President George Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC 20500
You can also e-mail him the above info in blue at: President@whitehouse.gov
Also, a number to call to help the dolphins against the tuna net capture is: 1-800-DOLPHIN
After many months of negotiating, opponents and supporters of S.39 came to a compromise agreement. Opponents of the Bill felt that it would change the definition of "Dolphin Safe" tuna, thereby confusing consumers. Supporters felt that by implementing the International Dolphin Conservation Program, entire ocean ecosystems would be successfully sustained. On July 30, Senators reached an agreement that would lift the embargo on tuna caught using the chasing and encircling method, but not change the definition of the "Dolphin safe" label until a three year study is completed to determine if this method causes adverse impact on dolphin populations. If the study indicates that dolphin populations are suffering, the embargo will be reinstated. I (Sen. Graham) am confident that this compromise offers a powerful and effective means of protecting dolphins, the Eastern Tropical Pacific ecosystem, and the American consumer. With my support, S.39, as amended, passed the full Senate with overwhelming support on July 30.
Makah tribe to use high-caliber military assault weapons against migrating Gray whales.
Sea Shepherd outraged by Makah's continued "ceremonial" whaling arguments.
July 30, 1997
Sea Shepherd has confirmed that the Makah Band of Western Washington will now use high-caliber military firearms against Gray whales during their planned 'ceremonial' whale hunt in the spring of 1998. Recent reports indicate that members of the Makah Tribal Whaling Commission have obtained at least 4 to 7 of these weapons.
Sea Shepherd believes that the military-grade ordinance could also be used to intimidate or threaten National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) enforcement officers -- and other environmentalists -- from attempting to prevent any subsequent illegal whale hunting. "The Makah tribe claims they will simultaneously spear Gray whales with stainless steel harpoons, while also shooting at their skulls with these massive, .50-caliber assault rifles," says Michael Kundu, Sea Shepherd's Pacific Northwest Coordinator in Seattle, "Coincidentally, these are the weapons normally mounted on military assault helicopters and Navy gunboats -- they can efficiently shatter a ship's hull a mile away. There isn't a trace of 'ceremonial aboriginal whaling' in this plan -- it's blatant, undeniable whale warfare!" A quote from a letter by Makah tribal Chairman Hubert Markishtum describes the bullets employed as being:
"-- a .50-caliber, copper-jacketed, lead-core, hollow-point round with a mass of 600-700 grains, fired at high velocity with a muzzle velocity of 3,000 feet-per-second and muzzle energy of 14,000 foot pounds. This has about 10 times the energy of a standard assault rifle."
This October, the Makah tribe, with assistance from the United States Department of Commerce, will ask permission from the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the world body that governs the harvest of whales, to shoot up to 15 Gray whales annually. While recent reports indicate that the Makah will not be awarded the quota by a majority of IWC signatory nations, Sea Shepherd is concerned that the Makah tribe may violate federal laws and proceed with a Gray whale hunt regardless of the IWC decision.
"The presence of these weapons is certainly a concern for us, as it should be for anyone who is opposed to a recommenced tribal whale hunt," says Kundu, who argues that the tribe does not meet the criteria established by the IWC to receive an aboriginal quota. "If the IWC does not approve the Makah quota in October, any subsequent tribal whale harassment will be subject to prosecution under federal law," adds Kundu, "That's when we may find these weapons, which we suspect have been supplied by the government, being turned on citizens of the US."
Sea Shepherd has been working to build opposition to a resumed Gray whale hunt by the Makah Tribe since 1994; maintaining regular surveillance patrols of Neah Bay and marshaling political and tourism industry opposition to the aboriginal hunt. Sea Shepherd maintains that the resumed killing of Gray whales is being lead by international pro-whaling nations using the 'aboriginal' loophole to gain ground for a new commercial whaling industry globally. "Ben Johnson of the Makah tribe has reported that the Japanese and Norwegians have offered them funding to support their lobbying attempts," adds Sea Shepherd International Director Lisa Distefano, "Norway and Japan are shrewd: from a PR perspective, they're acutely aware that a 'traditional native ritual' hunt sounds more palatable than the more sinister reality of commercial whaling."
* Sea Shepherd Pacific Northwest Coordinator Michael Kundu (206) 621-9270
or (206) 359-3398
* Captain Paul Watson or International Director of Operations Lisa
Distefano (310) 301-7325
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
P.O. Box 628
Venice, CA. 90294
USA
Web Site: www.seashepherd.org
Tel: 310-301-SEAL(7325)
Fax: 310-574-3161
Dear Friends, there is a new manifestation of "The Dolphin Death Bill" that has already been passed by the House and is now being reviewed by the Senate. It is imperative for the welfare of the dolphins that this Bill be rejected.
