of people everywhere, I hope you will dissuade Ms. de Valera from advocating what amounts to a resumption of whaling.

(signed)  Bina Robinson

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