California Legislative Letter

Greetings!

The rallies are two days away, and all along the coast thousands of Californians will be demonstrating their opposition to the U.S. support of suspend the current commercial whaling moratorium for ten years and allow commercial whaling.

Earlier this week, sixteen members of the California Assembly and Senate (including all of our north coast representatives) signed a letter to President Obama expressing their opposition. Here is the text:

Dear President Obama:

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) recently released the details of a proposal that would suspend the current commercial whaling moratorium for 10 years and allow commercial whaling.

Japan, Norway and Iceland continue to hunt whales in spite of the 1986 moratorium, and many Americans agree we must find a way to stop the deadlock. We strongly urge you to reject the current proposal and opposes any deal that would legitimize commercial whaling.

On April 22, U.S. Commissioner to the IWC, Monica Medina, stated that the U.S. supports the whaling moratorium and "will oppose any proposal that would lift the moratorium". We appreciate this pledge and hope that the United Stats will remain committed to this position.

In lieu of this proposal, the United States should develop a plan that will close the loopholes currently exploited by whaling nations, end the trade in whale meat and products, and address the many other threats to whales that include climate change, ocean noise, and pollution.

I hope that the United States will take a strong leadership position in opposing any proposal that allows for, or in any way legitimizes, the resumption of commercial whaling.

The IWC should drop this proposal and close the loopholes currently exploited by whaling nations, end the trade in whale meat and products, and address the many other threats to whales that include climate change, ocean noise and pollution.

In 2008, California sent a message to Washington via Assembly Joint Resolution 49 calling on the National Marine Fisheries Service to undertake an immediate and comprehensive assessment of the California Gray whale.

Our request that you reject the commercial whaling proposal is consistent with this message. As members of the California State Legislature, we do not support lifting the ban on commercial whaling, especially when our oceans and marine ecosystems are in such peril, until such an assessment is completed.

Again, we respectfully urge you to reject the current proposal that would suspend the current commercial whaling moratorium for ten years.

Sincerely.

Jared Huffman, Assembly, 6th District
Pedro Nava, Assembly, 35th District
Noreen Evans, Assembly, 7th District
Paul Fong, Assembly, 22nd District
Ted Lieu, Assembly, 53rd District
Bonnie Lowenthal, Assembly, 54th District
Jim Beall, Assembly, 24th District
Wesley Chesbro, Assembly, 1st District
Julia Brownley, Assembly, 41st District
Ira Ruskin, Assembly, 21st District
Tom Ammiano, Assembly, 13th District
Bob Blumenfield, Assembly, 40th District
Dave Jones, Assembly, 9th District
Christine Kehoe, Senate, 39th District
Mark Desaulnier, Senate, 7th District
Loni Hancock, Senate, 9th District