Last year, do to the efforts of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, grass roots efforts (You and me), and a few Senators, namely Senator Boxer of California, the Dolphin Death Bill was not ratified. However, it has resurfaced as its supporters vowed it would be. It is now known as the "International Dolphin Conservation Act", but do not be taken in by the name, it means the deaths of thousands of dolphins.
Today, the $1 billion U.S. canned tuna market is a dolphin safe market. Consumers know that the dolphin safe label means that dolphins were not chased, harassed, captured, or killed. Under the current law, annual dolphin deaths have declined from 60,000 in 1990 to under 3000 in 1995. Why mess with success? The new bill promotes the chasing and encirclement of dolphins, a tuna fishing practice that is very dangerous and harmful to the dolphins. It does so by gutting the meaning of dolphin safe. Under the new legislation, the dolphin safe label will still be permitted to be used as long as no dolphins are actually seen to be killed, regardless of the method used. The problem is that the one observer per ship cannot possibly observe the nets used, which are over 1.5 miles long. The new bill is a cleverly disguised attempt to lessen the regulations required for Latin American countries to sell tuna to US markets.
DO NOT be deceived by the fact that Greenpeace supports this new bill. Greenpeace is not what it once was; it is a turncoat organization no longer concerned with the welfare of sea mammals; it is a corporate entity out to turn a buck.
ACT NOW! Contact your Senators and let them know that you do not support the new bill that would mean the death of thousands of dolphins. Remember, they represent us! Many Senators have e-mail, you can get your Senator's address at the following web site: VISI
-If you would like to see Senator Boxer's arguments against the bill go to the following web site: RS9 Local Government Item # 46
-If you would like to read about the Sea Shepherd investigation and efforts against the old bill, which is basically the sane as the new one, go to the following web site: Sea Sherpherd
Sea Shepherd President Paul Watson Freed!
International Community Lauds Holland's Release of Internationally Renowned Environmentalist.
Friday June 20, Lelystad, Penitentiare, Holland -- The environmental community around the world announced victory this morning as Dutch authorities opened the prison gates at 10:00am, GMT, and released Captain Paul Watson, co-founder of Greenpeace and president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
"This is a tremendous victory not only for the whales but for environmental activists everywhere. In a David & Goliath scenario, one of the most powerful oil-rich countries in the world arrogantly assumed they would get their way and get the main opponent to their illegal black-market trade in wild animal parts. The illusion is that Norway appears to be a "civilized" country until you realize that Norwegians support the slaughter of African elephants for ivory, the slaughter of baby seals for penises, the slaughter of whales for high-priced sushi and the shooting of orcas and dolphins because they are considered nuisances. However, our victory against illegal Norwegian whaling is short-lived as we are confronted by the horrific fact that today whales were killed so a few rich fishermen could make a couple of hundred thousand more dollars by illegally smuggling whale meat to Japan," says Lisa Distefano, International Operations Director of Sea Shepherd. "We're convinced that Holland knew Paul would be in mortal danger if extradited to Norway, so the Dutch magistrates simply followed political protocol and instead, conveniently let Paul serve his sentence in a friendly, anti-whaling European Union member state."
Effectively diminishing all credibility of the Norwegian charges against the cofounder of Greenpeace, the Dutch magistrates dismissed 3 charges added after Watson was detained to insure his extradition. "In releasing Watson, Holland effectively joins Germany in taking a political stand against Norway in light of that country's continuous government-sanctioned pirate whaling activities," comment's Distefano. "The European states appear to be lining up against Norway. And now that Paul's back in the game, we're certainly going to continue to encourage that trend."
In addition to the group's international supporters, celebrities Mick Jagger, Steven Seagal, Cher, Rutger Hauer, Pierce Brosnan and Woody Harrelson voiced protest at Watson's detention. Press conferences in Hollywood were held to announce the celebrity community's willingness to "take the whale war back to Norway" if Watson wasn't released. Adds John Paul DeJoria, CEO and Founder of Paul Mitchell Systems and avid Sea Shepherd supporter, "This is an incredible victory and we are all pleased that Paul Watson will be able to get back to what he does best ... making the oceans safe for all the animals that live there. So many of us fought for Paul's release and we are relieved to have him back home!"
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
P.O. Box 628
Venice, CA. 90294
USA
Web Site: www.seashepherd.org
Tel: 310-301-SEAL(7325)
Fax: 310-574-3161
In direct violation of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), Norway's pirate whaling fleet is at this very moment hunting down whales and slaughtering them. A whaling moratorium is now in effect that makes it against international law to kill whales. Unfortunately, the law has no teeth because of the actions of the United States Government. The mandated economic sanctions against those who refuse to adhere to the moratorium are not being enforced. President Clinton refuses to enforce United States' laws that call for economic sanctions against Norway. Once again, our government is doing things behind our backs. There have been secret deals between The US Government and Norway, whereby, we the people have been represented as saying that we will allow Norway to continue to slaughter whales unabated so long as Norway continues to support our military-industrial complex by buying Missiles for F-16's. You can find out more at Sea Shepherd
What can you do?
