WHALING AND THE `TELL JAPAN WE'LL KEEP THE BAN' CAMPAIGN

EDM number 1490 in 2006-07, proposed by Peter Ainsworth on 16/05/2007.

That this House supports the `Tell Japan We'll Keep The Ban' campaign led by the Environmental Investigation Agency; welcomes the campaign to keep the international moratorium on commercial whaling and the efforts to convince six Caribbean countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia and St Vincent and The Grenadines) to change their present positions through a television advertising campaign in those countries; notes that in 2005-06 Japan, Norway and Iceland caught 1,921 Minke, Sei, Bryde's, Fin and Sperm whales under special `scientific' permit or under objection to the moratorium; further notes that Japan, Norway and Iceland intended to catch 2,500 whales in the 2006-07 period; recognises the need to protect whales; further recognises the importance of ensuring that at the May 2007 International Whaling Commission meeting in Anchorage there are a majority of countries present and voting in support of maintaining the international moratorium; and therefore urges the Government to continue to lobby members of the International Whaling Commission to resist attempts by the pro-whaling group of countries, led by Japan, to gain a majority in favour of a resumption of commercial whaling.

This motion has been signed by a total of 102 MPs.