Celia Barlow calls for end to whaling

MP supports IFAW campaign to protect marine mammals

Celia Barlow MP is calling on the Government to take international action to protect whales from the threat of whaling. She is urging people in Hove and Portslade to add their voice in opposition to the practice. The Hove MP met with campaigners from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) on its Song of the Whale marine research vessel last week to learn more about IFAW’s work protecting marine mammals from a variety of man-made threats, including commercial and so-called ‘scientific’ whaling.

Although there has been a ban on commercial whaling since 1986, large numbers of whales are still being killed by commercial fleets in Norway and Iceland, and by Japan, which exploits a loophole in the ban permitting whaling for ‘scientific’ reasons. Last year, Japan and its supporters gained a simple majority at the whaling regulatory body, the International Whaling Commission (IWC), sparking fears that the IWC is in danger of coming under the control of whaling countries

Celia said:
“The governments of pro-whaling countries are active all year round in enlisting support for their whaling agenda, so it is crucial the British government works at the highest diplomatic levels to protect the future of these magnificent, yet vulnerable creatures.”