1. Contact your Senator and Representative and demand that the mandated economic Sanctions be enforced. Most of them have e-mail; you can get their addresses at VISI
2. Contact the Norwegian Ambassador and demand that Norway end the slaughter. A sample letter and other country's embassies can be found at Letter
His Excellency, Kjeld Vibe Norwegian Ambassador to the U.S. Norwegian Embassy
2720 34th ST., NW
Washington DC 20008
ph:202-333-6000 fax:202-337-0870
e-mail (Norwegian Consulate General)
3.Contact the Prime Minister of Norway
Torbjorn Jagland, Prime Minister of Norway
fax:47-22-24-9500
(This will cost approximately $3)
If nothing else contact your Senator and Representatives. We the people are being duped again. Together, we can make a difference.
June
9, 1997
WHALE CONSERVATIONIST VICTORIOUS
PAUL WATSON WON'T GO TO NORWAY
Haarlem, The Netherlands: On Monday, June 9th at 1:45pm local Dutch time, a cheer erupted in the courtroom as Judge van der Pijl ruled that Captain Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and cofounder Greenpeace, will not go to Norway. It's a victory that he will never be extradited to Norway - even though they tried every possible means to get him," announced Victor Koppe, Watson's legal counsel.
Although the Dutch court accepted the technical ruling of the 120 day sentence, the court showed sympathy by making a surprising move when the judge announced prematurely that they would release Paul Watson on June 20th. "This conviction will be thrown out in appeal," stated Koppe confidently. Watson was cleared of the other 3 charges which were additionally filed at the last minute by the Norwegian government in their voracious attempt to extradite Watson. These three charges all stemmed from the incident in summer of 1994 when the organization's conservation yacht Whales Forever was rammed in international waters by the Norwegian Navy who were guarding the whaling fleet off the coast of Skrova. Norway has been hunting whales in violation of the global ban on commercial whaling, imposed in 1986.
"We are ecstatic. This is a tremendous victory for Sea Shepherd's Paul Watson and environmental activism. It is only indirectly a victory for the whales, however, which Norway and Japan are still slaughtering by the thousands every year. For the whales, it means at least that Paul Watson will continue to be able to lead Sea Shepherd in the ongoing campaign to halt this barbarism before it spreads its stain into the next century," stated Lisa Distefano International Director of Sea Shepherd.
Bob Hunter, a cofounder of Greenpeace along with Watson and acting president of Sea Shepherd in Watson's absence, called the charges "pure politics."
"The Norwegian elections are coming up, and Prime Minister Jagland is an appointee with a shaky political base," Hunter said. "Whaling is an issue that Jagland wants to downplay to the world yet wants to exploit to garner votes in his own country. He needs the support of the coastal districts, the home of the whaling industry."
Distefano confirmed that the Norwegians have good reason to be upset because, "In a way, this has been as successful as any of our high seas campaigns -- we have been able to expose Norway's determination in persecuting Paul for political reasons which has actually succeeded in illuminating to the world their illegal and depraved whaling. We will continue this mission to make the world's oceans safe for all whales being persecuted by any country especially Norway and Japan."
Attached is Captain Paul Watson's personal statement regarding the case. This statement and background information on the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society can be accessed on the worldwide web at: Seashepherd
For more information or to arrange an interview please call Lisa Distefano: 310-301-7325
June 9, 1997
The ruling by the Haarlem court to not grant Norway's demand for extradition is a significant decision.
By releasing me, the Dutch court is sending a clear message to Norway that the Netherlands will not be politically manipulated into granting credibility to illegal Norwegian whaling activities.
The Netherlands is one of the world's great defenders of the whales, of conservation, and the environment. By contrast Norway is one of the world's ecological criminals, blatantly in contempt of the global moratorium on commercial whaling.
The Dutch court did not side with me against Norway. The court simply up held the environmental integrity of the Netherlands.
This decision tells the Norwegians that they cannot have it both ways. They demand that their extradition treaty be upheld, yet Norwegians deliberately voted to refuse European Union membership so that they could continue to ignore the marine conservation ethics and the laws of the European Community.
Thanks to this decision, I shall be a free man and I harbor no grievance against the Netherlands.
I will be free to continue Sea Shepherd campaigns to protect whales from unlawful whaling. I will be free to take my ship and return to the high seas to continue our protection of the whales. The Netherlands deprived me of my freedom for ten weeks at the request of Norway. I would like to respectfully request that the Dutch government actively uphold the international moratorium protecting whales by demanding that Norway stop unlawfully slaughtering the gentle giants of our oceans - the whales.
This statement and background information on the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society can be accessed on the worldwide web at: Seashepherd