Retain the international ban on commercial whaling

Since the end of May the International Whaling Commission has been meeting for it's 62nd Annual and Associated meetings in, Agadir, Morocco.

One of the reasons for this meeting is to vote on a proposal that would legalise commercial whale hunting for the first time since 1986.

The general public across the majority of the world is against this proposal, but pro-whaling countries are pushing for the legalisation extremely hard.

There are many organisations and people on the ground in Agadir setting up billboards, producing newspaper adverts, and building a giant, constantly-updating petition counter to show that the world's people oppose whale slaughter.
Please, if you are against whaling then add your name to this petition, and help achieve one million signatures.

To parties of the International Whaling Commission:

As citizens from around the world, we call on you to retain the international ban on commercial whaling as the core policy of the International Whaling Commission in its pursuit of conservation of whales.

More than 700,000 people, including me, have signed the petition to protect whales.

Thanks to the worldwide outcry, many governments have already pledged to oppose the proposal. Each time the Avaaz whale petition added 100,000 signatures, it was sent again to the IWC and key governments and some, like New Zealand, thanked all of those who had signed.

But pressure from the other side has been relentless and now other governments, especially here in Europe and Latin America, may abstain... or worse, even support the proposal. The vote really could go either way.

People pressure is our best hope. After all, it was an explosive worldwide social movement back in the 1980s that led to the commercial whaling ban we're now trying to protect.

After the global ban was first implemented on commercial whaling, the number of whales killed each year plummeted from 38,000 per year to just a couple of thousand. It's a testament to the power of humanity to move forward. As we move to confront the other crises of the modern age, let's cherish this legacy of progress by joining together now to protect our majestic and intelligent neighbours on this fragile planet.

Despite the global ban, Japan, Norway, and Iceland continued whaling and are now pushing to make the IWC proposal as lenient as possible. Expecting permission to catch more whales than ever, Japan is reportedly planning to buy its largest whaling ship yet.

So, add your voice and sign the petition today.

You can also email the Japanese Embassy, Norwegian Embassy and the Icelandic Embassy to tell them your views.