Whaling

One of the campaigns that I receive most correspondence about is whaling. Whaling is a highly emotive subject and has been given greater prominence more recently due Japan beginning a "scientific" hunting of up to 1000 whales.

The Government has been at the forefront of the attempts to bring a halt to this practice, working with other nations, including Australia, New Zealand and the USA, to question the value of this "scientific" research – much of which can be easily obtained from non-lethal means.

One of the ways that the Government has sought to tackle this issue is through the International Whaling Commission (IWC). This has included consulting with other like-minded anti-whaling whaling nations to ensure that a moratorium on whaling remains in place.

A document, entitled ‘Protecting Whales – a Global Responsibility, with a forward by Sir David Attenborough, was sent to nations who are currently not members of the IWC in the hope that they would join the Commission and take a stand against whaling.

I, along with other MPs, have taken up a kind offer from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to adopt a whale under threat from Japanese harpoons. The idea behind the scheme is that my whale, a humpback whale by the name of Gleeson, will help to raise awareness of the plight of other whales.

I will continue to do all that I can to ensure that the Government stays on the front foot in its attempts to end this cruel and unnecessary practice.