Media Alert
National Day of Action to Protect Whales
Saturday 12th May 2007
Whale lovers across the country are coming together for a National Day of Action (NDA ) to help Protect Whales on Saturday 12 May 2007. NDA Byron and The Humpback Whale Migration Icon Project co-ordinator Howie Cooke said "The NDA is a platform for the whale watching industry and coastal communities to send a strong message to the Australian Government that Japan’s ‘scientific’ whaling program is unacceptable and to urge the Australian Government to take legal action against Japan to put an end to whaling. Diplomacy has failed and more talk will not convince Japan to stop killing whales. At the end of 2007, and for the first time in 30 years, Japan wants to add 50 humpback whales to their menu. Time is running out to save the whales that swim past our shores. Despite a common belief, whales have not been saved. Despite a global moratorium on whaling, during the past 18 years more than 25,000 whales have been killed. "
In Byron, people will meet at the Peace pole near the Surf club at 11- 45 am Saturday 12th of May for one minutes silence to remember the whales that have died at the hands of man and to pray for their protection. Local aboriginal custodians will open the event and Mayor Jan Barham and other whale activists have been invited to address the crowd. There will be marine sand modelling throughout the day and at 2 p.m. the best sculpture will win a free whale watching trip with Bay Sail. The NDA occurs during the Underwater festival. For more details of activities see http://www.underwaterfestival.com.au Trish and Wally Franklin, Founders and Directors of The Oceania Project who are involved with the The Humpback Whale Migration Icon Project will be giving a whale presentation at Byron bay community centre on Friday the 11th at 5pm . Following on Friday night at 6 pm Howie Cooke and Dean Jefferys will be talking about the latest issues effecting whales and the "Flight of the Humpback" project see http://www.flightofthehumpback.org. They will also be showing some recent whale clips. This is a free event.
NDA occurs simultaneously with the Humpback Whale Migration Icon Project which helps and encourages coastal councils and their communities along the eastern seaboard of Australia to celebrate the annual humpback whale migration by ‘adopting’ a known named whale as their local whale. This project will support the creation and unfurling of a large banner announcing the local adopted whale and greeting the whole migration. Last year Byron Bay adopted "Yumbalehla" a large female humpback as their iconic whale.
Australians love whales. More than 1.5 million people go whale watching in our country each year injecting close to $300 million into the economy. Yet the mainstay of our whale watching industry, the humpback whale, may face Japanese whalers’ harpoons at the end of this year as Japan is poised to expand its so-called ‘scientific’ whaling program in the Antarctic under the Jarpa 2 program.
With the future of the world’s whales again in the balance when the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meets 28 – 31 May, this Day of Action acts not just to protest against Japanese whaling, but as a call to the Government’s who are opposed to whaling to take legal action to bring Japanese scientific whaling to an end once and for all.
This National Day of Action gatherings are occurring in over 20 locations across Australia and include New Zealand and Tonga.
NDA is an annual event supported by IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) www.ifaw.org Surfers for Cetaceans http://www.surfersforcetaceans.com/sfc.html The Oceania Project http://www.oceania.org.au/ and WADWA (Whale and Dolphin Watch Australia), and whale watch operators around Australia as well as a large number of interested and concerned members of the community.
For more information or interview contact Howie Cooke on 66801179 or Dean Jefferys 66840002
For the whales
Dean Jefferys
